Sevilla face Real Madrid on Saturday night but nobody is denying that there is one eye on their midweek clash with Roma in the Europa League final in Budapest this Wednesday. It will also see a reunion for Sevilla Sporting Director Monchi with his old team Roma, the only side he has ever taken charge of other than Sevilla.
It did not go particularly well, with Monchi lasting less than a year in the job. He quickly returned to Sevilla where with some exceptions, he has again been successful. Monchi has admitted to Marca that he got things wrong in the Italian capital though.
“There were many beautiful moments. I tried to do the best I could but it is true that I got it wrong. I’ve never had a problem admitting my mistakes, but you also need to understand the contexts.”
“This season I also made mistakes in Seville, but in Andalusia I have 24 years of history in my favour with 19 finals and 10 trophies that give me peace in the afternoon when I have to take my two dogs for a walk. They’re waiting for me here, not in Rome. I didn’t have time to correct my mistakes. Looking back, there would be so many things I would never do again.”
In his eyes, he failed to grasp the enormity of Roma within the Italian capital.
“The big mistake was that I had to better understand what Roma was. What it represents for the city, the fans and the press. And when I realised that, it was late. 95% of the responsibility is mine.”
“I am happy that it happened in a final, if they had asked me who I would have liked to play, I would have had no doubt, I would have said Roma.”
He was also asked if he would consider moving abroad again, and did not reject the idea outright.
“I don’t know if I’ll have the strength, the years go by. But there are some ideas in my head. We’ll see.”
Monchi has become synonymous with Sevilla, and over the last two decades, with success. This season, until the appointment of Jose Luis Mendilibar, has been less than impressive, but he has generally shown his talents again. Whether another major club would be willing to risk bringing him in again following the Roma experience is another matter, although reportedly he was on the Chelsea shortlist earlier in the season.