Europa League: Pablo Fornals wants to ‘show everyone outside England what West Ham can do’ against Sevilla

Thursday’s Europa League round of 16 tie between Sevilla and West Ham (airing on Paramount+) brings with it something of a divergence in the respective continental heritage of these two sides. One is the most successful side in this competition’s history. The other is making their debut playing at this stage of the tournament.

West Ham certainly do have European pedigree of their own. The side that won the 1965 European Cup Winners’ Cup would provide the captain and two goal scorers for England’s World Cup win the following year. But, in recent memory, their record pales in comparison to Sevilla. The Andalusians have won this competition a record six times despite the fact they had never won it before 2006. It seems they never need additional motivation for this particular prize, but this year they have it with the final to be played at their home ground, the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan.

The Hammers find themselves thrust into the role of spoilers. For Pablo Fornals, however, there is more to it than that. West Ham’s recent rise up the Premier League table — they travel to Seville occupying sixth spot, still firmly in the mix for Champions League qualification — has won them much admiration in their home land, but they have had few opportunities to show how they match up against the continent’s top teams. There could be few better tests than this one.

“Someone could call it pressure, others like me call it ilusión [something akin to an enthusiastic hope],” he tells CBS Sports of his return to Spain. “I’m anxious but not nervous. I’ve got the desire to play in this game, to help the team, to be in the stadium.

“I want to show everyone outside England what West Ham can do. Probably in England people have started to realize what West Ham are like now, but outside, when you speak about the club, people don’t know how good we are at the moment. It’s the best scenario to show them.”

This may be the a first season in Europe proper for West Ham since 2007, but David Moyes’ side took to the competition like a duck to water in the group stages. After three games in a tough group they had nine points, had scored seven goals without any conceded, and had negotiated what has historically been a tricky away test for English clubs at Dinamo Zagreb. The Croats won at the London Stadium in the final round of games but against a Hammers side filled with academy graduates, top spot in Group H having already been secured.

In doing so, West Ham earned themselves a bye to the round of 16, avoiding knockout ties that saw the likes of Napoli, Borussia Dortmund, and Lazio crash out. Fornals, who experienced two seasons of this competition with Villarreal, would be the first to admit that the draw has not been the kindest to his teammates but hopes that fearlessness will come with their inexperience. “I’ve been lucky to play Europa League a few times and you never know,” he says. “it’s really difficult when you did a really good job in the group stages and after you’ve been drawn to play against Sevilla right now. 

“The competition and the draw don’t care about anything. You can be the best team in the group stages and after you’re playing against Sevilla. The main thing is: for us it’s all new. This point of desire [to prove ourselves] from everyone is going to help.”

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West Ham travel to Spain with the availability of several key players in doubt, most notably Jarrod Bowen and Declan Rice. Defenders Vladimir Coufal, Angelo Ogbonna and Arthur Masuaku are unavailable. The form book does not look all that impressive at first glance either. Last week they crashed out of the FA Cup at Southampton’s hands before losing at Anfield to Liverpool on Saturday. 

And yet it does not tell the whole story. Few teams have pushed Jurgen Klopp’s side quite as close as they did with Fornals, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio all having chances to earn a point or more for the visitors.

A repeat performance and Fornals is in no doubt that West Ham can give Sevilla a real test. “If we play like that – and obviously are a bit luckier in front of goal or score our chances – I think not many teams in the world can beat us.

“I hope the Sevilla squad, the Sevilla players, watched that game and thought ‘wow these guys are not afraid of anyone. If they do that against Liverpool why shouldn’t they do it against us?’” That performance against Liverpool merely reflected what Fornals sees as a growing optimism around the camp.

“You can smell how the training sessions are coming back, and we’re arriving very well to the best moment of the season,” he explains. If you were looking for evidence of that being reflected on the pitch it might be in the fizzing counter attacks that so challenged Liverpool last time out. At their best there are few more deadly purveyors of rapid transitions than Moyes’ side, who fly forward with Antonio, Bowen and Fornals among those leading the charge.

“When they click, from the first pass you already know something is going to happen,” says the Spaniard. “We’re two and a half years together, most of the time Mikey [Michail Antonio] knows what I’m going to do and I know what he wants, if he prefers the ball to the body and let me run, or if he wants the ball long and he runs with me supporting from behind. 

“It’s not just me, you can see Niko [Vlasic] is adapting really well, Jarrod when he came was outstanding for us. He’s in unbelievable shape right now. It would be disrespectful for West Ham if he’s not in the next England squad. Dec [Rice], Tomas [Soucek], Manu [Lanzini], how good is he playing? He has clicked again, he’s showing the player he was before the injury.”

When Fornals lists off the ream of players for whom he has nothing but the most glowing of praise it is perhaps easy to understand why he has found himself shunted out of position on occasion by Moyes, most notably filling in at left wing back in the absence of Masuaku.

One might understand if the Spaniard, the second most expensive player this club has ever signed, was less than impressed with being stuck in a defensive role. After all, only Aaron Cresswell has made more chances for West Ham since the start of last season and no one has completed more passes in the attacking third. Such is the affection between Fornals and this club, though, that his position is something of a moot point.

“The thing is, I don’t care if I play as a left wing back, a midfielder, a number 10, on the wing,” he says. “I do not care. I just want to play and help the team. I understand that sometimes the best way to help the team is to be on the bench. If that happens I’m ready when the coach gives me the chance to play five minutes, 20, 30, whatever he thinks is the best to help the team.”