Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata says that Sunday’s clash against Liverpool represents an opportunity for his team-mates to alter the momentum of their season.
The Red Devils are perceived to be in crisis after starting the campaign with just two wins and nine points from eight fixtures – a run of form that has left them 12th in the Premier League.
Manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is coming under increasing pressure, with rumours circulating over potential replacements for the former Molde boss at Old Trafford.
Spain international Mata, though, is looking forward to the league clash at the weekend at the leaders, who post a perfect eight wins from eight matches so far this season. With the Reds also United’s fiercest rivals, it represents a great chance for the direction of the season to switch.
“On Sunday we have a great chance to change the dynamic and we are all very motivated to take the win,” he wrote in a blog post. “We are United, we are playing at home and we will give everything to be able to take the victory that our fans deserve in such a special game.”
Meanwhile, the 31-year-old offered his take on the international week, which was most notable for the racist abuse directed at England players by Bulgarian fans.
“The worst bit from the last few days was what occurred in Bulgaria to various players from England’s national team, players that I know well – some of them team-mates,” he lamented. “I will never stop repeating that racism has no place in football, nor in society. It is a shame to have to keep talking about this topic in this day and age. Hopefully in the not-so-distant future terrible occurrences like these won’t happen.”
From a personal point of view, meanwhile, the break was largely a success, with Spain sealing their place at Euro 2020, albeit tinged by a potentially costly injury to a club-mate.
“The bad news from that game was that David wasn’t able to finish the match due to an injury problem after making some great saves. I hope that it won’t be anything major and he can be back with us soon,” he said.