Louis van Gaal has a tough set of fixtures to manager his team through.
Manchester United midfielder Juan Mata has bluntly reminded his teammates that there is “no time for mourning” after his team lost to Swansea on Saturday.
The Red Devils dropped down to fourth in the table and were leapfrogged by rivals Arsenal, with Liverpool closing the gap to the Champions League places.
Mata started on the bench at the Liberty Stadium, a regular theme for the Spaniard as he seems to have fallen out of favour with Louis van Gaal.
However, communicating via his personal blog, Mata stressed that the team must look forward with some big fixtures coming up and rivals picking up their form – there is a great deal to play for.
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“Sometimes you win games that you don’t deserve to win, and some other times, and I think this is the case, you just don’t get what you deserve… This is football!,” Mata wrote.
“Now we must stand up again, look ahead and make it up to our fans the next weekend in Old Trafford against Sunderland. As I keep saying every week, and now even more, it is vital to win games.
“Our main rivals don’t slow down and the race for the Champions League spots is closer than ever. We are approaching the most important moment of the season and we must deliver in order to get our goals.”
With no European football at Old Trafford, United have a clear week before hosting Sunderland on Saturday. This season was seen as a transition period back to the big time, but another year of failing to qualify for the Champions League would certainly be damaging for the club.