Maresca’s statments:
(Sevilla-Málaga). “Everyone was hoping to begin a little better than we did. The league is something else and what struck us immediately was the level of play and the need to try to have a high intensity from the start in order to take control.
It wasn’t a lack of ideas, no; the team wanted it but we had the feeling we couldn’t get there. Sevilla had a little more spark – one thing is a friendly and another is a real match. We didn’t have a good feeling from the first moment. It was a real effort to get ourselves into the game and when Sevilla scored a goal in the first minute, it became even more complicated. We were unlucky for them to score a goal in the first minute and not be prepared from the outset.”
(Personal). “I’m feeling good, comfortable; although the other day, as a team, we weren’t feeling very good, or as good as we would like to have been. On a personal level though I tried to give what the coach asked of me.”
(A lack of competitiveness). “It’s not a lack of ideas. The team wanted it but we felt that we couldn’t get there. During those moments, it felt like Sevilla had a little more spark. I don’t know if it was because they had already been competing in the league, as playing in a friendly is one thing and another is playing in a real match. Sevilla came after playing two matches in a week and perhaps this gave them more of an edge. I believe that was the only thing they had, but that gave them a great feeling, something we didn’t have from the outset.”
(Get a good run). “That’s the problem right now. Last year I said that if the team gets to win a few games, it would get to start a good run and; in the end, we got to win 10-11 tremendous games. At the moment what’s lacking is 3,4,5 consecutive matches, but I’m convinced that we’ll be at there at the end of season, as we’d all like to be.”
(Cheers in Seville). “That’s what they do. It’s always enjoyable to make others happy and, as a team, that’s what we’re here for, and it’s normal they see its importance.”
(Three-way tournament in Murcia). “Playing always suits us as it allows us to pick up pace, even though it’s very different in a friendly. In the absence of a league match, we’ll take advantage of this benefit tournament to accumulate minutes and carrying on getting into shape.”
