First team

LOPETEGUI: "WE WANT TO PLAY AT A HIGH TEMPO, AND THIS TAKES A LOT OF EFFORT"

15/09/2019

"It's a difficult stadium to go to, but then again every game in LaLiga is tough"

Julen Lopetegui, head coach of Sevilla FC, spoke in front of the club's cameras after his side's victory in Vitoria last night. "We played well in the first half against a very good side. The team dealt with the task in hand well. The second half was more tricky as they started to play more direct. We gave ourselves the lead and we knew that we were going to have to suffer; therefore we took home three well-deserved points".

The game asked a lot of questions from both teams physically speaking: "We want to play at a high tempo, and this is going to take a lot of effort. The team played well in all aspects of the game. However, we didn't make the most of the spaces we found as much as what we should have".

"It's a tricky ground to come to, but then again every game in LaLiga is difficult. Each team asks different questions of you".

The team finds itself alone at the top of the league at this point: "This doesn't mean anything, the only thing it tells me is that the team are playing well at the moment. We have to continue improving before heading to Bakú, where it will be extremely difficult for us. We are very excited going into this game and getting our European adventure underway".

Óliver Torres was brought back into the team to replace the injured Nolito: "Óliver is a very hard-working footballer. There are a lot of players who deserved to be in the team but we had to leave them out. I know that it's not fair sometimes, but I want to thank them all for the work they put in".

Chicharito also made his debut for the club in the game: "Today we needed to make the most of the spaces. He has to continue to adapt to what the team wants from him".