However, Los Rojiblancos were handed a severe reality check in their most recent match against Real. The Andalusian club squandered a 2-0 lead and ended up losing 3-2. Karim Benzema continued his hot streak by scoring Real's winning goal in stoppage time and further bolstering his Ballon d'Or credentials in the process.
The loss left Sevilla in third place in the league, 15 points behind Real and with their grip on a Champions League spot next season slipping with each passing matchday. Earlier this season, Sevilla had been keeping pace with Real at the top of the league and appeared to be locks for a top-four finish. This is clearly no longer the case; they are now embroiled in a five-way battle for the last three Champions League spots with Barça, Atlético, Real Betis, and Real Sociedad.
In the last three months, Sevilla have won just three league matches and collected a mere 16 points out of a possible 36 while doing so. They also suffered a shocking elimination in the Europa League round of 16 when they lost to West Ham United 2-1 on aggregate.
The most glaring issue concerning this Sevilla team and the main reason behind their slump is their lack of output on the offensive end. Sevilla's leading league goalscorer thus far is Rafa Mir, who has just nine goals to his name this season. It isn't as though the rest of the team are necessarily picking up the slack, either - Sevilla's team total of 46 league goals ranks them well behind every other club in the top six except Real Sociedad. It should go without saying that such figures will clearly not cut it at this level.
In my most recent post about Sevilla, I mentioned that it would have been in their best interest to pursue a centre-forward in the mid-season transfer window. Sevilla did attempt to address this issue by bringing in Anthony Martial on a loan deal from Manchester United. However, in a turn of events that just about everyone should have seen coming, Martial has made absolutely no positive impact at all since arriving at the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán. His career numbers should have been a clear red flag - only once in his career has he averaged more than half a goal per match during the course of a season. Unsurprisingly, many Sevilla fans have already soured on the Frenchman and understandably cannot wait for his loan deal to end. This was an ill-advised acquisition and a waste of an open spot which could've been filled by a far more capable centre-forward.
Ever since January, Sevilla have also struggled to close matches out. Their 12-match slump includes seven draws of which at least three or four could have been wins. Perhaps it was their relative lack of experience in such a position in the league that made the difference, but it was obvious in many of those matches that Sevilla seemed much tighter and tenser, especially as the final whistle approached. This is something they will undoubtedly have to work on for the rest of this season as well as throughout the off-season. Signing one or two players with significant league title race experience might prove to help.
That said, it's not all bad news for Sevilla. Their defense is still as sturdy as ever; the 25 goals it has conceded ranks as the fewest in La Liga and has more or less carried them all season long. Marcos Acuña and Jules Koundé have been especially impressive during this current campaign.
Nevertheless, throughout the second half of this season, Sevilla's frailties have been on full display. Regardless of whether they make it to next season's Champions League, there are obvious problems to be addressed in the off-season. A season which once seemed so promising might just end up being Sevilla's most disappointing in recent memory.
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