London: Juan Mata could be forgiven for thinking that his contributions to Chelsea’s recent and historic success could finish with an anti-climax this season. But then the expectation levels have never been so high at Stamford Bridge, where winning in the face of adversity, and apparent self-inflicted woes have become the norm.
Ahead of the Blues’ Europa League final against Benfica at the Amsterdam ArenA on Wednesday evening, the talented midfielder knows that another trophy is well within Chelsea’s grasp.
Under the most testing of circumstances, including rampant fan hostility towards interim manager Rafael Benitez, however, Mata accepts that Chelsea must remain focused on not only the final, but also on building on their guaranteed top-four Premiership finish to earn the Blues Champions League qualification for next season.
At Chelsea’s Cobham training ground just outside London, Benitez walks by and smiles, saying “good morning,” in our direction, before taking charge of first-team training.
Whatever feelings the fans hold towards Benitez, and with Jose Mourinho seemingly on his way back to Chelsea, the man himself has always continued with a remarkable dignity and professionalism, which Mata acknowledged in an exclusive interview with Gulf News.
The 25-year-old, who has netted 18 times this season, said: “Working with Rafa has been a pleasure. I don’t know what will happen, but whether he goes or not, it’s been a pleasure to work with him because I think he’s a great manager and a great person. I think, in terms of a system and the scoring as well, it’s been the best season in my career, and playing with strikers like Fernando [Torres] as well. But the only thing I want is to improve and reach the next season in better form.”
Prior to his 2011 summer move to Stamford Bridge, Mata was rumoured to be on his way to Arsenal. But, having spoken with fellow Spain teammate Torres, Mata’s preference shifted towards west London, with a £23.5 million (Dh132 million) transfer fee agreed between Valencia and Chelsea.
Close up, and with that familiar designer stubble, the slightly framed Mata articulates his points well in English. “Podemos a hablar en Ingles?” [Can we speak in English?] I had enquired earlier. “Cool” came the reply from the player whose name translates to “Johnny Kills.”
The diminutive Mata has been the key figure in the Blues’ midfield in a more devastating central role, but he admits Europa League success won’t compensate for Chelsea having becoming the first Champions League winners to have been eliminated at the group stages.
Either Borussia Dortmund or Bayern Munich will be crowned champions of Europe a week on Saturday, but for the former Valencia midfielder, lifting the Champions League trophy in that dramatic penalty shoot out against Bayern 12 months earlier is all the inspiration he needs to help Chelsea win back that elite title.
Didier Drogba levelled two minutes from time after Thomas Mueller had given the Bundesliga side the lead after 83 minutes.
Mata then missed Chelsea’s opening penalty in the shootout, but the Blues held their nerve and Drogba sealed a historic win for the London side. The Blues’ dressing-room celebrations featured Drogba dancing around and almost questioning the Champions League trophy as to why it took so long to arrive. I point this out to Mata, whose face lights up the gloom of the London sky as he recalls that unforgettable night.
“I probably have some of my best memories in football in my life [from that night],” recalls Mata, when asked to recall the dramatic win over Bayern at their Allianz Arena home. “Winning that trophy was like a dream come true. I feel very lucky about it, and now after winning [it] once, the only thing I want is to win it twice or three times, because as you said players like Drogba they had to wait until the end of their careers, and I’ve already done it, so I feel really lucky.
“So now we have the chance to win again another European trophy and we will try to do it. We feel really proud of being the first team in London to win it and to have the chance now to win the Europa League. So if we win this final, we will have won two trophies in a row in Europe, which is not easy at all.”
His recall to Vicente del Bosque’s Spain side is further testament to, and reward for, the hard work of the Blues number 10, who faces strong competition for a place in the team from Barcelona midfield maestros Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta.
Of being part of Spain’s golden generation, Mata said: “To be honest, I think in Spain we’re living the best moment in our history, winning the World Cup, twice winning the European Championship, so we have to take advantage of that. I’m playing with some of the best players in the world; we have so many quality players and I think we’ve got to take advantage of that and carry on until the end.”
For now, Mata is also looking forward to playing in front of passionate Asian supporters during Chelsea’s pre-season tour of Malaysia, Thailand and, for the first time, Indonesia, a region of the world he tells me he has never visited.
“I’m looking forward to going there in the summer with the team. It would be nice to get to know [this place]. There are many places I’ve never been to.”
His teammates have let him know of the fervour of the Blues’ Asian fans, and that is something Mata is looking forward to experiencing first hand he.
“They [my teammates] have said that we have a lot of fans there and the atmosphere is amazing in every stadium so, yes, we’re looking forward to going there. They really follow the Premier League. I think that because of the time difference, it’s the best league for them to follow, so we feel really proud to have that amount of fans we have there.”
