MADRID, 4 Oct. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Sevilla FC manager, Julen Lopetegui, insisted this Tuesday that he will not issue any opinion “on what has happened in recent months”, in relation to his future at the club, “out of respect” for his “main responsibility”, at the same time who stressed that “170 games are not given away in a club” like Seville, a figure that will reach this Wednesday in the Champions League.
“Out of respect for my main responsibility, I am not going to comment on what has happened in recent months. I prefer to keep it to myself, within the responsibility that I have as Sevilla coach and face the game with the greatest energy. 170 games are not given away by chance in a team like Sevilla, you also have to win a lot to be 170. I am not going to change my speech or my attitude, I must live up to the demands of the club and the fans, who deserve the best of those responsible for this club,” he said at a press conference before Wednesday’s game.
Faced with all the questions about his immediate future at the club, Lopetegui stressed that he would not issue any opinion “that is not sporting” before a match against such a “demanding” rival. “You don’t go to war with melancholy, or excuses, or doubts. I try to transmit character and confidence to my players. I’m going to continue doing what I’ve done since I arrived, I haven’t been here for two months, it’s our fourth year and we’ll try to reverse the situation, working, insisting and giving the best of ourselves,” he said.
“ONE DOESN’T GO TO WAR WITH MELANCHOLY, EXCUSES AND DOUBTS”
“My focus is on a Champions League match against Borussia, it cost us blood, sweat and tears last year. We have to try to face it, enjoy it and win it. Anything to get out of that focus is to lose energy and lose the place , and I have to be very responsible with my fans, who deserve the best from all of us”, he elaborated on how he faces the game.
For this reason, he reflected and said that “the situations are what they are and one has to try to give the best answer of oneself”. “One has to be responsible for what he controls, and I control my players, my team, and try to prepare as well as possible for this Wednesday’s game,” he added.
Thus, he stressed that the squad is “with that concentration, enthusiasm and focus on the only thing that is important.” “We have to be focused on something as important as a Champions League match,” he commented, before stating that he personally faces the duel “excited and responsible for exercising” his “main responsibility”, which is to “convince, train and prepare to an excellent group of players.
“I must be able to find solutions to overcome moments of difficulty. It is what we have done in the previous 169 games and tomorrow will not change our way of behaving. We will work with enthusiasm and energy,” he said.
About Borussia Dortmund, Lopetegui said that they are “an excellent rival, more complete than with Haaland” who is “playing very well”. “It is the best team in Germany with Bayern, but the important thing is to be able to respond to the excellence that the rival has and believe in our resources, optimize them and overcome a great rival,” he analyzed.
“I hope that the fans give us their maximum energy, demanding a lot from us. We have earned respect and the only way to continue earning it is to continue giving the best of ourselves. The fans are sovereign and this club’s fans must be understood, loved and respect it”, he predicted about the welcome to the team and the coaching staff this Wednesday, before advancing that Marcao will be absent and Acuña could have minutes.