MONCHI: 'WE ARE TRYING TO REGAIN THE FEELINGS OF LAST SEASON'

24/11/2020

Monchi reminded everyone 'Krasnodar have got a lot of players back and it will be a different game to the one in Seville. We're feeling positive but we haven't achieved anything yet, we need more points'

Sevilla FC's Director of Football, Ramón Rodríguez Verdejo 'Monchi' was interviewed by Sevilla FC Radio ahead of tonight's clash against FC Krasnodar. He began by talking about the team's form: 'You're always going to have highs and lows in this sport, and the team has always been able to respond at the right moments. That's football, anything can happen but I never doubted their ability to adapt to the requirements of the competition. We've been through a lot of tough times and that's only made us stronger. We're a tough team to beat and that's key when we play in such demanding competitions,' Monchi commented on the state of the squad.

'I want the team to consolidate their excellent performances, like we managed last season'

In terms of what could be expected of Sevilla FC in this 2020/21 season, Monchi said 'I'm not one to look too far ahead, I prefer to stay in the present. We have to consolidate in some situations that we were able to do last season, we need to become more consistent in our performances. Other than that I'm only looking as far as the next objective which is to qualify for the knock-out rounds. I want the team to consolidate their excellent performances, like we managed last season. We need to get back into the feeling we had last season.'

Worried about possible fatigue within the squad, Monchi opted to focus more on the mental state of the players: 'It's a worry and it's on me to sort it out. We have to give the team time to recover physically. The team is in good hands and I'm more worried about mental than physical fatigue. We have some really fit players and good fitness coaches. We are working with the players so they keep in high spirits, we need them to see every match is a new opportunity. That's something we've been doing since the defeat against Miranda, trying to rebuild team morale. You could see it in action the other day against Celta. Every game is the most important. The Champions League always motivates the players, we need them to be as motivated in the other competitions.'

'We are working with the players so they keep in high spirits, we need them to see every match is a new opportunity'

A difficult week for the group

'This week has been difficult with two positive tests. It's all very complex, not even the experts can control this disease 100%. We've been living with the virus for eight months and we are working in line with health authorities. As cases keep getting higher, it affects us more and more, both the players and all the staff around them. We're always looking for solutions to how to live with this virus, even though we know there'll always be cases as people need to live. We hope the players affected don't have a hard time with the virus,' Monchi explained about COVID-19.

To finish, Monchi assured there was no room for complacency: 'We can never be relaxed, we always have to be focused. We turned around a tough situation and have won three in a row. The team needs to keep getting these positive feelings back. Matches like the ones against Krasnodar and Celta help the team both mentally and physically, it keeps them fresh.'