After not winning a single trophy between 1948 and 2006, Sevilla have been plenty successful over the last decade. A record five Uefa Cup/Europa League titles have been lifted by the Andalusian club, the latest against Liverpool in May. Two Copa del Reys and two Super Cups also arrived at the Sanchez Pizjuan. There would be more if they did not keep meeting Barcelona and Real Madrid, the two teams who can actually beat them, in domestic and European Super Cup finals.
After two third-place finishes in 2007 and 2009, Sevilla have finished between third and ninth every season since. Last season’s seventh place under Unai Emery was accepted, not because they could not have expected to have finished higher given they did not win a single away game, but because they won another Europa League. That got them back into the Uefa Champions League, a competition in which they have made little headway in recent years. They are doing better this term, unbeaten and joint top of their group with Juventus after three games.
Sevilla are also doing well domestically and sit second behind Real Madrid. Jorge Sampaoli's side inflicted Atletico Madrid's first league defeat of the season at the weekend, knocking them off the top of the table after a 1-0 win thanks a goal from former Blackburn Rovers and Stoke City midfielder Steven N'Zonzi. The 28-year-old Frenchman was excellent, scoring and making more passes than anyone on the rain-soaked pitch. Their best win of the season should quieten some of their fans who have yet to be convinced by the style of football under Sampaoli.
That goes back to August when the Argentine, who won the Copa America with Chile, said ahead of the European Super Cup final against Madrid: “I want a Sevilla side which defends an idea more than a result.”
They went on to lose in the last minute of the game in Trondheim and Sampaoli was criticised for not making the result his priority. Yet results since then have gone well. Very well.
Sampaoli has enjoyed the best start of any Sevilla manager in history. The team are usually slow starters – they were 11th at this stage last season – because they buy and sell so many players each summer. Eleven departed and nine arrived this season, yet they have come out of the blocks quickly.
Sampaoli has already led his side to an away win in the Primera Liga, the club's first in 15 months, helping ease the anxiety that had enveloped a very talented team on their domestic travels. It is at home where they are formidable, though, winning all five games so far. Ever imaginative, Sampaoli changes his formation week after week, using six different ones in the nine games so far. His 3-3-3-1 system has been his favourite.
Much of Sevilla's success is credited to the recruitment system headed by Monchi, the man they refused to allow to leave in the summer. Year after year, he spots rising youngsters, rescues young fading stars or identifies players from less fashionable clubs. From Ivan Rakitic to Daniel Alves, players more often than not prove a success at Sevilla before being sold at a profit. Kevin Gameiro, a striker who had arrived from Paris Saint-Germain, was the big sale of the summer, to Atletico.
Yet in a nod to Atletico being in a different financial league, Sevilla loan players from the Madrid club – Claudio Kranevitter and Luciano Vietto for this season. Their loans tend to turn out well, too. Samir Nasri, on loan from Manchester City, impressed against Atletico. He looks happier to be playing every week and with the freedom to create under Sampaoli.
The hard working holding midfielder N’Zonzi was the best player against Diego Simeone’s side and has been consistent last season and this. Richer clubs are watching him, as they always do with Sevilla’s best players, while full-back Mariano was as effective down the right as Alves was a decade ago. The 30-year-old Brazilian arrived from Bordeaux last year.
Sevilla may be second, but they are not considered serious title challengers. Sampaoli’s task is to change that perception, but that is close to impossible working on a budget one quarter the size of the biggest two. For now, he is proud of the victory over an Atletico Madrid side he called “the best team in the world”.
Villarreal thriving under Fran Escriba stewardship
You will struggle to see a better team goal this season than Kevin-Prince Boateng’s for Las Palmas at Villarreal. A succession of flicks and tricks put the orange and blue shirted Canarians ahead at El Madrigal after 32 minutes to threaten Villarreal’s unbeaten league record, before the home side scored twice in the second half, winning the game with a 92nd minute Cedric Bakambu goal.
Las Palmas were right to feel aggrieved but Villarreal are fourth in the standings, unbeaten after nine league games and have conceded only five goals. That is the second best defence in all the major European leagues after Atletico Madrid.
When their manager Marcelino left the club at the start of the season and Monaco knocked them out of the Uefa Champions League qualifier, Villarreal’s world looked to be spinning out of their usual stable orbit.
There were suggestions that they had been left short of talent after a summer which saw Eric Bailly sold to Manchester United, Denis Suarez return to Barcelona and Roberto Soldado pick up a serious injury. Marcelino had wanted a stronger squad as the club aimed to reach the Champions League and avoid a repeat of the disaster the last time they were in the competition in 2011. After being linked with Valencia, he is now unemployed and watching his former club thrive.
It is a surprise. Congolese striker Bakambu, who hit 22 goals last season, missed the first six league games through injury and his return has been welcomed as he has scored in each of his last two games.
The signing of Brazilian striker Alexandre Pato, 27, who has seen his career afflicted by injury, was a gamble, but while not a standout, he is performing well and has scored four times. Nicola Sansone, a German-born Italian forward who arrived from Sassuolo in the summer, is the club’s top scorer with five.
Ten weeks after Marcelino departed, Villarreal are yet to lose a match in the Primera Liga or the Europa League, where they top Group L. They have strength in depth, too, and made nine changes from Thursday’s Europa League game – a 2-2 draw away to Turkey’s Osmanlispor – for Sunday’s match.
Villarreal are beating formidable foes. Against a very good Celta Vigo who had won their previous four games and defeated Barcelona, Villarreal swept them aside 5-0 last week.
Marcelino was replaced by Fran Escriba and the appointment of the 51-year-old Spaniard was viewed as uninspiring by fans, chiefly because he had led Getafe towards relegation last season. Born in nearby Valencia, Escriba asked for patience and to be judged after 100 days. As a sign of his increasing confidence after results like a 0-0 draw in the Bernabeu against Real Madrid, he has since said that the fans should be demanding and that he wants his team to dominate matches.
Escriba’s self-imposed time is nearly up – and it is fair to say he is doing superbly well.
Game of the week
Unlike last weekend, there are no standout games. Sevilla can show their quality by beating Sporting Gijon away. Barcelona are at home to bottom and winless Granada. Real Madrid travel to an Alaves side who are unbeaten at home. Atletico Madrid host Malaga. Athletic Bilbao play their struggling neighbours Osasuna.
Player of the week
Celta Vigo winger Iago Aspas went to Liverpool three years ago and was a flop. He did not have much joy on loan at Sevilla, but returned to his local club in 2015 and again showed the form which first attracted Liverpool. He was excellent and scored twice as Celta defeated Deportivo La Coruna 4-1 in the Galician derby.
What else?
• Luca Modric and Toni Kroos have signed new long-term contracts at Real Madrid. Madrid and Barcelona fear the increasingly financial wealth of the Premier League.
• Andres Iniesta came off injured in Barcelona's 3-2 win at Valencia and the damage looked so serious that there was relief when it was announced that he will be out for between six and eight weeks. He is hopeful of a return for el clasico at the start of December. In the meantime, Andre Gomes could take his chance to properly start his Barcelona career. Valencia do look better under new manager Cesare Prandelli.
• With the cheapest tickets costing €70 (Dh280) in a city where €1,000 a month is a normal working class wage, Celta Vigo only attracted 21,024 in the 29,000 capacity Balaidos for their derby game at home to Deportivo.
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