García Plaza criticises LaLiga’s supposed aim of creating a two-team gap at the top

“They want two teams to be way out in front,” Luis García Plaza said of LaLiga. The Sevilla coach was speaking ahead of Friday’s home match against Alavés in the 12th round of LaLiga EA Sports. He also warned that his team’s current sixth place did not reflect its true level and that achieving its objective would require a difficult effort.

His comments came while discussing refereeing decisions. García Plaza suggested that two or three teams currently below the leaders could eventually move up. “I think that is what they are looking for: two teams standing out clearly at the top,” he said, while praising Atlético de Madrid. “They deserve a lot of credit, and I hope they stay up there until the end.”

The coach also urged perspective when assessing Sevilla’s position. Speaking about the defeat at Getafe, he admitted his team had performed very poorly in the second half, but resisted letting that display define its season. “A team in sixth cannot say it is doing everything badly,” he said. Sevilla, he noted, had played well before the break, then allowed Getafe to take control after half-time. The team needed to understand what went wrong, he said, without necessarily changing its system.

García Plaza described Sevilla as a side that has to work hard for its results. “Even when we play at 100%, it is difficult for us to win. We do not think we are better or worse than anyone else,” he said, adding that every victory had demanded maximum effort. He called on his players to make more of the periods when they are on top and to maintain their concentration.

Sevilla are also working to concede fewer goals. García Plaza said they had kept three clean sheets in 11 matches, and had conceded only once in four rounds. He nevertheless considers the other defensive figures too high and wants his team to become more consistent.

The press conference also looked ahead to the match against Alavés. García Plaza recalled his affection for his former club, where he said he spent three of the happiest years of his coaching career. He described Alavés as a team able to switch between several formations, dangerous from crosses and on the counterattack, and singled out Lucas Boyé, Mariano, Toni, Abde and Ángel.

He also said Fofana and Isaac were fit to play together, while calling for more goals from both. Isaac’s three goals, he said, were a good return in relation to his playing time. Friday’s match is therefore the next test for a Sevilla side whose coach wants it to assess its performances clearly and make better use of its strongest spells.