Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho has challenged Juan Mata to prove him wrong on the pitch for overlooking the Spaniard's claims and preferring Brazilian Oscar as his No 1 playmaker.
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Mourinho was quoted in Saturday's British newspapers saying Mata, Chelsea's player of the year for the last two seasons, had to adapt to the way the Portuguese wanted the team to play.
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The former Real Madrid, Inter Milan and Porto manager also made it clear Oscar was his first-choice midfield orchestrator.
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"I hope he (Mata) tells me on the pitch, 'You are wrong, I am the best and I have to play every game'," Mourinho told reporters after Chelsea beat West London neighbours Fulham 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to return to the top of the Premier League.
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"I would love that. That is to be professional. My idea is that he is a top kid and a very good professional and I'm waiting for a professional reaction.
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"History doesn't play. The past is the past and you have to be judged on what you do now," added Mourinho after Chelsea ended a dismal run of three consecutive defeats in three different competitions.
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Fan favourite Mata has featured little this season and he did not even merit a place on the bench on Saturday.
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Asked how the Spaniard reacted to his exclusion, Mourinho replied: "He took it the way I want. He trained this morning and my assistant told me he trained very, very hard so at the start the answer is very good.
Mata should try as much as possible to do that too so he would win a place in Mourinho's heart. That has to happen