MY ACCOUNT
Sevilla boss Jose Luis Mendilibar wants his team “to remove the ropes that bind us” and rise to the occasion of the Europa League rematch with Manchester United on Thursday.
A 2-0 win at Valencia in LaLiga on Sunday came despite Mendilibar feeling something was missing from the performance.
He considers it a huge boon that his team can still win while not at their best, and hopes they hit their peak at the right moment.
A fightback in Manchester by Sevilla means the quarter-final tie is locked at 2-2 heading into the second leg.
Speaking after his team’s victory at Mestalla, Mendilibar said: “We have to gain confidence. Sometimes you don’t play well and the result is with you. That makes you think that when you play well, you’re going to do even better.
“It’s going to give us peace of mind to be able to compete against Manchester on Thursday.”
Messy defending from a corner allowed Loic Bade to sneak in to poach Sevilla’s opener against Valencia in the 55th minute, before Suso’s clean hit into the left corner in the 75th minute sealed the win.
Valencia had Ilaix Moriba sent off late on as the game ran away from them.
“We’re having success in front of goal,” said Mendilibar. “We’ve scored two goals in each game, It’s what’s giving us life.”
It is true that Sevilla have scored twice in each of their last four matches, winning twice and being held to draws in the other two games.
These games have all followed Mendilibar’s appointment on March 21 as successor to Jorge Sampaoli, with Sevilla improving step by step.
“We hope to be able to remove the ropes that bind us,” Mendilibar said.
United also won 2-0 on their travels on Sunday, beating Nottingham Forest in the Premier League.
Mendilibar knows the threat Erik ten Hag’s team will pose, but likes Sevilla’s future prospects and said: “We hope to be able to bring quality into play from now on, not just with goals.”
