Former Sevilla midfielder Fernando Reges has revealed that he left the club as he could no longer put up with the mentality there. The former Manchester City midfielder was part of a side that won two Europa Leagues and secured three straight Champions League finishes, but left in the winter transfer window to join Internacional in his native Brazil.
Fernando explained that while it is not easy to have a competitive squad, and that there were many good players at Sevilla, it was necessary to have one with both. He also explained that despite a public bust-up with ex-manager Jose Luis Mendilibar after being substituted, he got on well with the Basque veteran.
Clearly the two were on the same page, but that was not the case for the 36-year-old Brazilian, as he told El Pelotazo (via Cadena Cope).
“I began to see that things were not going to turn out well, there was not the same mentality. There were many players who did not care about winning or losing. I was on the inside of the boat and there were moments when we lost, and there was a lot of laughter…”
“I couldn’t continue like this, individually there was nothing I could do. I always liked being there, but there were things I didn’t like anymore. I wanted to fight to be fourth and get into Europe, but the squad wasn’t enough to compete. It was better to leave as I did, in a beautiful way and through the main entrance, not going out the back door.”
“I started to suffer a lot from not winning, as did my family, and I decided to leave. I did not expect to fight for relegation after three spectacular years. It is time to change players and it is necessary to be strong again.”
While his words will be no easier to stomach, no doubt Fernando’s words will not be entirely surrpising to Sevilla fans, who have expressed their frustration over the past two seasons. The drop off from those top four finishes to two midtable finishes (despite their Europa League win last season), are certainly a bigger drop off than anyone could have foreseen, and Fernando’s statements tally that with the idea that there have been deeper issues.
