First team

MACHÍN: 'LET'S ENJOY THE GREAT RESULT AND PERFORMANCE'

23/01/2019

The coach discussed his team's effort: 'It's the best team we could have come up against as it makes the win even sweeter'

Pablo Machín appeared before the media after his team's win against FC Barcelona in Nervión on Wednesday night. He began saying, 'let's enjoy the great result and performance, it's just a shame we don't get three points or qualify with this result alone.' He continued assessing the game, and wanted to dedicate some words to the captain, Jesús Navas, and Sarabia: 'Another injury for Navas is tough and with the amount of games we have coming up shortly he is bound to miss some. Sarabia's was less serious and I took him off to freshen up the team as he was quite tired. Many people had said his level had dropped a little bit, I hope this goal can push him on.'

Furthermore, the coach went over the squad's situation after last night's win: 'I tell the team what I truly feel, I'm the most honest man in the world with them. We must be critical and demanding, but the team always competes even if they aren't always at their best. This win is what we needed as we had to end the losing streak we were on.'

Moreover, Machín highlighted the importance of a win against such a tough opponent: 'It's the best team we could have come up against as it makes the win even sweeter. The first half was very difficult, but in the end we created more chances than them.'

Talking about himself, the coach said he had suffered more in other matches: 'You always suffer, but a part of the job is to show calmness. I have suffered more during other matches this season.'

'We need to play just as perfectly as we did tonight against Levante UD'

Moving onto the return leg, he showed confidence: 'Anything can happen in Barcelona because of what Barcelona have shown in the past, but we trust we will be able to compete well with the advantage we have. But we have to make sure we aren't complacent, otherwise the win could come back to haunt us. Sevilla must compete well in this cup, it's given a lot to this club.'

To finish, he indicated he is only thinking about the game against Levante UD to pick up more points in the league: 'Now that the game is over, we are focused on Levante. We need to play just as perfectly as we did tonight, with our fans pushing us on and the team capable of the effort it put in tonight.'