Chelsea star knows his starting berth is far from certain

Chelsea star Juan Mata is philosophical about whether he will be a regular for Spain or not at Euro 2012.

The Blues playmaker scored 13 goals in 57 games for club and country ahead of the tournament but given the quality of Spain’s midfield, including Barcelona trio, Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Cesc Fabregas, it is hard to envisage the 24-year-old starting many games.

“It’s true that I played a lot of minutes at Chelsea this season and felt like an important player,” Mata told a news conference on Thursday at Spain’s training base in Gniewino.

“I just need to keep working now to try and get into the starting XI for the national team,” he added.

“But there are a lot of players who have been here a long time who have also earned that right.

“Whether I am playing or not playing I will always be supporting the team as we all have the same goal which is to win the competition.”