ALONSO UNVEILED: "I'M HAPPY TO BE HERE AND VERY AMBITIOUS"

Diego Alonso, who was appointed yesterday as our new head coach, was presented to the media in his first official press conference at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán. The Uruguayan began by saying that his "emotions are those of happiness but also of great ambition for this project and what I can bring to the club. I'm of course full of excitement right now, but everything I've seen here over the last 24 hours has been fantastic. "Right now, our focus is the next match, and we will take things game by game as we impose our style of play onto the team. Training is an even more important part of this as you have to prepare well to play well, and be ready for whatever comes our way," said Alonso when asked about his short-term plan for the team.

"Every manager has their own philosophy and we will try to implement ours"

Alonso continued by addressing his arrvial at Sevilla FC: "Although this is my first coaching job in Europe, I have experience as a player here. There's a first time for everything, so it feels like a natural step and I've prepared for this moment for a long time. I know the competition well and even when I haven't been working I've lived here and studied the game. I'm informed on the  situation here and this understanding is necessary. Every manager has their own style of play and philosophy, and we will try to implement ours. You will see our plans soon." 

"I'm an optimistic person and I'm very excited by what I've seen of the squad. It's well balanced and has the potential to play in different systems. This gives us options and allows us to play in various ways, making us stronger. I like possession-based attacking football and to put pressure on the opposition third. I will try to get this message across to the players," he said when asked about his new squad and playing style. 

"When the players on international duty return we will have to get them up to speed on what we've covered with those who are already here"

The first game after the break is already in sight: "We have a lot of players to prepare for our next game. When those away on international duty return, we'll have to accelerate their preparation so that they are on the same page as those who remain here. Having players with their national squads means a short period of time to prepare for the game, therefore we will be ready to go through the adequate processes to get them up to speed."

"We're a club that is used to winning. We will play every game to win, then we will find out what we are capable of. Having to say goodbye to a colleague and a friend is always hard; everyone was very fond of Mendilibar. From meeting the players for the first time, it is obvious that they are all motivated and raring to go," he added. 

"I'm happy to have players with a lot of experience; they know how to win"

"The coach must get along well with everyone to understand them. You can't talk to everyone in the same way because everyone responds differently. My children were educated the same but they're still very different. It's exactly the same with players. You must find the optimal way to work with each and every one. I'm happy to have players with a lot of experience; they know how to win," Alonso said about our veteran players.