Sevilla manager Jose Luis Mendilibar has pointed out that the low expectations on his arrival have long-since been surpassed, with Los Nervionenses preparing for their Europa League second-leg semi-final against Juventus. They were unlucky not to come away with a win from Turin, and in the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, some are making them favourites to progress.
Mendilibar was asked whether the club were thinking of renewing his contract, having only given him a deal until the end of the season. The Basque manager has done a stellar job since, losing just once in his tenure so far.
“Some of you thought: ‘This fool, he comes here for 3 months, here is a dead man’. And well, he is not so dead, he is quite alive,” laughed Mendilibar.
“Where was Monchi (jokes)… I don’t know, ask them. From the beginning I signed for three months and I was delighted. Some of you threw your hands up. I don’t care. The important thing is to finish well what we started well. If we do well and don’t continue, they will call us from somewhere else and if not, I have been unemployed more times.”
🤔 ¿Renovará Mendilibar?
💬 "Algunos pensabáis: 'Este tontolaba, viene aquí para 3 meses, aquí es un muerto'. Y bueno, no está muerto". pic.twitter.com/H6tI6yz1Jk
— Relevo (@relevo) May 17, 2023
The club have been clear that they will wait until the end of the season in order to decide how to move forward. The clamour for Mendilibar to be given a permanent deal will only grow if Sevilla do make it past the Bianconeri though.
On the game itself, Mendilibar commented that in his eyes, Juventus would try to dominate the ball, as quoted by ED.
“I don’t know how it’s going to turn out, but I don’t think they give us the ball, they want to have it and hurt us with the ball. If we’re good, successful when it comes to pressing, defending and making it difficult to get the ball out, we have our chances.”
“If they allow us the ball, if they play more direct and wait for our mistake, we also have to be patient. Starting from that patience, but without settling in and giving rhythm to the game, at the end… We don’t want to have the ball just to have it, but we want to get there [to goal].”
In the first leg Sevilla were able to counter-attack have found an early goal through Youssef En-Nesyri, but there may well be more pressure on the home side to attack on Thursday evening. Mendilibar increasingly looks like he has the side playing to his ideas though, and it worked well in the first leg, save for a set piece.
