NICO PAREJA: “WE REALLY WANT TO GET GOING AND HAVE A GREAT SEASON”

Sevilla FC first team captain Nico Pareja stopped by SFC Radio today to give his thoughts on the current situation of the team, who he sees as "really wanting to get going and have a great season, the kind of which the club deserves”. He was proud of the team's good displays in the Emirates Cup and happy with the return of "someone who is at home here", referring to Jesús Navas, “to help us pass on the feeling of the team and what it means to be a part of Sevilla FC to those who are newer here”. But if one issue was the focus more than others, it was the departure of his friend and former teammate Víctor Machín, Vitolo, which he admitted came as a big surprise, “because I was convinced that he was going to stay, or so I understood, which is why I went to pick him up from the airport”.

"We've got a very exciting campaign ahead of us"

But before all that, he gave his assessment of pre-season: “We've got a very exciting campaign ahead of us, not only because of the players who've come but because of the team that we have, the coaching staff... the new boys are humble and have a lot of desire to work, and always prioritise the team. The group remains strong and we really want to get going and have a season that this club deserves”.

"Sampaoli demanded excessive attack, Berizzo does too but while maintaining a certain level of order"

And so the conversation moved on to the Emirates Cup, which involved two very good Sevilla FC displays: “The more demanding the opponent, the better it prepares you for what's to come. Despite being a friendly tournament, our participation has been very good. We worked and we tried to transfer what the boss has been asking of us onto the pitch, assimilating his idea as quickly as possible”. Ideas that, for a centre-back, differ with respect to the tactics of Jorge Sampaoli: “Jorge demanded excessive attack, as could be seen, and Eduardo wants us to keep the ball, to be forward-thinking, but to maintain a certain order and tactical rigor so that the opposition can't punish us when we lose the ball”, he explained.

"It's a real shame, the way he left. We're all still surprised"

Such new concepts won't be shared with his ex-teammate Vitolo, whose exit was spoken about by Pareja, who even went to collect him from the airport “because as far as I understood he was going to stay, which is why I went. If a friend calls you and tells you that they're staying... It was great, not only because he's my friend but also because he's a player who I thought would be important this season. But that's football. I have told him as a friend that it's a shame that such a good relationship, the one he created with Sevilla and the fans, has ended this way. The way things were done was not right, but every person makes the decision they think is appropriate. But yes, it's a great shame that he left that way. We're all still a bit taken aback, even I was convinced that he was going to stay. If I had known that negotiations were ongoing, I wouldn't have risked going to pick him up. But when a friend says to you that everything is on track to finalise their stay, the joy overwhelms you... and so it turned out the next day when I got up I saw the news that the deal wasn't closed. Everyone makes their own decisions, as they would prefer. It's a subject that hurts us all, especially those of us who are closer to him. But we must go our own way. We have to look at what we have left, think about those of us who remain, about the guys who have arrived and continue to make Sevilla great. We want to continue on the same path: work, sacrifice, and unity, which is what characterises everyone here in the service of Sevilla FC”.