GARCÍA PIMIENTA: "TWO WINS IN A ROW WOULD BE SOMETHING VERY IMPORTANT"

Xavi García Pimienta spoke at the pre-match press conference ahead of facing Osasuna tomorrow night. He began by admitting that the victory against Rayo has left a good feeling: “The week has been good, even better because you are recovering injured players like Saúl and Idumbo, who will be in the squad. It has been a good week of training”.

Of course, he knows that tomorrow will not be easy: “It is a very demanding match. They are committed to a style of playing and they are doing well with the new coach. They are capable of beating Barcelona at home, Real away, they compete like everyone else and they are on a roll, getting many well-deserved points, which makes it even more difficult. We will have to compete for everything because they are confident without the ball, they know how to track back and have very good players. They are strong at set pieces too. If every game is difficult, tomorrow will be even more so. We are happy with the victory the other day, but we want to continue to strengthen the team and improve." 

Nyland however will not be available: “He will not be in the squad. Today was the first day that he was coming in to train with the group for part of the session. He is progressing well and if nothing happens we will be fully back with the group next week." Saúl on the other hand could be in contention to make a return: “Last week he did several sessions with the group, and he has been progressing well. He is ready to help the team. He won't start, but he is capable of helping in the second half if needed." Another name he spoke about was Carmona, who signed a contract extension earlier in the week: “From the first day, he has shown that he has more than enough level. He is from the city, he is a Sevilla fan and he is performing at an excellent level. You can never relax, but I think that, deservedly for him and for the club, we will be able to count on him for four more seasons." 

On whether winning would allow us to start to look up the table he commented: "We have to be careful. We come from a game in which we did very well in some parts. In other areas, it was more difficult, especially at the end, when Rayo pressed. Two wins in a row would be very important. We are playing at home with the fans and could surpass the 20-point barrier. We are talking about a building process and it is time to consolidate what the team is doing. The work is going very well and we want to consolidate it in terms of play and results, so that the fans feel proud. The demand shown by the fans keeps us on our toes. It would be a very important statement for the team to win." 

"It is an important match to make a statement" 

Returning to Carmona and the importance of homegrown players he insisted that “he has earned it. On Sundays, I play who I think is best for the team. Jose has earned what he has because he has shown it every day in training. You have seen him compete and I don't have to hide anything. Juanlu and Kike are two guys who have been here for a long time. Without much fuss, they got into the first team. They are playing with Spain Under-21s, Juanlu who the Olympics in the summer and they can play in several positions. When people come to the stadium they identify with the because they have seen them since the were in the academy. Hopefully, they will be here for many years, because that club feeling is very important." 

In such an intense week, starting with three points would be vital: “Every victory helps a lot. I'm happy with how the team works and how it competes. We have to improve a lot because we do things that are not so good, but we have a week that will be long and short at the same time. In seven days there are three matches, one of them in the Cup, away against a team from the Segunda Federación (fourth tier). I know the opponent and the stadium well. We have to be competitive, winners and aspire to everything possible. We have to focus a lot on tomorrow's match, knowing that we have two more games, but anything that is a victory strengthens the group." 

Regarding January's reinforcements, he did not want to talk about the Swiss Vargas, who has been mentioned in recent days: “There is still a month left until the market opens. We have to reinforce the winger position. Ocampos left which we weren't expecting. Jesus is going to retire, Ejuke is injured, now Idumbo is coming back, who has also been out injured. That position should be reinforced, but I don't want to think more than that because we still have many games left in December that will mark the future of the team. I know Vargas perfectly well, but I don't want to talk about names or players under contract at another team. There is still a month left, which is a lot. After talking to Víctor and the president, we have to strengthen by getting a new winger. We need to bring in a player to improve what we have, but I don't want to talk about specific names”.

Finally, he spoke about Barco: “He is training very well. The other day he played a few minutes and it is true that I have a large squad and I have to say who is the best player in each position. He's training well and if he hasn't played more it's because I thought that Pedrosa was doing well at left-back. I repeat that there is still a whole month left and players that maybe are not playing now might play later down the line. I trust the whole squad and when January 1 arrives we will sit down and discuss exactly what we need. Even players who are not playing could ask for the option to leave, because there may be players who are not comfortable not playing so much. In these three matches this week, every player will be involved."