First team

MACHÍN: 'WE HAVE TO MOVE ON AS PRAISE CAN WEAKEN YOU'

28/09/2018

The manager is well aware of our last trip to Ipurúa: 'It's going to be a hard-fought and competitive game and we'll have to minimise their strengths and maximise our own'

Pablo Machín made it clear in the Ciudad Deportiva's press conference that the visit to Eibar will be very demanding: 'We have had less rest than our opponent and it's hard to give our players the rest they deserve. Our squad is limited at the moment due to injuries which makes it more difficult to look for solutions and alternatives. This is the major factor affecting us at the moment. Eibar also made eight changes during the midweek game and that has a big effect. Despite this, we hope to compete in the best way possible and to do it as a team, which is the best way to do things.'

Furthermore, he emphasised that the great win against Real Madrid was now over and should be forgotten. 'We have to move on as praise can weaken you. It was an incredible game against the European champions, but we have to return to the present, we have to work for everything with the right attitude. We know what it's like to suffer against Eibar and I believe that last year they didn't go into the game with the right attitude because they conceded right from the off and that must serve as a warning for us to come prepared. It's going to be a hard-fought and competitive game and we'll have to minimise their strengths and maximise our own.'

We know what it's like to suffer against Eibar and we have to learn from that

Although we have a trip to Krasnodar on Thursday, Machín isn't looking further: 'We prioritise the next game, you always hear me say that. We all want to win every game and we've started well in Europe. The group stage allows for little errors but we will suffer if we make too many. There's a lot of games in La Liga so you can recover from a slip-up, although it's best not to have one at all. We will compete as best as we can tomorrow and then we'll see how we do in Europe, depending on how the players are. Effort is important and hopefully it's too late now, but it can catch up with you.'

Arana, despite being in the squad-list, is feeling pain and changes on the left flank may be necessary: 'I've evaluated some options and Sarabia is one of them. The other day we saw Nolito's effort up against Lucas Vázquez, but we know it's not his position. From there we can look at the academy, but Javi Vázquez, a full-back with good qualities, is also injured. What is clear is that, whatever happens, someone will be able to play there and we will have eleven men.

The manager firmly believes that André Silva has what it takes to stay ahead in the race for the Pichichi: 'He is in the mix at the moment and it would be great news if he can continue like this. That will mean that we will be doing very well and if we aren't it means we're doing very badly in defence. If we score a lot of goals we should be on top, and that is something we hope for but there are still many matches left to work for and to create opportunities for those up front.'

He also spoke about the footballing environment here and how things have changed in a short space of time: 'The coach was the same against Getafe and Madrid. The players have more confidence and the coach may seem different, but I've always had confidence in myself and I was sure I was good enough for the job. I still feel the same and if these fans are not the best in Spain, it's certainly one of the best. People live football in Sevilla and I like it because I also think the fans are intelligent. The team has to leave it all out on the pitch and the people value that. I hope that they will continue to be the twelveth man that they historically have been.'

'I think the fans are intelligent and they value how the team leave it all out on the pitch'

Without going into too much detail on aspirations, he is focused on winning: 'When I arrived the objectives were already big enough. The only way we have to compete is to try to win as many matches as possible. We already made the most of the opportunity on Wednesday and now we have another tomorrow. I can sit here and say that we want to compete for everything, but what we have to do is show it. In the match against Getafe, it seemed like we were not capable of going upwards and now it seems like we are. We need to keep working to see how far we can go.'

Finally, he reviewed the situation with the injuries: 'If it were up to Mercado and Escudero themselves, they would have played against Real Madrid, but the injuries and the impacted areas need time so that the bones become stable. The advantage for both of them is that their injuries are on their arms, so they can train as usual although they have restricted movement. They won't be ready this week, but I'm focusing on what I have and when they tell me that they are at 100%, we'll see. We have to follow the timelines given and Amadou probably still needs a few weeks until he can train with the group. The one that worries us the most is Gonalons, who has a fracture in his leg on an area where you put weight on. We won't be able to see him train until after the next international break and we'll see how he recovers.'