Chelsea Mata rallies the troops ahead of clash with Tottenham

Chelsea influential midfielder Juan Mata rallied the troops ahead of the crucial Premier League encounter against Tottenham.

Juan Mata has scored match-winning goal against Manchester United on Sunday to make a step closer to securing a Champions League football. The win allowed the Blues moving one point clear of fourth-placed Arsenal with a game in the hand and three points clear of fifth-placed Tottenham and the victory will guarantee them Champions League qualification.

The Spaniard, who has been in magnificent form this season contributing to 18 goals and 26 assists in all the competitions this season, called his teammates to bend every effort and beat Tottenham at Stamford Bridge. He said: “We knew maybe a point wasn’t bad (at Old Trafford) but we wanted to win. We now play against Tottenham on Wednesday, which is going to be a final again. Three points is amazing because now we are in third position. If we win against Tottenham we will be in the Champions League.

“Mentally you don’t have time to disconnect. We play Sunday, Wednesday, Saturday, so mentally you are always focused. Physically you have to rest. These two days are important to us, Monday and Tuesday. We need to rest, to train and get ready. We want and need to win against Tottenham,” he added.