Chelsea midfielder Nemanja Matic has declared that he and his teammates will be considered failures if they don’t win the Premier League this season, and produce more scenes like those that followed their Capital One Cup victory earlier this month (pictured).
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The Blues take on Southampton later today, looking to respond to the disappointment of going out of the Champions League in mid-week. Matic’s side were beaten on away goals by Paris Saint Germain, and now only have their top flight campaign to concentrate on.
Matic, who was quoted by the Daily Mail, said: “To be honest we didn’t play well against Paris Saint-Germain. We played against one very good team with very good individuals but after the Ibrahimovic red card maybe we thought it would be more — not easy — but easier for us as we had one player more.
“If you watched the whole game they deserved to go through. Now, we must win the Premier League. We have to if we want to finish this as a good season. If we win the league we will have that and the Capital One Cup and it will be a good season. Otherwise it is going to be bad.
“I know it is going to be difficult until the end. But Manchester City also play difficult games. If we win the Premier League it’s going to be like a dream for us, because we know what we speak about every day and we know the Premier League is something we have to win. We are not tired and we will be ready for the next 12 games.”
Matic was suspended for the game with Spurs, after being sent-off in the preceding Premier League game against Burnley. It was then that he was the victim of an overly-aggressive challenge from Ashley Barnes, while his incensed reaction saw him sent-off.
Despite missing the cup final, the Serbian insist he has no regrets. He added: “I was happy, to be honest, when I saw the video after the game as it was bad. And I am happy that I played against Paris Saint-Germain. My reaction was not good but this reaction was because I thought I broke a leg. I am a happy man because I can walk.
“I don’t like to say that I was right in my reaction. I was not right. But this was a moment when you cannot control your emotions. I saw it one time only (on TV). That was enough. But these things happen in football. I hope that is the last time.”