Sevilla playmaker Suso has revealed the best and worst managers he has had in his career, although perhaps the latter is no longer a surprise.
Since being sacked by the club, Sevilla’s players en masse have criticised Argentine Manager Jorge Sampaoli, currently at Flamengo. Speaking to Canal SUR (via MD), Suso recalled that he was the worst he had worked under.
“The best, Luis Enrique. I had him in the national team, and I think he is the best I have ever had. Worst? Sampaoli.”
Such was his disregard for Sampaoli, Suso chose to remain at Sevilla over the winter transfer window last season despite his lack of game time, certain that his coach would be gone before long.
“In December I spoke to Monchi and he said to me: Suso, what do we do? I had just come back from the ankle injury. The easy thing was to say, I’m leaving, I’ll try to get rhythm at another team and get game time. But I told him that I’m going to last longer than Sampaoli and that I am going to end up playing.”
“It was an ugly moment, although I was sure that when I got a few games in a row, I was going to help. I did not consider leaving. Sampaoli had very good concepts, but at that moment perhaps it was not the most appropriate. If those plans had come off, no-one was going to say anything, but at that time it was not the most correct thing to do and it did not go well at all.”
Not that Suso wasn’t embroiled in controversy with Jose Luis Mendilibar thereafter.
“Those comments were taken out of context. He said that if I wanted to play on the right, I had to run more. They are points of view, we don’t all like the same thing. We did talk and I told him that I wasn’t amused. We were both honest. He is a very good man, sincere, transparent, he treats everyone equally. That’s important and difficult.”
Things have started off on a bad foot again for Sevilla this season, losing all three of their matches. Mendilibar won over the fans and the dressing room last season with their Europa League triumph, but will not have too much rope if things do not improve quickly. Los Nervionenses face Las Palmas this weekend, and will be desperate for a win to move them from the bottom of the table.
