Alves thinking only of the final
Sevilla’s much-admired full-back Daniel Alves is staying tight-lipped on his future plans as he focuses on tomorrow night’s UEFA Cup final at Hampden Park.
Liverpool were keen on Alves last summer and their interest is unlikely to have waned since – although a price considered prohibitive 12 months ago will have risen.
The Brazilian, whose raids along the right flank are comparable to those of compatriot Roberto Carlos on the left, has had another outstanding season in Spain.
His side have three trophies in their sights – they have reached the Copa del Rey [Spanish Cup] final and are two points behind Barcelona and Real Madrid with four rounds of Primera Liga matches remaining.
And Alves is determined to be careful about what he says, knowing he is being linked with clubs across Europe.
“It’s a complicated topic and right now it’s an awkward moment to talk about it,” Alves told uefa.com ahead of Sevilla’s all-Spanish affair with Espanyol in Glasgow.
“This is a period where we can’t afford to get distracted by anything, we have to focus on the games and we’ve got a lot at stake.
When the time comes, we’ll talk about what we need to discuss but first we have to try to win a trophy then we’ll see what decision we take.”
The £15m-rated 23-year-old believes his club, who also won the UEFA Cup last year, have come a long way.
“Right now Sevilla fans can’t believe what is happening,” said Alves, who has been booked a staggering 14 times in 30 matches this season.
“A few years ago it was about working to get a UEFA Cup place and in the last year it’s been about enjoying finals.
“We have to enjoy this nice moment and always keep the aim of winning but not get obsessed about it because it could be harmful.
“It would be a success to win two trophies; it would be good to win one.”
Sevilla and Espanyol will train at Hampden tonight. After their 4-0 demolition of Steve McClaren’s Middlesbrough in last year’s final, Sevilla have high hopes of defending their title.
But their trip got off to a bad start yesterday when their flight was severely delayed due to a mechanical issue. They arrived after 7pm, more than four hours later than scheduled.
Alves, who spoke to reporters, said: “The trip has been a little rough, but we’re here now, we have to isolate ourselves, to concentrate, and to focus on the match.”
Having had it easy against a Middlesbrough side in Eindhoven 12 months ago, Alves said: “This is a different match and a different final with a team who are very different to the one we faced last year.”
