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Juan Mata praises mentally-strong Fernando Torres

Chelsea midfielder Juan Mata praises teammate Fernando Torres for his mental strength.

Chelsea playmaker Juan Mata has said that Fernando Torres's mental strength has been the key to the Spaniard's recent good form.

Torres netted the winning goal in last Sunday's 2-1 win against Manchester City, and the former Liverpool striker has five goals this season.

Mata feels that the way Torres handled his barren spells in front of goal since signing for £50m in January 2011 has been important to his recent resurgence.

"He has a very strong, focused mind, always clear about his way forward," Mata told the The Mirror.

"He deserves it. He's trained very hard, very professionally and now he is scoring it has brought the confidence back.

"I know him very well, know that he went through some hard moments at this club. I was always very close to him because I believed in him. He believed in himself, too."

Despite Torres's good form, the Blues were beaten 2-0 by Newcastle United this afternoon.

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Chelsea's Juan Mata in action against Everton on May 19, 2013
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3Arsenal1686229151430
4Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest168442119228
5Manchester CityMan City168352823527
6Bournemouth167452421325
7Aston Villa167452425-125
8Fulham166642422224
9Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton166642625124
10Tottenham HotspurSpurs1672736191723
11Brentford167273230223
12Newcastle UnitedNewcastle166552321223
13Manchester UnitedMan Utd166462119222
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18Ipswich TownIpswich162681628-1212
19Wolverhampton WanderersWolves1623112440-169
20Southampton1612131136-255


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