RAKITIC: "WE MUST GET OUR HEADS TOGETHER, UP THE INTENSITY AND STOP ERRORS"

Ivan Rakitić addressed the media following Saturday's defeat to Girona. He was joined by Badé, admitted that the team "has to get points under our belt, because if we play well but do not win then it is pointless. We have to work together and continue to push again and again, trying our absolute best. We know what we can do, but we have to show it."

Club captain Rakitić gave an equally frustrated assessment of the match: "Above all, I'm angry because I think the team did a lot to try and win the game, but there were small details that went against us. We have to get our heads together and eliminate those errors. We have to get up because the team is very much alive, yet we have to add intensity." As such, he expressed disbelief at the match' result: "It seems incredible, nobody would think that we would lose that game today, hence why I talk about the need for more intensity, the need to create more goalscoring opportunities then keep things tight at the back. He also felt the need to bring up his disallowed equaliser in the second half: "I just wanted to say also that I saw two different views," referring to the decision to rule him offside. "One where my leg stays behind me, and another where the Girona defender stays behind. There are so many new rules being introduce, the referees need to come and explain their decisions. We are all part of elite European football, and we are being paid to do our jobs right." Reflecting on what was a landmark 300th appearance in a Sevilla shirt, the Croatian confessed that "today I wanted to score more than ever and in the end I was centimetres away from doing so, but I will continue working harder than ever before to make sure we start winning games."

Pedrosa also spoke after the match, and higlighted how the team improved on recent performances, but acknowledged that success is built from within: We played well, we did everything up to putting balls in the box and gave our all untli the final whistle, but sometimes the ball just doesn't find the back of the net or decisions don't go our way. However, we are Sevilla and we always have to keep trying. Personally, my confidence is growing so this trajectory has to reverberate throughout the squad. The only ones who can rescue the situation is us - above all, we have to be positive, forget about these three defeats and recover."