Sevilla’s season of self-discovery looks set to culminate in title charge

Real Madrid travelled to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday evening with hopes of taking their unbeaten run in all competitions to an unbelievable 41 matches. Sevilla were their in-form opponent, able to leapfrog Barcelona into second place with a win, and although Zinedine Zidane’s men should be feeling on top of the world, the Frenchman instead decided to try and shut up shop.  

It was the ultimate compliment for Jorge Sampaoli’s men, and a suggestion of just how realistic their title credentials are halfway through the season. Pablo Sarabia’s late free-kick first forced Sergio Ramos to head home an own goal, before a long-range stoppage-time strike from Stevan Jovetic flew into the bottom corner on 91 minutes, taking Los Nervionenses onto an impressive points tally of 39 from an available 54. 

“I never thought it would be this good,” Sevilla boss Jorge Sampaoli explained post-match. “I thought it would have been something very difficult and that it would bring a lot of difficulties to get the group going as I wanted them to, with a lot of new players and departures.” 

After Unai Emery was headhunted by Paris Saint Germain for the 2016/2017 season, it has been all change in Seville. Samir Nasri has been a revelation since joining from Manchester City, with Sarabia and Stevan Jovetic both coming off the bench against Real Madrid to have a huge impact. Wissam Ben Yedder and Franco Vazquez have helped to bolster Sampaoli’s creative attacking options, and the only way appears to be up for the group as a whole. 

Several players who had already settled into life at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan have been key too. Sergio Escudero was a fringe player last year, but has 932 league minutes to his name in La Liga so far this campaign, earning himself a call-up to the Spanish national team off the back of some excellent marauding performances from left wing-back. Vitolo, who links up with Escudero down the same flank, is similarly enjoying a season that Julen Lopetegui will find tough to ignore. 

Steven N’Zonzi, described as an “octopus” in midfield by Sampaoli after their weekend triumph, has been another star. Both the Frenchman and Sergio Rico have played every minute of the 16 league games they have started, with his huge frame enabling him to win 3.2 aerial duels per match, a better return than any teammate. With the ball at his feet, he is even more assured, offering a passing completion rate of 88.9% that only Matias Kranevitter (93.5%) and Nasri (90.4%) can better.  

N’Zonzi likes to sit deep and dictate, before offering a sizeable aerial presence for set-pieces, with his conservative role in build-up play allowing for Escudero and Mariano to have a high starting position, which pegs back opposition wingers or full-backs and stretches the play. Though it may be considered slightly high risk, for fear of getting the duo caught the wrong side of a turnover of possession, Sampaoli’s model of adventurous and expansive attacking football is paying dividends. 

Sevilla have scored 38 goals in 18 matches, third to only Real Madrid and Barcelona, but do find themselves seventh in the table for goals conceded. They allow teams to have chances, as a direct result of their style of play, but sticking to his guns has done Sampaoli well in his coaching past. Fans are enamoured with their style of football, with the scenes both before and after the game against Real Madrid showing that there is real belief that his squad can do something special this year. 

Their so-called away ‘curse’ was quickly dealt with, as a win over Leganes in October 2016 ended a run that last saw them take three points on the road back in May 2015, and this team has a never-say-die attitude. If La Liga games stopped dead on the 85th-minute, rather than the usual 90, Sevilla would be 13 points worse off this season, a drop in spoils that would see them sink outside of the European places and to eighth. 

“The spirit that this team has goes a long way from just how we play,” Vitolo explained after helping his side to a late post-85th minute comeback against Real Madrid. “When difficult things go against us, we throw our heart at it, and we know that the people are always going to support us. Hopefully we can be a candidate [for the league] but it is difficult being with Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid. It is difficult to win LaLiga, but as long as we can keep annoying the big teams, the better.” 

In many ways, Sevilla have taken over from Atletico Madrid as the underdogs trying to unsettle the duopoly in Spain. They have a fanatical fanbase, a coach who has both the tactical and people skills to inspire spirited performances from his charges, and the high-quality technical players to make his adventurous plans possible. 

After countless high-octane performances, which have entertained both the neutral and the Sevilla faithful, they are already starting to take on a certain identity. Sampaoli may have only been in charge since the summer, but he has overseen a change in both system, style and mindset in the months after Emery’s departure.  

No longer do Sevilla fear a trip away from home, and Real Madrid were the side to make a reactive change to their starting line-up and system before travelling to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on Sunday.  Sampaoli’s men are demanding respect, and continuing to prove that any visitors should be incredibly wary when entering the red-and-white half of Seville. Through hard work and collective spirit they have earned the footballing luxury of knowing that the only team they can rely upon to do great things in their own, and their momentum showing no signs of slowing any time soon. 

“We have to keep going like this, with the excitement from everyone and knowing that every game is going to be a difficult one for us,” Sampaoli explained. “We know that there is a way to prepare ourselves to overcome rivals who are very tough. It all depends on ourselves.”