MANCHESTER UNITED MIDFIELDER Juan Mata has urged the club to summon their traditional spirit in a bid to see off Olympiakos in the last 16 of the Champions League at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
United’s season hangs on the result, with the side having lost 2-0 in the first leg in Greece and suffered a morale-sapping 3-0 defeat by bitter rivals Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. That left the English champions in seventh place and unlikely to qualify for next term’s Champions League unless they win the tournament this season. Mata thanked the United fans for their vociferous support during a match in which his team mustered a single shot on target.
“There are no words to describe your support in the stadium,” he said in his weekly blog. “In games like yesterday it makes me mad not being able to give you what you deserve. I know there is nothing I can say right now but at least I want you to know how I feel.” He added:
The storm will pass and the sun will rise again. I have no doubt. Besides, no one said this would be easy but this is football. It gives you fantastic moments but also very hard times you have to cope with, when you have to show pride and professionalism until the end.”
Mata, who is ineligible to face Olympiakos having played in the Champions League for Chelsea prior to his £37.1 million transfer between the Premier League rivals, insisted United could bounce back.
“I have to say that our week at the training ground had been good and we were very hopeful ahead of this derby,” he wrote. ”However, the day of the match everything went bad. It was a tough defeat and I want to tell you that we will give everything we have in order to forget about this in the remaining games.
“And there is a very important one around the corner. We know the history of this club and its achievements, based on a winning spirit. That is what we need to beat Olympiakos and get through in the Champions League.”
“As you know,” he added, “I cannot play in the Champions League any more this season but I’ll be backing the team in Old Trafford as any other fan. If we score in the first few minutes I think we can make it with your (the supporters) help.”
At the end of a storm there’s a golden sky…. Good lad, sing up there Mata.
Is cantona back? Sounds like it.
I didn’t see the liverpool match and didn’t know the score. I caught about 5 seconds of Moyes on the radio afterwards saying ” unlucky” and “penalty.”….that’s all I needed to know United lost again. The man of excuses has now fallen out with Giggs who didn’t attend the pre match coaching briefing because Moyes doesn’t listen. After the match a senior player stormed out of the dressing room calling Moyes useless. Robbie Savage did a hatchet piece on Moyes tactics after the liverpool match. It seems that everyone can see that Moyes is tactically poor. It’s past time to go.
Senior player stormed out – where was thus reported?
And the Giggs story??
Yeah, Danny Mills joined Savage in calling out Moyes after the game. As two members of the 2007/8 Derby County team, these guys are serious football experts with a wealth of managerial knowledge. If they say Moyes isn’t a good tactician then you better believe it.
Nice sarcasm Luke
David Moyles is a Football Genius!
Which part is the sarcasm? Savage and Mills who played premiership, or Moyes who played a bit with Celtic?
Jason,
Here: http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/manchester-uniteds-ryan-giggs-angered-3253682
and
Here http://soccerlens.com/manchester-united-senior-player-stunning-dressing-room-bust/129806/
Dave O’Shaughnessy…..That was the banner held up by Liverpool fans at Old Trafford yesterday.
What an absolute moron you are. Obviously a tool that steals material from others. The livershi*e fans had that banner at old Trafford Sunday
@Noel – Liverpool fans held up a banner with this message in OT on Sunday? Really? You don’t say! Golly Gosh Noel, I must have missed that while I was laughing at United’s abysmal defending.
Sure what level of football did Ferguson, mourinho or Wenger ever play? Doesn’t matter is the answer
Moyes needs more time. Only one more season to relegate them. Give him more time.
I thought Mata and Van Persie were two of Liverpool’s best players on the day.
Keep it up moylsie….
Lads, lets discuss Arsenal’s title challenge. Its basically in the bag now anyway, some team filled with legends.
Umm,let’s not
Can I just ask a question as a man utd fan. What fluent english speaking managers (like mourinho) that are top class are out there ? All we need is a sturdier back 4, making do with jones and smalling, my opinion of rafael has changed again based on the pool game, he was consistent last season but still plays like a headless chicken. We need 3 world class midfielders who can turn defence into attack and grab the game by the balls. We also need someone else in the front third who can create something from nothing, like Torres in his prime or aguero now. And for god sake can we get someone who can score from outside the box. From watching all of uniteds games this season we have no one able to take a touch and strike from 30 yards, ashley young doesn’t count. Letting pogba go was where fergie fuc/ed up, doesn’t look like there’s much coming from the youth teams either, in the line of prosperous midfielders!
So you’re saying ye need about 8 players. A sturdier defence means 4 new defenders. 3 midfielders. And an attacker when RVP runs away like a spoilt little female dog. So what 8 players are United gonna get this summer that have no interest in playing champions league football? Who are these brilliant, inspirational saviours of Old Trafford that Utd fans keep raving on about? “Oh we have €200m to spend this summer!!”. I suppose ye won’t be long about getting thru €200m if ye continue to buy the likes of Fellaini (rubbish) and Mata (ye didn’t bloody need him, ye needed a midfielder!!!).
I think you should read my comment again, and then why don’t u take a step back and literally go f^ck your own face
He should know, he’s a veteran….oh wait. Well at least he’s been at United years…..oh wait. He must have experience of playing for a giant of soccer, seeing them falling away so dramatically in a few months and then rise again surely? Still, he knows what he’s talking about (paid to say).
Sorry to disagree with you there …. FERGIE FUC/ED UP BY ANNOINTING MOYES AS HIS SUCCESSOR …. TBTF