DIEGO ALONSO: "THE PLAYERS HAVE WORKED HARD OVER THE PAST WEEK AND A HALF"

Ahead of Diego Alonso's first game as our head coach, he spoke at Friday's pre-match press conference. "I've worked with the players for a week and a half now and it has been great. They have welcomed me with open arms. Everyone at the club has made me feel very welcome from the get-go. The players have worked hard since I arrived. There was no need for me to convince them to get to work, the motivation is there. We are now working on some ideas and incorporating the desired identity into our style of play. Having some players away on international duty is always inconvenient; some of them didn't arrive back until yesterday. But the rest of the squad have been training hard and are raring to go.".

Inevitably, questions were asked about former Real Madrid player Sergio Ramos, to which Alonso replied "he's a very important player for us. He's been doing well in training and it is obvious that he wants to put the hard work in. In terms of squad selection for tomorrow, that's not something to be discussed here. I'm very happy with all players and our senior players have a significant role to play. Ramos is always motivated. He's competitive and a fighter, and he knows how important Sevilla is."

"Having some players away on international duty is always inconvenient, but the rest of the squad have been training hard and are raring to go"

In terms of the group dynamic, Alonso recognised that "saying goodbye to a colleague and a friend is always tough. Mendilibar was very popular in the dressing room and he has achieved some great things here. Despite that, we've had to move forward and we've worked well as a group. We've collaborated on ideas and are now striving towards reaching our goals. We are happy with what we've been working on and hope that it brings us success. I hope to see some of these ideas in tomorrow's match. If I had to sum it up in one word, I'd say courage. We are going to be brave against Real Madrid, playing without fear. We want to take the initiative both in attack and defence."

On the referee, he said "I don't feel comfortable nor do I think it is right for me to question what he does. It doesn't sit right with me. There are always two teams and the referee and the two playing teams have to help the referee. We have to play our game and help the referee."  He also confirmed that "all the player are available. Some are in the final stage of their recovery. Lamela has taken part more in training than Mariano and we will see but everybody is available. I have already decided the lineup. I like to see all the players right up until the final training session. There are six central defenders, although some can play in other positions. Some will be left out but that is the job of a coach, to choose and pick the team." 

Also, he said that his initially good feelings are continuing. "I am very happy with the squad. I understand that we had two weeks where the players were coming back bit by bit but I am very happy with the level and how I have been welcomed." Finally, he spoke about the goalkeeping position. "I think both of them are very good but I am not yet going to decide who is going to be the first choice. They are two great goalkeepers and it is good to have healthy competition and to be able to decide between the two."