First team

MACHÍN: “THERE'S NO EASY MATCH, YOU DON'T WIN GAMES WITH YOUR BADGE"

15/09/2018
The coach warned of the difficulty of Sunday's fixture: "They fought with Sevilla for a European place last season"

Pablo Machín spoke to the press this morning in the pre-match conference ahead of Sevilla's match with Getafe CF: "There's no easy match, you don't win with your badge alone. We need to at least match the level that the opponent demands. It's said that certainty is linked with quality, we hope tomorrow will be our day and we can look back on the quality that we stockpile. They're one of the hardest teams to beat. We also have to remember that they fought with Sevilla FC for a European place last year. That tells us they're a team to reckon with".

"We have to have trust the players because they're trusting me day-by-day"

"I know Bordalás teams perfectly because we have similar set-ups... I already have a line-up decided and we'll have to see tomorrow in training but I'm not a coach that looks long-term, my job is to do the best in every match. The ideal would be that I could use the majority of the players in the seven matches we'll play in 21 days to keep things fresh. In my head is the idea that we have to have that freshness and for all players to have chances and to be aware that the demands are at their highest. We have to trust them because they're trusting me every day". 

"Sevilla FC is obliged to beat every team. We have to give everything to reach our potential. I know that this is Sevilla and we should demand to get the best out of what we have today. Getafe is an example. Without pressure their players improve and help the team. The same thing happened with me at Girona. We have to optimise our resources and my job is to get us as high up as possible. Sevilla is obliged to beat all teams".

Asked about some familiar names:

Franco Vázquez

"I'll have to trust Franco more than I've seen up to now because he's barely been able to train. Today was the first day we trained with intensity because yesterday we did technical-tactical work. He's an international footballer and for coaches it's a setback that players go to their international squads but at the same time it is an honour. Tomorrow will be the last training session and we'll publish the squad. I can reveal Amadou will be available".

Quincy Promes

"It's the ideal moment to see him. He can share the same position as Franco but they're different players. Franco has more elaborated play, with more pauses and that final ball and Promes makes the most of those plays. They're different, the two of them have a chance of playing, even if not from the start, throughout the match".

Gnagnon

"We've signed Gnagnon because we think he is a good player, for his age he has a lot of room for improvement. He's already played in important matches and it's clear that he's not at his top level but in these circumstances, with seven matches in 22 days, we'll need freshness, to make the most of the squad and taking into account the three simultaneous long-term injuries. Gnagnon is a player who has played lots of matches in France, we believe he has potential and that's where we are".

André Silva, La Liga revelation?

"I hope so. We have confidence he'll do well this year, unfortunately he's not our property. We can't guarantee he'll score a lot of goals but we can guarantee that he'll do a job that his teammates can make the most of".

Roque Mesa and the controversy surrounding his sending off

"It doesn't surprise me. To an extent it's normal, with two weeks of international break it's something to talk about. It's a controversy that has been prolonged because there hasn't been a match to wipe it away and give a clean slate. We only look forward, the past is in the past. There was the controversy that this kind of match normally brings, unluckily we didn't get the justice you'd hope for and I'm sure that a large percentage of that is going to improve with VAR. Moving on from the unfortunate side, we can use Roque Mesa as Gonalons had the misfortune of getting injured. We've filled up the gas that we had started to burn very early in the Europa League and we need the energy of all the players - above all the ones that have been here - in order to confront tomorrow's match". 

Finally, he was asked about the salary statistics published by the LFP, which put Sevilla FC fifth in the country: "I don't know if other statistics have come out from LaLiga or on salary budgets. Sevilla have always fought for Europe. That stops with me. Our objective is to win on Sunday, then to get into Europe... We'll see where we are. I always say that if football is the sport of kings it's because money isn't everything. Whatever budget we more or less have does not mean we have to be in a fixed position".