First team

MACHÍN: 'LAZIO HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE AND THAT MEANS THEY'LL NOT BE SCARED TO GO FOR IT'

19/02/2019

The manager gave an extensive press conference where he spoke about all things Sevilla

Pablo Machín was accompanied Roque Mesa in today's press conference in the run-up to Sevilla-Lazio tomorrow. He began by speaking about Sunday's result: 'They certainly have the ability to get back up and many of them will have got through harder periods in other clubs. When you're at such an ambitious club, it's normal to be hurt when you lose. I was and all of Sevillismo was as well, but we are in controlling of turning the situation around and we have a chance tomorrow. We go back to Sevilla's competition and we have already managed to beat this opponent. We can't become complacent and we are going to plan the game as if we were going for the win but we have the added advantage that a draw would do for us.'

Regarding the away form, he reiterated his message: 'I know what I say to the players and our intention is to start on the front foot. The opponent will always put pressure on you, in some games we've started well and had the first chances but we've not been clinical enough. Three months ago we were putting away our first chances and now we are not, but I know the team is more than capable of doing so. The league is more than half way over and the players have shown me that in that time. We have to keep believing in what we're doing and trust that we will find that clinical touch again. We don't want to get on the back foot because I don't believe we play best that way. We like to be in the opponent's half and attack.

'We don't want to get on the back foot because I don't believe we play best that way'

Rog has not made his debut yet and the manager was asked about the Croat once more: 'Everyone needs some time to adapt. He hasn't been here for too long but there have been many matches. For Rog to play you'd have to take someone off and the manager has to judge on objective facts. I'm not saying he's not ready to play now but there are players ahead of him right now because they know the system and the manager knows them. I'm sure he will have his chance, he is going to help us because there are many games to go and he's becoming more and more integrated with the group and he has more desire. When his chance comes he will help us a lot.

Machín is not considering changing system for the moment: 'What has brought us here, more than a system, is an idea and a style of play along with the players. We have to keep promoting this and we have always worked on other systems because my job is to have alternatives. The system we work on the most, that with which we feel most comfortable, is the 3-5-2. That is our main system. The alternatives are just that, alternatives.

'What has brought us here, more than a system, is an idea. We feel more comfortable in the 3-5-2 and the other formations are just alternatives'

Set-pieces aren't going well for the team and it's something they're continuing to work on: 'It's a cumulation of things and it's annoying that when we've executed our set-pieces well we've not been able to put them in. This subconsciously makes the team think they aren't going well for us. We are doing the same work and we're putting even more hours into it. We shouldn't become obsessed with us and we have scored goals from set-pieces although we have scored less than we would have liked to. What's not acceptable is how we are defending them and that is down to concentration.'

Luis Alberto is unavailable tomorrow but the manager is focused on Sevilla's injuries: 'He is an important player for them but I'm more concerned about our injuries. My team is more important than the opponent but that doesn't mean we aren't aware of who we're coming up against. Once their squad comes out and we see their starting XI we'll evaluate their team. Lazio are coming here with nothing to lose and that means they won't be scared to go for it. We have to be as prepared as possible and I've nothing to say to the fans, they know what they have to do and they will be very important and we will fight for them.'

'The fans know what they have to do tomorrow and they will be very important and we will fight for them'

Asked regarding Gnagnon and Gonalons' recovery, Machín was clear: 'I have a way of working and it's not to worry until I see them out on the pitch. There are good professional medical staff working behind the scenes. Joris isn't training with the group yet; Gonalons is but he has been injured for almost all of the season. He has to prepare and his ankle needs strengthening. We don't want him to get injured again when he comes back so, although I want him to get back into action, he can't until he's ready. Maybe in a week or two he could be called up again.'

To finish, the Italian press asked him about Immobile's importance with tomorrow, funnily enough, being the striker's birthday: 'We send him our best wishes but we hope he doesn't celebrate it with a goal. We know he's a very important player for Lazio. He knows this stadium and we are studying him. I don't know how ready he is regarding his physical problems but I know that for whatever time he does play he will be dangerous.'