Juan Mata has defended David Moyes and said the Manchester United manager cannot be held solely responsible for his disastrous first campaign in charge. The Spanish midfielder has called for the supporters disillusioned with Moyes to get behind him, and claims he has been assured there will be big-name arrivals this summer to restore the club to its former glories. “We have to be together, now is not the time to blame anyone. Now is not the time to look for guilty people. “Now is the time to stick together - with the manager, with his staff, the players and with the people on the board of the club. We need to carry on, to stay with the manager. We need to believe in him, because as players we know we have to improve. “It’s not just the manager, it’s not just the tactics. It’s all of us. It’s not the time to blame one person. We are all together in this. “Some of my friends told me if this situation was happening in another club in Spain it would be different, but the club and the players are behind the manager. We need to be strong as a team, as a dressing-room and keep working hard. We need to improve, we know it, but we need to do it together.” Mata said he saw the bigger picture when making the switch to United, claiming a difficult season of change was a small price to pay for the prospect of long-term success. “I knew these six months were going to be difficult, even before I came, things were difficult here, so I knew I wasn’t coming to a side that was going to win, win and win. “But I knew as well that this club was going to come back and that the future was going to be bright. “When I was in my situation at Chelsea, not playing, everyone I spoke with in football said, ‘Yeah, maybe Manchester United aren’t at their best this season - but it’s still Manchester United! It’s not a team that’s just played one season in the Champions League and you’re going to a club that’s not top level. No, this will always be a top level club, one of the biggest in the world. “So if you don’t play Champions League one season, you’ll play in it the next year, or you will still win trophies, because it’s what the club is about. “I have no doubt about it. When I joined, in all my conversations with the board and the manager about next season, they were confident about getting the right players. “They know, and I know, we’re in a transitional moment, but in the summer they’re going to try to sign a few players and I have the faith they are going to bring top players in. “I’m sure this club is going to come back and fight for every trophy. Since I was a kid, Manchester United was fighting for everything, and this moment is going to come back for sure. [Source: Mirror] #H17
Posted on: Fri, 18 Apr 2014 15:57:24 +0000