Sevilla coach Diego Alonso defends his players: Arsenal overwhelmed us

Sevilla coach Diego Alonso defended his selection for their Champions League defeat at Arsenal.

Alonso left out Ivan Rakitic, Lucas Ocampos and Dodi Lukebakio for the 2-0 reverse in London.

He said afterwards, "We were looking to have energy. We were coming from many games in a row, we had to have a dynamic game. We put three players in the middle who would provide solvency, fast players on the wing like Pedrosa and Lamela, but it didn't go well for us.

"We felt overwhelmed. Arsenal are a great team and we couldn't compete, we didn't have the ball and we kept recovering from behind. They beat us one on one, especially on the left side.

"They made us recover from behind and not in the centre of the field, where we could have more opportunities."

He also admitted: "We were overwhelmed, we could not do what we had planned and I cannot blame the players because they competed. They were superior and we must have a turning point on Sunday. It is an incredible opportunity to play the derby in front of our fans to reverse the situation."