Head Coach Luis García Plaza, spoke at the pre-match press conference ahead of tomorrow’s match at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán against Atlético de Madrid. He began by highlighting that “it’s been a very good week of training, even better than the previous one. Everyone is working with a clear idea. We don’t have a natural right-back, we only have Juanlu there, and that’s the only thing we need to adjust, although Juanlu has already played in that position and will do very well. We’re aiming to give ourselves something to celebrate tomorrow.”

“Atlético de Madrid are a top team. They’ve just got a very good result in the Champions League, they’re going to play in the Copa del Rey final… that’s not down to just a starting eleven, it’s down to a squad. Just look at how much players like Sørloth, Baena, Mendoza cost… the so-called plan B that might play. The opponent shouldn’t matter to us. We have to keep doing things well, improve… in Oviedo we didn’t perform as well as I wanted, but there were positive aspects. We need to grow and do things better, otherwise it will be difficult. And we have to turn that into points. That step forward has to bring us points, but we have to take it,” he added.

“Tomorrow has to be hell for Atlético de Madrid. We all have to pull together”

García Plaza also pointed out that “I arrived in a difficult situation and I understand the fans’ frustration. Sevilla are a big club in Spain and in Europe. It’s normal for them to feel this way. This season, the team is fighting for what it’s fighting for. It will be a big club again in every sense, but right now the objective is to stay in the division. Our goal is to compete with the teams around us, and those fans are going to turn their stadiums into hell for their opponents. Tomorrow has to be hell for Atlético de Madrid. We all have to pull together. I don’t see any other solution. I understand and respect everything the fans think, but the team needs a lot of work and support to bring out its best version.”

“We have to keep creating chances and be more clinical in front of goal, which is what we lacked in Oviedo. We had clearer chances than Fede Viñas’ goal. With ten men it wasn’t as easy anymore. We have to improve because otherwise I wouldn’t be here. It comes down to finishing. We can’t settle for that, of course—we have to improve and show more,” the coach said.

“The team has to relax and each player has to deliver their best version. We can all give more”

“We’re going to achieve it. We’ll suffer, yes. We’ll suffer. Getting promotion is very difficult. This is similar, but I’m sure we’ll do it. They’re going to give everything, and anyone who doesn’t will have to answer to me—that’s what I’ve told them. They’ve trained brilliantly. Everyone is committed and everyone wants it. We’ll achieve it, but it won’t be without suffering.”

Our head coach also said that “the team needs to play with more freedom and each player has to show their best version. We have to give them the tools to do that and make sure we see a better team tomorrow than we did in Oviedo, which of course can be improved a lot. We all have to give more—we’re all capable of giving more.”

“You can never settle for a draw, against anyone, never”

“You face problems head-on and go straight at them. Really go for them. Not hiding or anything like that. And then hopefully football will go our way and we’ll have the finishing touch that allows us to win,” he stated.

“My plan is to beat Atlético de Madrid. That’s it. Three points tomorrow and try to win. We’ll see how we approach each game in the schedule. You can never settle for a draw against anyone, never,” he concluded.

LUIS GARCÍA PLAZA: "THE OPPONENT SHOULDN’T MATTER TO US" | Sevilla FC