First team

SAMPAOLI: "EVERY MATCH IS GOING TO BE GRUELING"

26/04/2017

"We all have to be on the same track so that the stadium is a cauldron tomorrow", he said

Jorge Sampaoli was not entirely happy with Atlético de Madrid's defeat at the hands of Villarreal. "A chance opened up and that gives us hope that tomorrow we have the opportunity to get ourselves where we have been nearly all season... When we're given these chances we have to all be on the same track so that the stadium is a cauldron tomorrow and it gives us a boost to get into that position... I was pleased on the one hand and was worried on the other. Now we have the chance to hang on to that hope but our schedule is terrible and the fact that Villarreal won complicates fourth place", he indicated.

The Argentine is not taking it as a given that his side have already secured a Champions League place: "You think that the team are already in the Champions League and I think that the final stage is going to be very difficult to get into the Champions League, because there are very consistent teams who are very motivated. We have four consecutive matches against sides who are very tough, very difficult... We have to be very well prepared to get much needed points to reach the place that we've been looking for all year. To do that we need our commitment and that of the fans so that we really feel the need and the desire for the team to stay in the biggest competition in Europe... Every match is going to be grueling. We need to be motivated in every match".

"We need the commitment of the fans so that we really feel the need to be in the biggest competition in Europe"

Sampaoli added that only the players who are at their best will play, because "these are matches to be at one hundred percent for. Whoever is not at one hundred percent, over and above individual names, can't play".

Wissam Ben Yedder is still in the Forefront of Samaploi’s plans this season, with the French striker – who signed from Toulouse last summer – Sevilla’s top scorer with 17 goals to his name this season.

“The combination of Joaquín Correa and Stevan Jovetic has given us a fresh option up front, but Wissam is still in our thoughts for the remainder of the season,” he said.

Asked about his side’s efficiency in front of goal in recent weeks, the Argentine said: “It’s something that the team has to improve on. We have to be a team capable of finishing as many chances as we create.

“We’ve spoken a lot this week about that, because without that ability it will be difficult to achieve what we’re aiming for.”

Sevilla confirmed this week that Óscar Arius has taken over from Monchi as the club’s sporting director, and Sampaoli gave his reaction to the news.

“Since I started here, we have had regular conversations,” he said. “It’s a decision that the club will have considered a lot before making and they have known Óscar for a lot longer than I have. I hope that he has the same ability as his predecessor [Monchi] and that he puts Sevilla in a position to achieve.”

Jesús Navas has been linked with a summer move back to the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán when his contract at Manchester City expires on 30 June, and Sampaoli gave his thoughts on the winger.

“He is a player who we were very close to bringing in, but he ended up staying at City. He would have offered a lot to the team,” commented the 57-year-old, “with Sevilla in his blood and a lot of respect for him here. If he comes next season, he will be a big plus.”