Santi Cazorla backs international teammate to come good.
Arsenal’s Santi Cazorla says Juan Mata is going through ‘a difficult time’ at Chelsea but believes his international teammate will eventually win back his place in the Blues first team.
Mata has been ostracised by Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho, starting just two Premier League matches of five this season, with Mourinho claiming the playmaker needs to learn to ‘track back’ before winning a place in the starting XI.
Cazorla, teammates with Mata for Spain and as a youngster at Real Oviedo, says the 25-year-old is enduring a difficult time at Stamford Bridge but has backed Mata to win over Mourinho.
“Apart from being a great teammate and player, I consider him a great friend for all we’ve been through together throughout our lives and I know he’s going through a difficult moment,” Cazorla said.
“He’s played two spectacular years at Chelsea, being a player who has played at the highest of levels, one of the best in the Premier League. Football changes from one year to the next, but hey, I see him calm and I’m confident that his situation will change; he’s got faith In himself.
“I think he will show that there is room for him in Chelsea, but it’s also true that he’s going through a difficult time because going from a starter to the bench is disheartening.”
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