Sevilla coach Jorge Sampaoli insisted his focus is solely on making history in the Champions League despite increasing speculation the Argentine could take charge of Barcelona next season.
The Europa League holders host struggling English champions Leicester City in the first leg of their last 16 tie tonight hoping to reach the quarter-finals for the first time in the Champions League era.
However, Barcelona’s 4-0 Champions League hammering at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain last week has put Sampaoli’s name at the head of the queue should Barca boss Luis Enrique not have his contract renewed at the end of the season.
“At the moment the only thing that appeals to us is to live in the present,” Sampaoli said yesterday. “This game is the most important thing for us, to be among the best eight teams in the most important tournament in the world, and to think about anything else for me would be irresponsible.”
Barca’s interest allied to a fine debut season at the Sanchez Pizjuan with Sevilla also riding high in third in La Liga has even seen club reportedly set to offer Sampaoli an improved deal to stay in Seville.
However, he believes the pressure now being put on Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri just months after achieving the seemingly impossible in winning the Premier League is a sign that he can’t get carried away with the plaudits coming his way.
“We live in the present and maybe in two weeks this (praise) won’t happen because it has to do with momentaneous success. There has to be a much wider analysis,” added Sampaoli. “But the fact that the club has the intention to think about a new contract pleases us and we will evaluate it.”
Sampaoli believes Ranieri’s position at Leicester will undoubtedly come under pressure unless results drastically improve. “Now no one talks about the team that won the league in an incredible and historic way, but of the present when they are not playing well and fighting against relegation,” Sampaoli said. “Common sense would say that someone who achieved so much from a team with so little can turn the situation around, but time waits for no one, not even someone as good as Ranieri who won the Premier League.”
By contrast, Sevilla are flying in third in La Liga behind only Real Madrid and Barcelona. However, Sampaoli warned his side against over-confidence given Leicester won their group earlier in the campaign in their debut season in the Champions League.
And the Argentine also highlighted a 4-2 win over Manchester City in December as a warning that Leicester are still capable of raising their game on the big occasion. “They went through comprehensively as winners of their group and in a tie of two games they will be a very tough test for us,” added Sampaoli.
Leicester striker Jamie Vardy scored a hat-trick in that victory over City, but the England international hasn’t netted in nine games since. However, Sampaoli believes he still poses the major threat to Sevilla’s chances of reaching the quarter-finals for the first time in the Champions League era.
“Vardy was decisive last year and his lack of goals explains Leicester’s current problems. When Vardy starts scoring we will once again see the Leicester that are extremely dangerous,” he said.
Leicester’s disastrous form continued with an embarrassing 1-0 defeat to third tier Millwall in the FA Cup on Saturday. However, Ranieri is set to recall a host of first team regulars after making 10 changes with the likes of Vardy and Riyad Mahrez set to return.
And German goalkeeper Ron Robert Zieler is hoping Leicester can take advantage of their status of underdogs against a side with far more European pedigree having won the Europa League in each of the last three season.
“We’ll be underdogs, especially how we’re not performing to the levels that we want to,” Zieler told Leicester’s website. “For a few people, we are the underdog, but that doesn’t have to be bad for us.
“Sevilla have not only done well this season, they have been fantastic in Europe over the last couple of seasons. They’ve got a lot of quality players in their squad, but that’s what you expect in the Champions League.”
Jorge Sampaoli
