Mendilibar: “Sevilla is going to get out of this”

“We have to go game by game without going crazy”

MADRID, 22 Mar. (EUROPA PRESS) –

The new coach of Sevilla FC, José Luis Mendilibar, assured that he is convinced that the team will get out of the bad situation it is in and that, with the mentality of going game by game and are “going crazy”, they will be able to close the season with good results and without neglecting the Europa League, for which he wants to compete.

“There are eight teams on three points and it doesn’t matter where you are because you lose a game and go down. We have to think about the first game, against Cádiz, who are in the same situation as us. Sevilla is the first time they have been in this situation, you have to be aware that we are going to get out of this,” he said in his presentation.

For the Basque coach, who replaces the dismissed Jorge Sampaoli, the objective is “to go game by game”. “There are ten days before Cádiz and that is the first and only objective. Like me there are many coaches who didn’t train and wish to be able to train, and even more so if a club like Sevilla FC calls you, it’s hard to say no. We’ll leave Knowing better, we can end up with some great results”, he predicted.

“It is not about keys, we are going to meet. I can come up with an idea and I have to see that the idea is accepted. We have 10 days as I say to be able to get to know each other better and from there compete. The effort will have to be there , the team and the club are not used to this situation and for the players it is complicated,” he reiterated.

For this reason, he made it clear that they should not lose their heads and want to run more than necessary. “We have to go game by game without going crazy and from there compete as best as possible, run, fight and show that you are better than the rival to try to beat them. Sevilla is used to being up front but there is always a bad year. We will do the diagnosis internally,” he stressed.

Mendilibar assured that he had time before taking the reins to watch a “lot of games” for Sevilla. “Seeing that and with the ideas that it can bring, with great footballers whose self-esteem needs to be raised, we have to help each other and that we also mutually believe that it is possible,” he said.


The situation is better in the Europa League, with Sevilla alive in their fetish competition. “It’s my first European tie, the club in that competition is the biggest and what we’re not going to do is throw away the competition. It will be played against a great rival, but I’m sure they respect Sevilla FC”, he pointed out, referring to the quarter-final clash against Manchester United, who eliminated Barça and Betis.

“Winning is the main thing and what is clear is that you have to play well. Each coach has our booklet and you have to do things well. In football it is easier not to fit in than not to score goals, from there you will have to work hard from collective work. Scoring goals belongs to the whole team, we also have to start defending from above and scoring goals from below”, he pointed out.

But he reiterated that he is not closed to anything. “I don’t come here with an idea as I say, the footballers have to understand it. The player has to be happy with the day to day, he doesn’t have to be angry. And then analyzing things is easy, the complicated thing is to find solutions to everything that,” he assessed.

Mendilibar revealed part of his first-day message to the group. “During training I don’t stop, I don’t shut up and they catch the wave. There are a lot of people out due to international caps, but we have 10-11 players to make them understand things. The only thing is that things flow and they have to go taking these things little by little,” he said.

As for how his arrival was, he explained that something stressful. “The first two days have been hectic. Arriving, signing, training twice, with no time for anything but delighted to be in a great club with great players and that they have chosen me. I’m really looking forward to it,” he acknowledged.