SAMPAOLI: "WINNING THESE GAMES IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE IT SHOWS HOW GREAT THE CLUB IS"

Jorge Sampaoli spoke to the media on Wednesday at the official press conference ahead of tomorrow's Copa del Rey clash in Pamplona. he began by saying, it's "an important and difficult game because there are a lot of players who, due to absences, have had to play a lot of minutes and there's another game on Saturday. We have to make some calls and put out a team in the best condition for a decisive match against an excellent opponent. We are using every minute to prepare in the best way possible. They have great aggression, good organisation and speed. They pass very well when they win the ball back."

In addition, he practically ruled out Fernando Reges: "The previous game, due to playing so many minutes, left us with some fatigue problems. Fernando suffered a knock that has prevented him from training and it will be difficult for him to play tomorrow. Osasuna have the characteristic of pressing very well and winning a lot of duels. They are a team that takes the ball and attacks with speed. For us, it's an important challenge because we have to consolidate our improvement in form and these obstacles give you a chance to draw conclusions about where we are as a team."

In Seville, but not yet made official, the coach was asked about the arrival of Reine-Adélaïde: "Jeff is a midfielder that I came up against last year in France. He is very dynamic, with a good presence in the centre of the park, he's a dynamic midfielder, he's also a talented midfielder. He can bring us quantity and hopefully quality in midfield. That will be seen with how he adapts to the city, the team and the environment. That will be seen, but he has the ability to help us in an area of the pitch where we are lacking."

He also spoke about the distribution of minutes and the players recovering: "As we have so few players, maybe for the two games we have to make sure that one game doesn't affect the other. Lucas arrived very recently, and he had about 20 minutes of real playing time, he is training well and is fit, but he hasn't had a competitive rhythm lately and he will have to earn it in those minutes. As for Papu, he is close to returning but he is not quite there yet. This gives minutes to other players."

"Delaney had a more serious injury, he has started to train with the group, but he needs a bit more time to be able to compete in these very important games, both tomorrow and Saturday. We need people who can compete and get stuck in that will allow us to hope for positive results. If they can't do that, it would leave the team worse off. We have to see how much each player is used so that they can give their best."

"Fernando suffered a knock that has prevented him from training and it will be difficult for him to play tomorrow"

On the transfer market and the potential ins-and-outs at the club, Sampaoli said: "I do not decide, it is the club who decides if someone arrives and when. The club knows what I wanted and what I want in terms of player profile, but I don't decided what happens. The market is still open and we will see who has arrived by the time it closes, and what the squad will be for the rest of the season. 

He also mentioned the need to be more clinical in attack: "We know that it is important to play each game showing our ability as footballers. We thought that the match against Cádiz was very good because we knew what we needed to do. This will be a different challenge. We need to know that we have to play at the weekend but we did not score until the final minute. We must be more clinical, because we were so dominant and almost ending the game with a draw shows how we have to be more ruthless in front of goal. The team was aggressive, they won possession back well, but we lacked conviction in goalscoring opportunities which is what brings positive results".     

The team is 90 minutes away from a semi-final: "It is always important to advance into the next stage of the competition because it shows how good the club is, you get to a semi-final and you are amongst the best four teams. We can't forget that we have another important game on Saturday and there are many players who have played a lot in the last few weeks. Not only can this cause injuries, but it can also make the players more tired and their performances get worse. Against Alavés we struggled and it wasn't fun. You have to bear this in mind before a game like tomorrow, but winning is always good and this is what we plan on doing tomorrow." 

Referring once again to the need to make changes, he clarified that in "these games those who are 100% will be the ones who play. Some players can deal with an intense fixture list, others less so, like the explosive players... If we win the decision will have been a good one and if not, less so. We think we will play well tomorrow and we don't think too much about Saturday, which is close. Against an opponent who has a free week, the fixture will be a tough one."

Finally, he was asked about Monchi: "He loves the club and he manages it the way he feels is right. I too behave badly on the touchline. It would be silly for me to speak about someone's feeling on behalf of them in what is a difficult time for the club, especially if I don't keep a cool head myself."