LOPETEGUI: "IT WILL BE A VERY INTERESTING AND COMPLEX MATCH"

14/06/2020

The manager is solely focused on tomorrow's difficult match, and not the derby win three days ago

Julen Lopetegui has given his pre-match press conference ahead of Monday's game against Levante UD, which will not be played in La Nucía instead of Valencia. The Sevilla FC manager commented firstly on his confidence in all the squad, as he waits on who he will be able to count on after Thursday's derby win: "You can still see the burden on the squad. There are players who are still in the process of recovering and we won't know if we will be able to count on everyone. I'm sure we will travel with everyone, but with doubts, and we'll find out over these 24 hours which players we can rely on. We'll have to seek solutions in the squad, we trust them all and if one player isn't there, someone else will be. We have full confidence and that is the dynamic".

If there is one thing the manager is clear one, it's that the derby win against Thursday has passed and now it is time to focus on a difficult away clash: "The team is absolutely focused on Levante UD. The derby is history, this format oblige us to really focus on a very interesting and complex match against a very interesting side, I like the way they play more than most sides. The team is only thinking of Levante, the only match that exists is the next one. The format obliges us to do an important mental reset. Levante have beaten Barcelona and Madrid and they have a good manager, so we will have to prepare well".

He also referred to the Granotas after again evaluating the situation of his players: "There are many players in that haze of recovery. We'll wait until tomorrow morning to assess them, amongst them there's Lucas' situation. Levante are already training on that pitch, which will be a new one for us, and when they have picked that stadium it's because they're familiarised with it, the scenario for these 11 games obliges us to be permanently in a state of changing and having an open mind. Above all, this is who we're playing, there's three very important points at stake, and Levante, in their stadium, will make things very difficult for us".

"We talk about the importance of mentality, the key word is adaptation"

Although Julen Lopetegui believes that what is really important is continuing to grow, it is also maintaining the substance of the team: "There's still lots of matches left. Every match will be complex for every team. We'll focus on what we have to do. We're focused on doing well, we know it will be a tough match". He also spoke about the ability that a team should have to adapt to a scenario with empty stands: "We try to focus on the game. It's true that the context has changed. We talk about the importance of mentality, I think that the key word is adaptation".

He also wanted to make clear that every match is unique: "We've only had one match. Every match is very difficult for every team. In the Spanish First Division every match is unique. Winning El Gran Derbi is important, it gives you a significant moral boost. It serves us to know that we have worked well and that the player have made a real effort these last three months".

"On Thursday, the players who weren't picked were our vocal supporters and that speaks about the unity we have"

Another key aspect is the unity of the squad after the derby, which means that they are all completely focused ahead of this congested spell of fixtures: "We are happy that we won, but that's history already. I won't focus on just one player, but the work of the whole group. On Thursday, the players who weren't picked were our vocal supporters and that speaks about the unity we have".

To finish, he was asked about two names. Firstly, Rony Lopes - Lopetegui confirmed that he will get his chances, as with other players who did not feature in the restart: "He's come back well like the rest of his teammates. We're happy with him and I'm sure he will have opportunities. He did not play against Betis, as did other teammates. Nolito didn't play, Sergi didn't play... Rony is in our thoughts". He also spoke about Munir's role in the win on Thursday, and the confidence the coaches have in him: "He worked well. We thought it was the time for him to come in. He has all our confidence, he played well and worked a lot for the team. He brought important things to the team and I hope he continues like that".