Jimenez: Kudos not cash driving force for Sevilla
Reuters - Monday 15 March 2010, 19:16
SEVILLA - Sevilla coach Manolo
Jimenez brushed aside the potential financial impact of failure
to make the Champions League quarter-finals but the significance
of Tuesday's match against CSKA Moscow was not lost on him.
The Andalusians, seeking to reach the last eight for the
first time, host the Russian club in the second leg of their
last-16 tie after last month's first leg in freezing conditions
in Moscow finished 1-1.
Jimenez should have strikers Frederic Kanoute, Luis Fabiano
and Alvaro Negredo, scorer of the goal in Moscow, fit after all
three featured in Saturday's 1-1 La Liga draw with Deportivo
Coruna.
Yet it was the psychological impact progress would have on
the club, city and region which dominated the coach's thoughts.
"I don't think about the financial figures," Jimenez told a
news conference at Sevilla's Sanchez Pizjuan stadium on Monday.
"Others are responsible for that and they have shown that
they are doing a perfect job."
Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido left no doubt as to
the importance of success in Europe's lucrative elite club
competition before the first leg.
Teams reaching the last eight will get at least another 3.3
million euros, plus a further 4 million for
making the semi-finals and 9 million for winning the title or
5.2 million for finishing runners-up.
"In economic terms, progress to the (quarters) has been
written into the budget for this season and if we don't manage
it we will start to talk about negative figures," Del Nido said.
HISTORIC FACT
"Sincerely, and it's not a cliche, every match my team plays
is important to me," Jimenez added.
"It's a very important match for the club, the team, the
city, for Andalusia and for Spain.
"That's why ... we have to increase our efficiency to try to
reach the quarters and convert it into an historic fact for
Sevilla and the whole city."
Jimenez's CSKA counterpart, Leonid Slutsky, said his players
were pleased the weather conditions would be more favourable in
the Andalusian capital compared with the icy temperatures of the
first leg.
"Any player would prefer to be playing in 15 degrees Celsius
rather than minus eight," he said. "From that point of view it's
nice to be here."
Brazil striker Fabiano said he had not been surprised by the
result in Moscow as CSKA had shown the potential to cause upsets
when they drew 3-3 at Manchester United in the group stage.
"They should have won that game," Fabiano told UEFA's
website.
"Although we have the advantage of the away goal, they have
nothing to lose and we're going to have to be careful," he said.
"It should be a tight game like the first one, but this time
we have a bit more responsibility to take the initiative. We
cannot play in a conservative way in front of our supporters."
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