Ji-sung Park was openly critical of his below-par start to
the season, but insisted he’d come good – and he was right. He's
been integral to United in the last month, even adding his name to
Old Trafford’s long list of late matchwinners...
You were unhappy with your start to the season. What
changed?
I was not satisfied with any of my performances, I just didn’t feel
mentally right. Then I went back to Korea on international duty
and, even though I didn’t play, the fans were hugely supportive of
me. My friends and family encouraged me and said I would be fine
when I returned to Manchester. I feel much better now and I’m happy
with the way I am playing. Things are good for me.
When you're not playing well, how do you stay
upbeat?
It’s important to keep thinking positively. Don’t worry about past
games, like saying “I’ve played poorly', or 'I should have done
this better” – just look to the future and work out how you can
improve.
You’ve scored four goals this season. How many will you be
satisfied with?
If I score 10 in any season I’m happy, so I’ll be aiming for that
as it’s within my reach now I have four. I haven’t been doing
anything new in terms of getting into more attacking positions; the
manager hasn’t said anything to me other than to enjoy my football.
That makes me feel comfortable on the pitch, which leads to more
chances.
Is it important that the midfielders chip in with goals
this season?
Yes, because if the midfielders are scoring more then we’re helping
the strikers and taking some pressure off them. If you have one
player who scores all the goals, it becomes difficult for the team
when that player is out injured. It’s something the midfielders
here are all aware of and are always looking to improve on – myself
included.
You’ve been at United over five years now. Do you feel like
a senior member of the squad?
I guess so. I’ve been at the club for quite a while and I’m getting
old! So yes, I feel like one of the most experienced players – in
the Carling Cup game against Wolves a few weeks ago, I was one of
only two or three senior players on the pitch.
What advice can you offer some of the younger
players?
Young players here aren’t going to play every game – they have to
wait for their chance, then show their ability when that chance
comes. That can be difficult because they want to play every game.
But at United you need to have patience because squad rotation is
part of this club. I’ve learned that myself. That in itself helps
players develop the right attitude, be more professional and head
in the right direction.
Do the players draw confidence from our unbeaten
start?
We don’t think about the fact that we haven’t lost yet this season;
all we’re thinking about is winning games – that’s more important.
We’ve had quite a lot of draws, which has been a little frustrating
– there are games we should have done better in and won. But we’re
starting to get some players back from illness and injury, and when
we’re at full strength, we know we are capable of going on a
winning run.