Southampton’s Leo Scienza reflects on ‘amazing journey’ to Wembley – ‘I was playing Playstation with them!’

Can they make it a hat-trick of Premier League conquests once they take on the would possibly of Manchester City on Saturday afternoon?

“I think even in the best days we could not imagine that we would be so far, also because of the kind of opponents we got until now,” Scienza instructed TNT Sports at Southampton’s Staplewood Training Campus.

“It has been an amazing journey, and I’m really looking forward to the next game now, and hopefully keep on in a positive way.”

Dissecting Arsenal win – and reward for Dowman

Scienza thrilled within the victory over Mikel Arteta’s Gunners, giving the North London facet’s defence a torrid time with his direct working.

The Brazilian regarded again on that tie, the way it felt arising towards their battery of elite forwards, and what it instructed him about his personal profession evolution over the previous yr.

“Before the game, this was not our biggest focus of the season, because we just have one big focus to do the best in the Championship, to go back to where we deserve to be as a club in the Premier League,” Scienza mentioned.

Highlights: Late drama sees Southampton dump Arsenal out of FA Cup

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“When you have a cup game like this, it’s just enjoyable, because you feel like you have nothing to lose, playing at that moment against the best team in England.

“We had been very assured, as a result of we got here from an excellent run in the previous couple of months. We simply felt like this, let’s go all in, we’ve high quality additionally, we had a gameplan, we did a tremendous recreation, it was not fortunate, we deserved to win – and right here we’re.”

He added: “I really like to be taught, I’m a participant at all times looking for to get higher each day. I do not like to evaluate myself with anyone, as a result of everybody has a distinct historical past, a distinct background, a distinct means of being. I simply strive to be higher than I was yesterday.

“But of course when you play against a team like Arsenal with [Gabriel] Martinelli, [Gabriel] Jesus, [Bukayo] Saka was not in the game, but even the young player [Max Dowman], the right-winger, was an amazing player.

“So you strive to see what they do properly, and see what you are able to do higher, what are your qualities that perhaps they do not have.

“Most of the players that they have, I was – until maybe last season – playing on the Playstation with them, and now I had the chance to play against them.

“I swapped shirts with them after the sport, and it is only a feeling of gratitude for the second.”

Memories of Guardiola’s Barca

Scienza will come up towards “one in every of his favorite coaches” on Saturday in Pep Guardiola.

The 27-year-old revealed his admiration for the Catalan – but has clear belief that he and his team-mates can cash in on the “fantastic thing about the cup” to do one thing particular.

Scienza on Pep’s Barca, the ‘beauty of the cup’ and City’s quality

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“Maybe [City] will likely be even more durable than what Arsenal was,” Scienza said.

“They are a tremendous facet. One of my favorite coaches is [Pep] Guardiola, for every thing he is achieved for soccer.

“I loved to watch his Barcelona back then – they were my favourite team in the world.

“It’s onerous to discover phrases as a result of you can also make a plan a, b and c within the recreation and they’ll discover a means to do one thing totally different as a result of they’ve a lot high quality, not simply the supervisor however all of the gamers.

“They can do things that you cannot train. It will be very challenging, but this is the beauty of the cup, you have 90 minutes, you play in Wembley – this is also a dream – and anything can happen.”

Eckert savours ‘uncommon pathway’

As just lately as 2024, Scienza was playing within the third division in Germany with SSV Ulm, earlier than embarking on his fast rise which sees him and his staff on the brink of a Wembley ultimate, and doubtlessly the Premier League.

“It’s quite an unusual career pathway that he’s taken,” Southampton boss Tonda Eckert mentioned of his flying winger.

“I feel Leo has been on a journey for fairly a while. He’s at all times been in a position to elevate requirements.

Eckert on Guardiola: He’s been an inspiration for me

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“Normally gamers in his place begin to peak in direction of the age that he is in, since you want a sure agility to beat gamers one towards one.

“I think with him it’s a little bit different since he started his career later, I still think that there’s more to come.

“And that is fairly good to see, that you’ve got a participant at 27 that you may nonetheless push. It’s been a pleasant journey and I feel there are a lot of extra issues to come.”