Jorge Sampaoli refused to confirm he would stay on as Sevilla Coach next season but affirmed links with Argentina were premature.
Sampaoli remains the favourite to become Argentina’s next boss, but he insisted after Sevilla’s 4-1 defeat to Real Madrid on Sunday that there was nothing “official” with his homeland.
“The first goal? I was surprised by the piece of play because I didn’t see it,” explained the 57-year-old, referring to Nacho Fernandez’s quick free kick.
“I never talk about referees. Sometimes [decisions] go in your favour and sometimes against you. I don’t know if it should’ve counted or not.
“Goal show? It seems to me that the result was too steep, for the chances and openings.
“We know Madrid’s strength, but the team had that rebellious streak to look for a goal and I think the scoreline flattered them.
“Their first two goals came from our mistakes and we controlled a very strong team.
“Their third goal frustrated us. We lacked ruthlessness. If we didn’t, we could be speaking about another result.
“Champions League? We leave here with anger, despite qualifying for the Champions League, because our effort deserved a prize, but football is like this.
“Now our objective is to pass 70 points, but I don’t have much analysis about qualifying for the Champions League because we’ve lost here with a very steep margin.
“Send-off at the Pizjuan? It’s earned, not expected. I hope the fans send off the team like they deserve, but the fans will make the decision they think is right.
“Becoming Argentina Coach? How can I recognise something that doesn’t exist on an official level?
“Only the official level counts, not the others. I’m not going to explain something that doesn’t exist today.
“I saw us more competitive than recently, aside from the result, which didn’t reflect what happened on the pitch, but we played against the best team in the world.”
