Jiménez: We Must Show We Are A Great Team Sevilla coach Manolo Jiménez has called for an end to their current patchy run of the form and has told his

Sevilla have endured a tough week, with Saturday's defeat against Athletic Bilbao followed by their elimination from the Copa del Rey at the hands of Barcelona in mid-week.

Jiménez knows that this form cannot continue and believes that his team needs to shape up in the second half of the campaign and treat every game with the same importance.

"It is a clear end for us. No longer there are special matches, we must understand that all of the matches are very important," he told as.com.

"We must show that we are a great team, because that is what we looked for in preseason and we cannot justify the losses and bad moments."

Getafe are Sevilla's opponents this weekend, with media discussion suggesting that their coach Michael Laudrup could find himself out of a job if they lose the game. Although Jiménez clearly wants to win the match, he would not wish that such a result would see Laudrup fired.

"It does not please me that my team could cause the exit of anybody. Our interests come first; I see that they are not well but that does not make me laugh or feel sad

"Laudrup has been a symbol for football in Spain and is a young trainer who tries to do the same as me. What I want is for the good of my team, and not for Getafe to suffer."

Jiménez also laughed off suggestions that his own position could be under threat if results do not improve, saying that he is content with the job that he has done so far.

"I arrived in a situation in which team morale was not good and neither was the league position... the team is playing to an impressive level in the Champions League; in the Copa (del Rey) we gave good performances, except for against Denia, but the league position is what we need to change."

This return tie with Getafe is tinged with sadness for Sevilla and their supporters as it was in the first meeting of the two teams this season that Antonio Puerta collapsed and later died. Jiménez feels that the best tribute the team can give Puerta is on the pitch.

"The best tribute anyone can give to Antonio is to contest matches as he did, which I am best qualified to judge as nobody trained him more than I."

Finally, the talk turned to Alexandr Kerzhakov, who has stated that he wishes to leave Sevilla if he is not going to get regular first-team football, possibly to re-join Juande Ramos at Tottenham. Jiménez believes there are only two things Kerzhakov can do in this situation.

"If he has it in his head that he does not want to be a substitute to Luis Fabiano and Kanouté he has two choices: to look for another team or to train better to take the place of Luis Fabiano or Kanouté," he concluded.