SÁNCHEZ FLORES: "THE FANS ARE SO PASSIONATE IT IS UP TO US TO GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO DRIVE US ON"

Quique Sánchez Flores spoke at his pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow evening's game against Athletic Club. Our head coach talked about the importance of taking it game by game, starting with tomorrow's game in Nervión: "I consider every match important. Given the situation, I don't look beyond the next game. We're facing a very physical team that will demand a lot from us, but in these 10 days, we've tried to work on our strengths to become more competitive. We have the game plan in mind, and we want to step onto the field with the mindset that our players understand we go with belief, motivation, and without fear." 

Regarding the mood around the camp, he said, "As you can imagine, we are in a situation where we are cautiously trying to get a lot of injured players integrated back into the group. We've spent 10 days working for this game so that we can take the initiative and bring a lot of energy. We have to be realistic, and our players need to understand that and contribute a lot. We are in a new year and hopefully, in 2024, the results will come." On En-Nesyri's absence due to the Africa Cup of Nations, our coach explained that: "I agree with the people who say it is unhelpful timing. It doesn't make sense for players to leave in the middle of LaLiga, disrupting everything. Everything is upside down, but it's not something that depends on me or my colleagues. Something needs to be done to improve it."

He was also asked about the atmosphere in his first training session at the Sanchez-Pizjuan in front of the fans, a session he really enjoyed: "It was exciting. It says a lot that 16,000 people attended. I always thought that Sevilla's fans are dedicated and passionate, and it's up to us to give them something to drive us on. That's why I want us tomorrow to be brave, play exciting football and they will carry us over the line." 

"Let's focus on what we have and play the best we can"

He also didn't want to talk in detail about the transfer market, focusing instead on getting the best out of the current squad: "Let's be honest. What we want is to get the best performance from what we have. We can't think about what we lack. Let's focus on what we have and play the best we can. There may be some arrivals, but we also have lots of injured players who are keep to get back and we have to accept reality and move forward." As for tomorrow night's coach. Ernesto Valverde, he highlighted their personal relationship. "With Ernesto, we were teammates, we have a good relationship, and we played for the national team together. We have known each other for many years. We know how we will approach the game; we know each other well, but in the end, the players make the big decisions in the games."

He also spoke about Mariano and Rafa Mir: "With Mariano, we are close to him being able to join back with the group. We have to take certain precautions due to his injury record be we see his determination to be here. I believe a lot in redemption. We can all make mistakes, and we all have the right to be forgiven and start over based on the decisions we make in our daily lives. I am very much in favour of opportunities and moving forward." Regarding that redemption, he also pointed out, "We try to be in a constant state of hope, to feel strong. We know the season is difficult and the form is what it is, and from there, we all have to go in that same direction. Athletic are playing even better than last year, even quicker and they are also very dangerous at set pieces." 

Similarly, he was questioned about Sevilla Atlético's Isaac Romero who has been training with the first team. "I have seen 10 training sessions, and I haven't seen him play, but we like Isaac. He is powerful and scores goals and we have to take him into consideration, especially knowing that the club has always looked at the youth academy." To finish off, he spoke about the motivation for his first home game in Nervión: "I don't like to get personal. The most important people in the clubs are the fans, and we are fortunate sometimes to be part of situations where you feel really motivated to belong to such a great club."