Pareja on SFC TV's A Balón Parado
First team

PAREJA: “WE'VE PUT IN A HUGE EFFORT TO BE FOURTH AND WE HAVE TO VALUE IT"

18/05/2017
The captain emphasised that "the basis of all success if commitment"

Nico Pareja was the guest on SFC TV's A Balón Parado. The captain spoke about the team having achieved their objective last week: "I'm happy to secure fourth place.

It was always in our own hands, but it's true that the second half of the season was more unusual. We wanted to secure fourth, we fought as long as we could for third, but when it didn't work out, we closed out fourth."

He added that despite having secured the target at the Bernabéu, "we were in the dressing room, annoyed at the defeat, very upset. We'd played a very good game and we had more chances, but the joy of reaching our target was also there.

No one gifted us anything and although we had ups and downs, we put in a huge effort to be fourth and we have to value it".

The Argentine centre-back, then, is proud of what the team have achieved because "we started the season with lots of new players, a new manager and lots of people would have taken fourth place.

That bitter taste is still there because of the ups and downs in the second half of the season. The question of fighting for LaLiga is something everyone looks at in their own way.

I like to be hopeful in a relaxed way, but I don't like to transmit that. We had to be up there to fight until the end. Experience tells me that league seasons are very long".

Pareja also added that "there were many teams in the fight for that position. The top three teams are above the rest, we had third place close, but the second half of the season was a bit more difficult.

It wasn't because of any concrete reason, I prefer to see where we're going wrong and work on that, but the other teams also play and LaLiga has teams that play well even if their near the bottom.

At times, we fought against Madrid and Barcelona, we beat Atlético and Madrid at home. In the final stretch you feel the tiredness, going out of the Champions League weighs on you, but I know that the league season is very long, but I always thought we had to go game by game".

Sevilla were knocked out of the Champions League at the round of 16 stage against Leicester City, a defeat that Pareja says hurt the side.

"We'd done really well up to then, but we missed out and paid for it dearly," he explained. "They punished us, we were superior and the manner of defeat hurt as much as being knocked out.

"We've always got to look forward, to evolve, to try and create something positive, but the blow still hurts."

Committment is a word that has been used in the Sevilla camp regularly this season, and Pareja is a firm believer in its importance.

"It's the most important thing because when you don't have the calibre of player that other teams have, you have to be committed," the 33-year-old said. "Commitment is the base of success."

"With every season comes new hope"

This season has seen controversy surrounding the Biris supporters group, with a ban placed on their branding at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán, and Pareja discussed how it affected the players on the pitch.

"Obviously we noticed it," he said. "For us, the Biris and the support at the Sánchez-Pizjuán are really important. Everyone knows that the Sánchez-Pizjuán is special and that the atomsphere is magical. 

"It was strange, after some incredible nights, when there was a conflict that had nothing to do with us. We tried to understand all of the arguments, but we couldn't understand the sanctions because in other stadiums you see other things. 

"It's difficult to eradicate and I hope it can be managed, but yes the rules should be the same for everyone. With respect and our opposition towards violence, we didn't agree with our supporters being sanctioned when the same thing had happened in other stadiums."

Pareja has been a Sevilla player since 2013, and the Argentine spoke about his feelings for the club.

"It might sound strange, but I feel the Sevillaista sentiment," he said. "I've found myself with something that I wasn't expecting to find. It's impossible to not feel attached to this club, because I've been here for a long time.

"I love this club, I like its family nature, its people, the club, the city. It's like I've got an adoptive family that Sevilla gave me the chance to get to know and I feel at home here.

Despite winning three consecutive Europa League titles during his time with the club, Pareja wants more.

"We've done a lot, but in football you always have to keep growing," he said. "You have to keep your feet on the ground, with each season comes new hope, it's not good to look back too much, neither is it to look too far forward.

"We've got to try to go forward with humility, hard work and commitment."