First team

MONTELLA: "IF ANYONE IS RESTED IT'S BECAUSE THEY NEED TO BE, THEN WE'LL THINK ABOUT WEDNESDAY"

16/02/2018

The coach showed his focus on the league and declared himself "tired of ups and downs. It's time to put this right"

Vincenzo Montella continues in his adaption process at Sevilla FC. In his press conference ahead of tomorrow's game with Las Palmas, the Italian gave his first few words in Spanish and made it clear that no-one is thinking about the Champions League yet: "Only about Las Palmas. Because we need to make up ground in the league and then we'll think about Wednesday. The players who want to play on Wednesday will need to play well tomorrow".

Talking about familiar names, he did not rule out Muriel if he recovers in time: "He trained partially yesterday and we'll see how he's doing. He played little with me in Sampdoria but he's a mature footballer - different - he can still improve". He also said Lenglet had ambitions to become a full French international: "He's a fantastic player with a lot of clear qualities in his game. He's also humble and always wants to improve. I think that could lead him to a call-up because he has a champion's mentality".

On rotations, he assured the press that if they were to happen, it wouldn't be to keep stock for Wednesday's match: "For me, tomorrow's match is one more match. I need to evaluate how my players are individually and prepare. Maybe one player might have to rest but because he needs to, not because of one opponent or another".

"I'm only thinking about the league where we need to recover. I'm tired of ups and downs"

Roque Mesa is a potential starter for the weekend, although the Italian manager wasn't giving away any clues: "I can count on Roque Mesa, he is motivated ahead of this match. However, Pizarro also deserves to play following the last match. In any case, today we have the final training session and I cannot reveal anything right now. The coach also spoke about Jonathan Viera and his possible absence: "He's a great player with quality. Of their last four games, Las Palmas have only lost one at home against Atlético, where the score remained at 0-0 almost until the final whistle. They are a team that try and play from the back and they have a clear identity. I'm concentrating on the match itself, not on the potential squad".

Following the disappointing result in the team's most recent away match, the coach is clear that this is an opportunity to gain stability: "I'm fed up with these steps backward. The team has to win and can lose at times, but we can't seem to keep up this rhythm. Tomorrow's match presents us with a chance to make things right, despite the fact that the other team pressure well. We have to be focused and organised. This is the time to show continuity".

He also spoke about his two next opponents in corresponding dugouts: "Mourinho is more of a winner than any of us. He's starting coaching in a way that gets in the mind of the player to get the best out of them. I like Paco Jémez because his team has identity. They always look to play and are organised without the ball. They're two different philosophies but if I wanted to be like either of them it would be for his capacity to win - respecting Paco of course - who has a career trajectory more similar to mine".