Mata excited for new season
Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata is determined to move on from Spain's disappointing showing at the Olympics football tournament and has high hopes for the new season.
By ESPNSTAR.com staff
Mata was part of Spain's Euro 2012 squad but he featured in a minor role in the competition, scoring only a solitary goal in the final against Italy. At London, however, he was one of the senior figures but was unable to inspire the youngsters to even eke out a win and they exited the tournament from the group stages without a goal to their name.
But the Blues are expected to be major challengers on all fronts in the new season, having signed three high-profile players in Eden Hazard, Marko Marin and Oscar. Mata is especially eager to shift his focus towards his domestic duties and deliver a good season overall for the west London outfit.
"I feel really good and confident for the new season," Mata told Chelsea TV.
"Myself and Oriol have been looking forward to coming back and I'm happy to be here.
"The Euros were the best moment of the summer for me. Another European Championship for Spain, I had the opportunity to play in the final, I scored the last goal and it was amazing.
"The Olympics was a good experience as a sportsman, but we were so unlucky. We deserved more but we didn't score so it was impossible to go through.
"I think it will be a good season for us. Personally, I will try to play more games than last season. For sure, our desire is to win another trophy, either the Premier League or Champions League. These competitions are very important for us and we will try to do our best."
Moreover, the Spaniard does not appear to be fazed by the prospect of having to compete against Hazard and Oscar for a place in the starting XI. The young stars are both known to cherish the playmaker's role and would provide stiff competition for the ex-Valencia man who was the main creative force for the Blues last season.
"Yes, of course, we have Eden Hazard, Marko Marin, Oscar and Kevin De Bruyne [now on-loan at Werder Bremen]," he observed.
"We've bought some quality players which is good for the team."
Chelsea kick off their campaign with a match against Wigan at the DW Stadium on August 18.