GARCÍA PIMIENTA: "WE ARE GOING INTO THE MATCH FULL OF CONFIDENCE"

Xavier García Pimienta spoke to the media in his first press conference ahead of the league opener against UD Las Palmas: "Good things are starting to build. It's what we wanted. Pre-season has been useful to work on a lot of ideas. We're in a difficult time with the transfer market still open. I don't know if there will be any more movements. At last, we now have a league game. Even if we have some doubts, we are still going to go into the game full of confidence. The squad is ready. This week more players have returned to training and they are feeling good. I have no complaints or doubts about facing the first games. We are confident." 

Regarding possibly missing players for the first matchday, García Pimienta assured that the academy players are ready to contribute: "They are lads who have been with us the whole pre-season and have done well. They will be in the squad but there are also solutions in the squad. With Sául, let's hope that the amnesty comes, although we're not optimistic. They are ready to face the first league game." Similarly, he was confident that all players would be registered in time: "I'm counting on everyone. There are a couple of days left for registrations. We'll all travel there. We will even train there on Saturday. Depending on what happens, the best decision will be made. Let's hope that they are brave and daring, and that all the hard work will show. We will play differently depending on the opponent, on whether we are playing at home or away or on the match." 

"The strategy is very good, a lot of transfers have happened that we were expecting" 

He was also very happy to be the coach, although he fondly recalled his time at Las Palmas: "I'm very happy to be at Sevilla, I've come to one of the best clubs in the world and I hope to be here for a long time. I spent two and a half years at Las Palmas, a great club and a great island where I was treated well. I hope they welcome me well. From the start, they will be cheering for their team. If we do things right, we'll play a great game to bring the first three points of the season back to Sevilla." With the transfer market open, he also assessed the overall strategy as well as the return of Loïc Badé: "The strategy is very good, there have been many transfers that we were expecting. I don't know if it is finished. We have to be prepared. We are very close to what we wanted on 31 August. Badé has been training very well and is looking forward to it. I know him perfectly well and he is ready. He is going to be an important player for Sevilla." 

Pimienta also was asked about Marcao: "Marcao had a small muscle injury that sidelined him for a week and a half. We have one more training session and then the activation session. He will be ready. He's a player I like, with experience, ball control and aggressiveness. He is ready for the first game. The players are ready to play this way, they believe and they like the way we train. I'm happy with the way they are taking things on board and the way we've set things out. We don't come up with just a single idea, we ask the players so that they feel comfortable. Everything will be better if the results come good." 

"We are Sevilla and Sevilla aspires to be the best and fight for titles" 

"We take it game by game. Lots of the players were here last season and others are new. We are Sevilla and Sevilla aspires to be the best and to fight for titles. That's what we're going to do. When we play in the Copa del Rey we will adapt knowing the situation we're in. We are prepared to give everything in the league and also in the Copa del Rey," he continued. He also emphasised that he has a squad that is more than ready to take the three points: "On 31 August we'll have the best possible squad for sure, bearing in mind the situation Sevilla are in. We're two days away from a game and anything can happen, but I'm sure that the line-up and the players on the bench will not be inferior in any way to face the game. I'm going to give everything with my players. I'm sure that the club will do everything to have the best squad possible." 

"Every coach wants to win, we have a way of playing depending on the players. We want to dominate with the ball and we want to get up the pitch as quickly as possible. If we can get there with two passes, we will. Sometimes we will have to be more patient. We want to be more direct and attacking, creating clear chances to score. Defensively we also want to be strong. Against Fulham, we knew how to defend deep, that's also competing. I want a competitive team and I want what we want to happen. We want our opponents to find it difficult to create chances on goal," he added.

"We have almost everyone ready in the defence, I'm not going to make excuses" 

García Pimienta assured that he has the defence ready, as well as being able to play players like Isaac, Iheanacho and Peque in attack together: "I'm not 100% on the starting lineup. I have an idea in my head. I won't know until the last moment, people are ready. We have almost everyone ready in the defence, I'm not going to make excuses. I do see the possibility of playing Isaac and Iheanacho together. The ideal position for both of them is up front and we are working on being able to play with both of them, as well as Peque." 

Before finishing, he analysed the arrival of Álvaro Fernández, as well as the good form of Nyland and Alberto Flores: "All the players who are in the squad can play. Nyland has the advantage that he has been here longer. We also have Alberto who is a goalkeeper I really like. They are at first-team level, that's why they are here with us. Nyland has been in the squad longer and has an advantage." To close he spoke about Jesús Navas: "I'm jealous that he can still train at such a high level at his age. I don't know if he'll be ready for 90 minutes. I'm balancing player workloads. We are very proud to have Jesus in the squad, he helps us in that transition from defence to attack. Let's see if we can convince him to stay with us for the whole season."