Los 40 USA
NewslettersSign in to commentAPP
spainSPAINchileCHILEcolombiaCOLOMBIAusaUSAmexicoMEXICOlatin usaLATIN USAamericaAMERICA

SPAIN

Mata: "It was a strange summer; I did my talking on the pitch"

Aduriz: "The competition for places is a positive thing. For any team, it's always healthy to have alternative options. All of us are here to help"

Update:
Mata: "It was a strange summer; I did my talking on the pitch"

Spain-Macedonia Live

Tricky match

Juan Mata and Aritz Aduriz took Thursday's press conference in La Rozas. Mata warned that Spain shouldn't be deceived into presuming that Saturday's game against Macedonia will be a fomality. Far from it, he says.

Full screen
Juan Carlos HidalgoEFE

Macedonia: "We'll need to make sure we lose the ball as least as possible and make sure we keep it moving - I think that's the best way to attack a densely-populated defence. I wouldn't say it's a trick match because we are under no illusions - we know it is going to be difficult; so we are not going into it overconfident. Macedonia are very competitive. They defend in numbers, and are very compact. We'll need to be efficient".

England friendly on Tuesday: “That's going to be special for me. I've been in England for six years now and so I can see for myself the importance which Wembley has in English football history. And it's always special to play against club team mates, and rival players who I have played against in the Premier League - it'll be a fantastic experience. For those who have never played at Wembley, I'm sure it's going to be a night they'll never forget because it's such as special stage. It has a very different atmosphere”.

Your start to the season: “It's true that on a collective level, the start to the season hasn't been as good as we had hoped, but we are still up there and plugging away. In the Premier League, all of the top sides drop points and we maintain hope that we can make up the lost ground and put ourselves close to the top. On a personal level, I'm enjoying my football out on the pitch, last month was a good one for me. It was a strange summer but I'll continue doing my talking out on the pitch. A lot of things came out in the papers which were not true”.

Aduriz: "Playing at Wembley will be a pleasure and a privilege"

Wembley: "It's an iconic stadium - it's the temple of football in England and to be able to go out and play a match there will be a great honour, amazing".