{"id":904788,"date":"2026-05-10T07:13:05","date_gmt":"2026-05-10T12:13:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/10\/if-he-keeps-this-level-sevilla-coach-sends-message-to-super-eagles-star-ahead-of-osasuna-clash\/"},"modified":"2026-05-10T07:13:05","modified_gmt":"2026-05-10T12:13:05","slug":"if-he-keeps-this-level-sevilla-coach-sends-message-to-super-eagles-star-ahead-of-osasuna-clash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2026\/05\/10\/if-he-keeps-this-level-sevilla-coach-sends-message-to-super-eagles-star-ahead-of-osasuna-clash\/","title":{"rendered":"\u201cIf he keeps this level\u201d\u00a0\u2013 Sevilla coach sends message to Super Eagles star ahead of Osasuna clash"},"content":{"rendered":"

Soccer <\/p>\n

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Sevilla head coach, Luis Garc\u00eda Plaza, press conference. Copyright: xAndresxLopezxSheridanxx\/xSPPxImago<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Sevilla head coach Luis Garc\u00eda Plaza has spoken about the chances of Super Eagles winger Chidera Ejuke starting\u00a0in their clash against Espanyol on Saturday,\u00a0Soccernet.ng<\/u><\/a>\u00a0reports.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Ejuke made his 26th appearance of the season across all competitions in Sevilla\u2019s\u00a01-0 victory over Real Sociedad last Monday.\u00a0He was a surprise inclusion in the starting lineup for the clash, marking only his\u00a0first La Liga start since November 2025, when he featured in a 2-0 defeat to Real Betis.<\/p>\n

Despite not getting on the scoresheet, the\u00a028-year-old delivered an eye-catching performance on the left wing\u00a0and\u00a0constantly troubled the opposition defence. The Super Eagles forward also completed the most dribbles in the game\u00a0and recorded the highest number of touches inside the opposition box.<\/p>\n

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Chidera Ejuke in action during the La Liga EA Sports match between Sevilla FC and Real Sociedad at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan. Copyright: xAndresxLopezxSheridanxx\/xSPPxImago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

He was also one of the highest rated players on the pitc<\/a>h and appears to have given Garc\u00eda Plaza plenty to consider ahead of Sevilla\u2019s crucial run-in.<\/p>\n

Soccer Sevilla\u00a0coach hints at bigger role for Chidera Ejuke\u00a0<\/h2>\n

Sevilla host Espanyol at the Ram\u00f3n S\u00e1nchez Pizju\u00e1n Stadium in a\u00a0crucial La Liga match later today as they continue their battle for survival this season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The seven-time Europa League winners have struggled throughout the campaign and currently sit 17th in the La Liga table with 37 points,\u00a0just one point above the relegation zone with only four matches left to play.<\/p>\n

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Ejuke and Aramburu during LaLiga EA Sports, between Sevilla v Real Sociedad played at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium. Copyright: xManuxGomezx\/xAgenciaxLOFxImago<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ahead of the encounter, Garc\u00eda Plaza admitted he has been impressed by Ejuke\u2019s performances in training and believes the winger could keep his place in the starting lineup if he maintains the same standard.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe wasn’t a starter since November. \u2018Chidi’ had not been a starter for a long time, with me and with the previous coach. I think he played a great game\u201d,\u00a0the Sevilla boss said, via Estadio Deportivo.<\/u><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cThis Ejuke is the one I was already liking in training. I wanted to put him in and I think that if he keeps this level he will play.\u00a0If he is a focused Ejuke, who does everything, who is not lost dribbling\u2026 He’s going to play. What I’m saying here I’ve told him: don’t get lost, let him be vertical, attack, face, look for one by one\u2026 If he fulfills it effectively, he has to play.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Garc\u00eda Plaza further revealed that Ejuke had asked to be substituted during the Real Sociedad game after struggling physically, but the winger pushed himself to continue until full-time.<\/p>\n

He\u00a0also praised\u00a0the Nigerian forward\u2019s\u00a0defensive work rate and stressed the importance of maintaining balance in his game.<\/p>\n

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\u201cI only talk about my games, but he hadn’t played as a starter since November and it’s not normal. Therefore, I understood that he asked me for the change in the 60, because it’s been many months without playing as a starter. It has to give us many things, but it has to be at that level\u201d, the Sevilla coach added.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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\u201cHe has to have that verticality, go for the rival, go for the goal, not get lost dribbling backwards\u2026 Go ahead and attack, attack, attack, attack\u2026 And help us defensively. If he does that, he is a very important player.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Akor Adams and Chidera Ejuke celebrate a goal during the Spanish league, LaLiga EA Sports, football match played between Sevilla FC and Real Oviedo at Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan stadium. Copyright: ImagoxJoaquinxCorcherox<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sevilla have just four games remaining to secure their La Liga status and avoid relegation\u00a0this season and\u00a0Super Eagles duo Chidera Ejuke and Akor Adams\u00a0will be hoping\u00a0to play important roles\u00a0in the\u00a0club\u2019s\u00a0fight for survival.<\/p>\n

Their battle to stay in the Spanish top flight begins against Espanyol\u00a0today, before difficult fixtures against Villarreal, Real Madrid and Celta de Vigo to close out the season.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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\"<!--Ayomide Oguntimehin” src=”https:\/\/soccernet.ng\/thumbor\/ycGEJDr9VZlpO_5zujn3ZdvICxA=\/150×150\/smart\/https%3A%2F%2Fmedia.soccernet.ng%2Fmain%2F2024%2F12%2FAyomide-Oguntimehin-pics.jpg” height=”80″ width=”80″>\t\t<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin\t\t\t\t<\/a>
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\n\t\t\t\tAyomide Oguntimehin is a CAF-accredited sports journalist and Chief Editor at Soccernet.ng. He has interviewed Super Eagles stars like William Troost-Ekong, Taiwo Awoniyi, Bright Osayi-Samuel, and Ademola Lookman, and is known for breaking major transfer stories.<\/p>\n

Ayomide has worked with Sports Brief, Naija News and served as Social Lead Editor at Legit.ng. He has also featured on Goal, TVC News, Sports Mole, and Milan News24. He holds a Master\u2019s degree and is currently pursuing a PhD. Follow Ayomide on X (formerly Twitter): @ayo_oguntimehin\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Read More<\/a>Ayomide Oguntimehin<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Soccer Sevilla head coach, Luis Garc\u00eda Plaza, press conference. Copyright: xAndresxLopezxSheridanxx\/xSPPxImago Sevilla head coach Luis Garc\u00eda Plaza has spoken about the chances of Super Eagles winger Chidera Ejuke starting\u00a0in their clash against Espanyol on Saturday,\u00a0Soccernet.ng\u00a0reports. Ejuke made his 26th appearance of the season across all competitions in Sevilla\u2019s\u00a01-0 victory over Real Sociedad last Monday.\u00a0He was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":904789,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36776,2090,2005],"tags":[42855,8214],"class_list":{"0":"post-904788","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-if","8":"category-keeps","9":"category-soccer","10":"tag-if","11":"tag-keeps"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904788","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=904788"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/904788\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/904789"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=904788"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=904788"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=904788"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}