Most managers would prefer not to come up against a Manchester United side coached by Jose Mourinho, but Sevilla coach Vincenzo Montella seemed unfazed by the daunting task ahead of him, even if he was effusive in his praise of the Portuguese tactician ahead of their UEFA Champions League clash.
“I’m very excited because he was a pioneer in his way of working. I’ve read his books, I’ve studied his tactics… He’s undoubtedly a trainer you have to study,” Montella gushed at his pre-match press conference in Sevilla on Tuesday.
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A serial winner at every club, Mourinho has the unique distinction of having won the Champions League with two separate teams (Porto and Inter Milan) and his Red Devils side are favourites to progress to the quarters.
“It’s very exciting to prepare for this kind of match, I hope it will be even better tomorrow… I’m happy in these moments, for the club, for the players, for the fans, because tomorrow is a huge day”, Montella, who coached European giants AC Milan before joining Sevilla last year, added.
The Sevillistas are currently fifth in the La Liga, six points behind defending champions Real Madrid but their recent form has been encouraging.
With three wins from as many games, the Spanish outfit are in good nick as they prepare to welcome Mourinho’s side, who are currently in second place in the Premier League table.
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United topped their Group but notably, did lose once (away to FC Basel) while Sevilla came second to Liverpool in their group. Montella’s side lost just once, but it was a heavy defeat (5-1 loss at the hands of Spartak Moscow) but the fact that they drew twice with United’s arch-rivals will give them hope of getting a solid result at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan on Wednesday night.
When asked whether he or Mourinho had the edge, Montella responded, ”Definitely Mourinho. I don’t know how many matches he’s played… 137 more than me… So I think it’s important for me to play with my inexperience, with my inconsistency and we have to play with enthusiasm”.
The second leg at Old Trafford takes place on March 13.