Mooy keeping calm as Huddersfield carries on
EXCLUSIVE: Australia star Aaron Mooy has lit up the Championship with surprise league-leader Huddersfield Town, not that the Socceroos ace is letting the hype get to his head.
He’s been hailed by observers as the most accomplished player in the Championship and simply too good for English football’s second tier, but the plaudits have done nothing to swell the head of Socceroos star Aaron Mooy.
Softy spoken and self-effacing, Huddersfield Town’s midfield maestro is tuning out the hype to concentrate on the Yorkshire club’s next two games – at Ipswich Town on Saturday and the Yorkshire derby at home to Sheffield Wednesday next Sunday – and playing his part in keeping them atop the table.
Two points clear of the chasing pack after 10 rounds, the Terriers are the division’s shock leaders with Mooy credited as the chief instigator of their surge to the summit.
But the rarefied air at the top isn’t making him dizzy, with the 26 year-old – on a season-long loan from Manchester City whom he joined from sister club Melbourne City – playing down his own importance and insisting that “things can change fast” in the Championship and the Terriers can’t afford to indulge in any self-congratulation just yet.
“Things have gone alright so far, and I am just happy to be paying,” Mooy said. “When I came to the club I didn’t believe we would be up at the top, but as we play the games I feel we obviously deserve to be where we are.
“But it’s early in the season and we are not getting carried away at all. This is a really close league and even the games we have won have all been pretty close and anything can happen on the day in this league against any team.
“All the games are really competitive, we haven’t blown any team away and they are all hard games.
“Teams play different styles and we have to adapt to that and impose our style on the matches and execute what the manager (David Wagner) wants.
“But it’s a lot better to be at the top than the bottom and we are not in a false position. You don’t get lucky every game.”
Though unwilling to cast his eye too far beyond this weekend’s trip to Ipswich, Mooy – who scored a spectacular long range winner in his last Yorkshire derby against Leeds – is relishing the duel against the Owls the following week, explaining: “There are a few derbies here.
“It seems we get one every few weeks and I they are special for everybody, the fans and us players.”
Mooy is more about honing his game rather than extolling his virtues.
“I am just looking to try and do my best and improve each time I play, and see where that takes me,” he said.
“I aim to play well each week, but I don’t have set targets. It’s good (to have the backing of the fans) but things can change and I try not to worry too much (about what people say) and just focus on the games.”
The Terriers’ passing game suits Mooy in a slightly deeper role than at Melbourne City where he was a pure play-maker.
“The way we play is good for me and I get on the ball a lot ... it’s not like it’s flying over my head or anything,” he said. “There’s obviously more defensive responsibility, covering, tackling and winning the ball back but it’s going well.
“You have to be well rounded in my position. It’s not just about passing. David Wagner has helped me in the role and I feel like I am improving.
“A lot of it is about preparing mentally because the games come around so quickly. You have to get your body as good as it can get … but you have to mentally strong to be able to perform every few days.
“It’s about focus, concentration, and being hungry and ready for every match.”
