Quique Sánchez Flores (Madrid; 59 years old) faces an important challenge at Sevilla. A club that had just won the Europa League and played in the Champions League called him in an extreme situation, with the threat of relegation to the Second Division very close. Sevilla, after almost two months under the command of the Madrid native, has the possibility of moving six points away from the critical zone if it defeats Atlético today (6:30 p.m., DAZN). Quique has moved on from redemption as a motto against a squad that did not know the demands well.
“I’m a coach, not an entertainer. “I am not going to enter into conversations with the players to make them make an effort,” said Quique. The coach, who arrived with an open hand, has now understood that there are first team players clearly singled out by the fans, in the case of Januzaj, Mariano, Jordán or Mir, who are difficult to recover. Given this situation, he has taken a distant stance with the group. It is José Luis Oltra, his second, who speaks to the footballers. Of course, when he touches on an important issue, Quique takes action. He spoke to Rakitic to tell him that he was going to play less. The Croatian, with an offer from Arabia, did not accept the secondary role that Quique proposed and decided to leave.
With Rakitic cut and after Fernando’s departure to Brazil, the coach maintains a good relationship with the heavyweight of the locker room, Sergio Ramos. Quique has had no doubts in fielding the world champion despite his 37 years of age. The reason is simple. Despite his logical decline, the Camas center back is always available to play while the rest of the center backs, in the case of Marcâo or Nianzou, are eternally injured. Furthermore, Quique appreciates Sergio’s role in the locker room. He pulls the car with commitment and leadership. Something that, for example, Rakitic did not want to do.
Quique’s pulse has also not trembled to open the door to the quarry. “I didn’t know Isaac Romero and while they were looking for a forward, the club and he himself decided to wait a few days before signing him. But when he had him training for a week, he gave him the opportunity without hesitation,” say sources from Seville. The same ones that add that Isaac (four goals in six games between League and Cup) did the preseason without attracting the attention of José Luis Mendilibar. Along with Isaac, Quique relies a lot on the center back Kike Salas and the full backs Hormigo and Juanlu.
The coach has raised with his collaborators the need to strengthen the physical aspect to improve the team’s performance. Meanwhile, he has made decisions: Nyland is the goalkeeper, Sevilla plays with two forwards and a defense of three center backs. The coach also tries to get his players to forget about playing on foot. “Playing on foot irritates me,” he clarified.
His relations with the presidency are direct. Perhaps a little colder with Víctor Orta, the sports director. The coach has not counted much on the winter signings (Hannibal, Agoumé and Véliz), but that does not imply a disagreement. Orta has an idea and he just trains in hopes of gaining more power in the future. He has one more year on his contract. At the moment, Quique lives in a hotel in Seville and has no intention of moving.
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