'LET'S ENJOY IT', SAYS SKIPPER
Posted on: Fri 25 Sep 2009
Melchiot looking forward to facing old club
Mario Melchiot prepares to face his old club Chelsea tomorrow, and has urged fans to get behind the team just as they did against West Ham.
The skipper spent five years at Stamford Bridge, and insists that playing in games like this is what improves you as a player
"I think everything I've achieved in England started off from Chelsea, and I've enjoyed my time here right up to today," said the skipper.
"It was a good background to learn this culture and get to know he game. I think it's one of the reasons why I've been so comfortable since coming here.
"Playing against teams like this and testing yourself against the best is why football is so enjoyable. It's great for everyone involved because you want to match yourself with the best, and it really brings out the best in you as a player.
"By doing well tomorrow it will give us a lot of confidence and that's one thing we need to focus on.
"We need to make sure we perform well as a team, and then we can continue to progress from there. It's going to be an exciting season and we need to make sure we keep going in the right direction, that's the most important thing.
"The fans are going to play a big part tomorrow as well.
"When we played West Ham the noise of the crowd getting behind us was great and they really got behind us. We come there to entertain them and when you here them making that noise it helps us to perform for them."
The skipper went on to praise the confident mentality manager Roberto Martinez is instilling in the club, which he believes will lead to great things.
He said; "The manager wants us to go face-to-face with them and not sit back.
"For some of us it's a normal way of playing, a way that we prefer. Some of us are just going to have to get used to it, but once we've all adjusted it will be great.
"At least now we're going to face the big bys and try to compete, not just trying to keep the score down, that's not football in my opinion.
"A lot of people may doubt us when we're coming up against the big boys, but not me.
"I'm enjoying my football very much, we have a great way of playing now, a manager who knows what he's talking about and knows how to get us ready. So as a group we're doing well with a manager who's taking care of us."
And what will he be saying to the boys before kick-off tomorrow?
"Let's enjoy it, that's the most important part of football. If you don't enjoy your football you can't perform, the key thing to making sure you play well every weekend, is by making sure you have that smile on your face. If you have that mentality then everything will be alright."
Mario Melchiot prepares to face his old club Chelsea tomorrow, and has urged fans to get behind the team just as they did against West Ham.
The skipper spent five years at Stamford Bridge, and insists that playing in games like this is what improves you as a player
"I think everything I've achieved in England started off from Chelsea, and I've enjoyed my time here right up to today," said the skipper.
"It was a good background to learn this culture and get to know he game. I think it's one of the reasons why I've been so comfortable since coming here.
"Playing against teams like this and testing yourself against the best is why football is so enjoyable. It's great for everyone involved because you want to match yourself with the best, and it really brings out the best in you as a player.
"By doing well tomorrow it will give us a lot of confidence and that's one thing we need to focus on.
"We need to make sure we perform well as a team, and then we can continue to progress from there. It's going to be an exciting season and we need to make sure we keep going in the right direction, that's the most important thing.
"The fans are going to play a big part tomorrow as well.
"When we played West Ham the noise of the crowd getting behind us was great and they really got behind us. We come there to entertain them and when you here them making that noise it helps us to perform for them."
The skipper went on to praise the confident mentality manager Roberto Martinez is instilling in the club, which he believes will lead to great things.
He said; "The manager wants us to go face-to-face with them and not sit back.
"For some of us it's a normal way of playing, a way that we prefer. Some of us are just going to have to get used to it, but once we've all adjusted it will be great.
"At least now we're going to face the big bys and try to compete, not just trying to keep the score down, that's not football in my opinion.
"A lot of people may doubt us when we're coming up against the big boys, but not me.
"I'm enjoying my football very much, we have a great way of playing now, a manager who knows what he's talking about and knows how to get us ready. So as a group we're doing well with a manager who's taking care of us."
And what will he be saying to the boys before kick-off tomorrow?
"Let's enjoy it, that's the most important part of football. If you don't enjoy your football you can't perform, the key thing to making sure you play well every weekend, is by making sure you have that smile on your face. If you have that mentality then everything will be alright."
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