After a lengthy hiatus, La Liga has become the latest major European football league to resume action. The first match after the break was the Seville derby between Sevilla and Real Betis. To the surprise of absolutely no one, Sevilla barely broke a sweat in their 2-0 victory against their crosstown rivals. Goals scored by Lucas Ocampos and Fernando set up the win for a club which has had a quietly impressive season.
Those of you who have followed my blog for long enough might recall that around a year ago, I wrote that the Andalusian club was one which was in disarray after a turbulent 2018-19 season. However, almost the exact opposite has been the case this season.
As of this post, Sevilla currently lie third in the league, only trailing Barcelona and Real Madrid. A third-place league finish would represent their best league position since the 2008-09 season.
One man who deserves much credit for Sevilla's success this season is undoubtedly head coach Julen Lopetegui. It was inevitable that Lopetegui's predecessor Joaquín Caparrós would be replaced; it was always a matter of finding the most suitable replacement. The selection of Lopetegui has proven to have been a masterstroke. Despite his pedestrian results while in charge of Real Madrid, Sevilla decided to roll the dice on the man from the Basque Country. This has been a risk which has clearly paid dividends. Under Lopetegui, the team has been able to achieve a level of cohesion which had been absent at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán for quite some time.
Sevilla made major changes to their roster during the previous off-season. Many expected them to struggle after losing their two best players from last season: Wissam Ben Yedder and Pablo Sarabia. Both left for Ligue 1 clubs: Ben Yedder joined Monaco, while Sarabia signed with Paris Saint-Germain. They also offloaded several other key contributors from last season such as Simon Kjær, Quincy Promes, and André Silva. Sevilla received a significant amount of money from these player departures. To their credit, they made intelligent use of the money received. Signings such as Ocampos, Luuk de Jong, Fernando, Diego Carlos, and Sergio Reguilón have played important roles throughout Sevilla's campaign. It is clear that Sevilla have outdone the vast majority of clubs across Europe with regard to the transfer acquisitions which have been made.
Following the departures of Ben Yedder and Sarabia, many wondered just who would step up and emerge as the best player on this overhauled Sevilla team. That question has now been answered through Ocampos. Ocampos' improvement upon his arrival in southern Spain from Monaco has come as a pleasant surprise for Sevilla fans. Prior to this season, the Argentine's career had been largely unmemorable. Over five prior seasons in Ligue 1 as well as one in Serie A, Ocampos had never made much of an impression on most. However, Ocampos is currently in the midst of a breakout season. From seemingly out of nowhere, the forward from Buenos Aires has already scored a career-best 11 league goals this season. Goalscoring aside, he has also fit in seamlessly with his new team and has impressed many observers in Spain and beyond. His play this season also earned him his first cap for Argentina; he went on to score his first goal for his country in that same match; an international friendly against Germany.
With 10 league matches remaining, Sevilla are in pole position to claim third place in the league and thus clinch a Champions League berth. While it is true that teams such as Valencia and Atlético Madrid have not lived up to expectations for various reasons, that doesn't discredit anything which Sevilla have done this season. This is an outcome which not many could have expected at the beginning of the season.
Sometimes, all a team needs are a few minor tweaks. Other times, a full-scale overhaul is what is required. Sevilla realized that they were in the latter group and acted accordingly. Today, they are deservedly reaping the rewards of their off-season decisions.
While nothing is quite certain just yet, Sevilla can already take many positives from this season. A top-four finish this season would be a fitting conclusion.
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