What is the main difference you see between United and Juve?
Against Juventus we played very well in the first game, not like United. And the result was the same. Having played well the other day gives us the confidence to do so at home. After Manchester there were more doubts.
Do you feel that the connection with the dressing room has been key to this?
I don’t know the connection he had with the previous coaching staff. I pretend to be pretty close. There are some who are more open and you can play a joke on them, with others you have to be more careful because they don’t like it that much. Two months are still not enough to get to know them because I have had quarrels with some and I will continue to have it.
How are Suso, Ocampos and Badé?
Tomorrow you will see who plays or not, that you are asking me the line-up so bajini. The one who is, he is. They do not arrive in the same conditions. Everyone wants to be there to compete and play, not just for the photo. I have to choose. There are doubts, but I am the one who has to risk it after speaking with them.
What Juventus expect?
I don’t know how it’s going to turn out. Whether she’s going to come out waiting or not, but I don’t think they’ll give us the ball. If we make it difficult for him to get the ball out we will have our options. If they expect our mistake, we must be patient, but without settling down and giving rhythm to the game and the endings. But not having the ball for having, we want to get there.
How do you manage this duel?
With calm and head. Without driving the players crazy, because the week has been without putting too many things about the rival into the player’s head. Today we have seen something of Juventus and little else. A week ago we played against them, we have it quite fresh and you don’t have to influence too much because that’s where your nerves could get in. We care about ourselves.
Have you detected a degree of euphoria that can be detrimental?
The players, no. I don’t know if the fans. I don’t go crazy looking at what one or the other says. I think it’s good that the fans are euphoric and we’ll see it in the game, but we don’t go crazy.
Do you think that Juve will play with four or five behind?
I’m sure I think about it a lot less than you do. The one who commands is the ball, both to defend and to attack. There is a style and give certain guidelines but I do not drive the players crazy telling them if they are going to play with four, five or eight back. Gatti and Bremer are and are important trunks. Centrals, if they want to play with three, they have.
Do you have an opinion of the referee, the Dutch Makkelie?
I don’t know who it is. Now I know it’s the one you said and I’m not going to look at the cards he drew or anything like that. I’ll shake his hand if he wants and let him referee as well as possible.
If the week ends well, do you expect to renew on Monday?
Where are Monchi and the president? From the beginning I signed for three months, and some thought that I was a fool and was dead from this. And I’m very much alive. The important thing is to finish well. If we do things well and for whatever reason Sevilla doesn’t want to, they will call from another side. And if not, we have already been unemployed other times.
What key has he touched to change the face of Sevilla?
This is not touching a key. If not, you play them all and you will hit some of them. The results have been good and sometimes the game not so much. It is the confidence of the player. Training we do not require people square roots, but addition or subtraction. If you do it well, you already have a lot won and normally things will work out for you in the game as well. The difficult things for the very good are also difficult. Simple things usually work and if the players want to do the difficult things you remind them and they realize it. They are not stupid.
Lopetegui, Emery… and you. What do the Basques have to play finals and win Europa Leagues with Sevilla?
First you have to qualify for the final. If we qualify we will talk about the final. Since I have been training in the First Division, we have always been Basque coaches. There will be something, maybe not having to juggle or things like that. There are Basques in LaLiga, in the Premier, in many places.
Suso: “I’m not here for 90 minutes, but…”
Suso appeared with Mendilibar at the press conference prior to the meeting. The man from Cádiz has recovered from a muscle injury and will enter the squad. “I feel good, I have worked these two weeks much more than usual. It’s an important match and we’re going to wait for tomorrow”.
“It’s not the first time I’ve been in this situation of trying to speed things up. If we are all, better so that the technician has more options. I can’t play for 90 minutes, the injury may have required a little more time, but I do see myself helping”, Suso added.
Finally, he spoke about his feelings before the duel: “The feelings are of illusion and of enjoying a bit after what was a bad season. We see a ray of light and hopefully we can enjoy with our fans. The situation at the beginning of the year was worse than this. Now we all want to be, it is a moment of happiness. Most of us here are used to playing big games, I’m going to sleep well.”