DMITROVIC: "EN ESTE CLUB NADIE TE REGALA NADA Y LO PRIMERO ES CONSEGUIR OBJETIVOS"

Sevilla FC goalkeeper, Marko Dmitrovic, was in the hot seat one day after the team managed to pick up a win in the first game of the pre-season against Córdoba CF. The Serbian keeper started off by giving his views on the intense start to the pre-season: "It's my third day back, we are working hard and intensely, that's what the pre-season is for. We have a lot of weeks ahead to get prepared and start the season in the best way possible". Talking about his return to the team, Dmitrovic guaranteed that he was coming back fully energised to start work: "After some weeks off on holiday, I've come back well, and I've been working individually in the last couple of days in order to get back to full fitness and not suffer from any injuries. The pre-season helps to get us running at one hundred per cent, that's what they're there for. It's a five-week period in which we go from zero to one hundred. If it's not tough, then we are doing something wrong". 

Regarding downtime, Dmitrovic pointed out how important it was to rest up: "I am very enthusiastic and happy. For the first time in a while, I've had some downtime without any international football. It's given me time to train, disconnect and recharge the batteries. I am pleased to be back with the squad and the rest of the staff. Now, it's time to train and do what we love". Having said that, like the rest of the squad, Dmitrovic has been plunged into the first few days of work where the physical burden is quite heavy: "The first few weeks are always difficult. It has to be intense, you get tired and the work is tough. If you're fine in the first couple of weeks, it's a bad sign. It's normal to be tired right now because your legs wain heavy. This is the most important phase of the pre-season. These upcoming weeks are going to help us build a base for next season". Furthermore, Marko highlighted the intensity of the pre-season introduced by goalkeeping coach, José Luís Silva: "It's a lot of work. We have a very intense coach in José Luís Silva. In the first few days, it's tough to cover the distances between the defence and the goal line. But that's normal. You have to work hard. I am happy and it's a phase of the season that we all have to go through". 

"I am very self-critical; I don't know many people as self-critical as me" 

In terms of being a goalkeeper, Dmitrovic pointed out that it's a complicated role, the most complicated of all the positions in football. You have to be at one hundred per cent all the time. The easiest thing is to play with confidence to be at an advantage. When you're on the bench, you have to work twice as hard because the intensity of games is not matched in training sessions. You have to do it so you are prepared for when the time comes (to play)". Dmitrovic praised Andrés Palop, as well as praising his teammate Iván Rakitic as two of the club's historic players: "We get on really well, so do our families. We are very demanding players". Talking about other teammates, Dmitrovic also spoke about the good relationship he and Bono share: "We get on well, we are very close and we have a tight relationship. We talk about everything. This is hard to come by. We are both very demanding, we want to play as much as possible. When it has fallen on us to play, we have stepped up. That healthy competition has made us stronger on a personal level, this is thanks to José Luís Silva. He's a master goalkeeper coach. He's very demanding, just like me and Bono. Bono is very calm, I am a bit more impulsive. I am very self-critical; I don't know many people as critical as me. You can always do better. That competition made us work hard and evolve. We have stepped up to the demands that the club asks of us." 

Another subject Dmitrovic touched on was the changes José Luís Mendilibar made in goal when he arrived at the club: "It's a situation that just comes about and you have to adapt yourself. I spent a year and a half without even playing. In my second year, I was able to play quite a lot more because Bono got injured. Sampaoli gave me some opportunities. I played a lot more than I did in my first season. Mendilibar came into a complicated situation. He doesn't give anybody anything for free. He knows me and, with the people he knows, he asks twice as much from them. I worked with him for two weeks. I played well in previous games and he decided to give me a shot in the league. You get up to speed when you start playing more often. I was very pleased with the end of the season, both personally and collectively. It has helped us learn from the first half of the season when we weren't up to scratch". Additionally, the Serb was proud of what was achieved in Budapest: "The second half of the season was a strange one. We were changing quite frequently in the goal. At this club, nobody gives you anything for free and the main thing is to reach your goals. I am happy for the team, especially considering what we had gone through early in the season. It's only us who know what we have gone through. We aren't a team that fights to keep its head above water. We were feeling down but, in the end, we got what we were looking for. There was not one person who didn't shed a tear of joy when we won the Europa League. We are very close. What we did was a miracle". 

"I feel great. I am in one of the best places I've been in during my career" 

At the height of his professional career, Dmitrovic didn't hold back his desire to carry on competing: "I feel great, I am in one of the best places I've been in during my career. Every day, I try to improve and each day is a new opportunity. I take care of my diet and look after myself physically. Now, there are many ways to extend the duration of your career. I try to do everything possible to make myself feel better and better". On the other hand, the Serb underlined the good work done by Mendilibar since he arrived at the club: "I am very happy for him. Everyone knows him now. If someone had offered Mendilibar to Sevilla a year ago, they would have thrown their hands up in frustration. That's life and that's football. It hasn't surprised me. He deserves the chance, he's a top man and a great coach. The line between the small teams and the teams that fight for the Champions League is very fine. It's difficult to wait and have the opportunity. Mendilibar was hoping to save us from relegation and see where we could get in Europe. Nobody thought that he would carry on this summer. I knew that we were going to enjoy ourselves with him and train hard. He demands a lot of us during training, but his man-management is great. Off the pitch, we are simply human beings and Mendilibar, in this regard, is a genius". This is most evident when it comes to uniting the group: "Mendilibar, because of the way he is, is a very demanding person on the pitch and a very normal person off it. In the end, all of us players have a very big ego, and we want to play for everything. It's the best way to bring the group together. The pre-season is the best time to ask the most of us. Mendilibar demands a lot from you and, in the end, when the first game of the season against Valencia comes around, we are going to be ready". 

In relation to the Supercup final against Manchester City, the Sevilla man remained prudent: "At the end of the day, being champions, we now have the chance to play against the best team in the world. We have shown that we can compete with the best, but we are still a way off from playing this game. First, we have a league game at home where we have to get off to the best start. When it's time for the game against City, we will prepare ourselves in the best way possible". Marko also wanted to recognise the importance of keeping up good form in the league: "The positive end to last year cannot erase the wrongdoings from most of the season. A lot of people forget what happened, but we can't relax or forget about it. We have won a title where nobody saw us as favourites. I hope those two thirds where we struggled help us to be more self-critical and look at how we can improve things. We cannot look at it as a failure, but as a lesson we can learn from. Improving as an individual and as a group. In closing, Dmitrovic sent a message to the fans: "I'm not going to ask anything of them because they always give their all, they never fail. When the time comes, I will give them the happiness they deserve".