A team that has been as successful as them over the past couple of seasons have found themselves in a precarious position. Maresca said it best when he stated that last season they would ask about the results of Madrid and Barca, now they want to know about Levante and Betis...

Ex-manager Juande Ramos stated before he left that expectations of Sevilla were too high and that they over-achieved the last couple of seasons.

The tragic death of Antonio Puerta has left a mark on the club, and maybe this traumatic event has contributed to the poor form.

The departure of Ramos could also be an issue, but even he struggled with Sevilla this season. Jimenez has done just as well as Ramos this season as well...

So why then are Sevilla struggling so badly? I dont agree that they overachieved as this is a top class team on paper. They have beaten Madrid, Arsenal, and Valencia this season, although the latter is in a crisis of its own. Irregardless, Sevilla is a good team and they should be challenging for honours this season.

Kanoute and Fabiano have been in good form this season, especially Fabiano who has really been banging them in. Kerzhakov and Kone are also great substitutes and Chevanton as well. They have depth and quality in the striker department.

On the wings they have Navas, Adriano, Capel, De Mul, and Duda. All of them are relatively young and talented. Navas and Adriano are the starters, with the other three capable substitutes. Navas is the most consistent player and starter out of all of them and has had a good start to the season. Adriano has had issues with injuries and inconsistency, but Capel has deputized well for him.

In central midfield they have Poulsen, Keita, Renato, and Maresca. Keita has been one of the revelations of the season with his spectacular performances. Poulsen is a great DM with some attacking instincts. Those two form a solid CM partnership and allow the creative players like Navas, Fabiano, and Alves to work their magic. Renato is a quality player in his own right, and so is Maresca. Again Sevilla boast solid depth in CM.

And now we come to their weakness, the defence. Sevilla have scored 25 goals in La Liga, which is only bettered by the top 4 teams. Conversely, they have conceded a staggering 21 goals, which is among the worst in the league. Alves, Fazio, Boulahrouz, and Dragutinovitc have featured most prominently this season. All of them have been below par this season and are largely at fault for the defensive weakness. Although Sevilla players have stated it is a team responsibility, the defenders still have to take the blame. Although there have been a number of injuries which havent helped as well. The youngster Crespo has done well when called upon but has had injury issues as well.

Palop has been ok in goal for the season so far, and has even pulled off some big save to keep them in games.

So then I ask my qeustion again. Is it the defence to blame for Sevilla's struggles, or is it a multitude of things including managerial changes, Puerta's tragic death, and the poor form of the team? Or was Ramos right in stating that Sevilla overachieved?

Nice little dig by Maresca at Betis there.

There's a few things that can be attributed to this. I think, most definately, the death of Antonio Puerta has had a huge effect on the team, and will continue to do so throughout the season. I don't think anyone can underestimate the damage this must have done to the team - and especially so to some individual players such as Jesus Navas. I completely agree with you as regards their achievements. While Juande Ramos may have said that they exceeded expectations, who really was better than Sevilla in the UEFA Cup for the previous two seasons? Nobody. They really were the top team. And in La Liga, they could very well have won it last season. They were incredibly close.

You're also right in that they should be challenging this season, but it's a case of strength of depth not quite being there. Remember, last season due to UEFA Cup commitments, they had to change their team for La Liga games and failed to collect all points because of this. Champions League means so much to them, and it means especially more for the club in that they become more successful in it than Betis were two years ago. Champions League is the priority. I wouldn't be surprised to see them get into the quarter-finals or semi-finals of the Champions League and then to see them retain the Copa del Rey also. They surely won't suffer from relegation troubles though.

Luis Fabiano has been in sensational form, which sickens me right to the pit of my stomach but so be it. Without Kanoute and Fabiano however they have less of a threat. I'm a big fan of Kerzhakov but he doesn't offer the same role as either of the main forwards and then suffers because the team doesn't play to his strengths. As for Kone and Chevanton I think they're both a waste. Worryingly, their probably good enough for Betis - but not for Sevilla. Capel has done well but he's not a world beater and Adriano is an integral player to the team and his absence is seen all too clearly. Alves hasn't been the same and this is mainly due to him wanting to leave the club. You can see that gifting him with the captaincy is a clear plea for him to stay - one which probably won't work. Palop hasn't been fantastic this season but will surely rediscover his form from last season. I think the defense will improve immensely when Javi Navarro returns from injury, but even then, he's 33 now so they'll need to replace him.

It will be just a matter of time I think for Sevilla. They'll get things right eventually - after they play Betis in January of course.

Good analysis mate and I agree with you for the most part, especially about Alves. His form has been iffy this season and his defensive lapses seem to be occuring with more frequency. He still gives away a lot of freekicks and susbsequently picks up too many yellow and red cards. He shouldnt be captain IMO as he isnt a leader, but more importantly he isnt committed to the team.

The defensive injuries have been a big problem, and Navarro's return is eagerly awaited. They look so suspect at the back and need his leadership and presence.

I agree with you in that I too think they will challenge in the Copa Del Rey if they get their act together. They could also put a nice run together in the CL. But I dont think they will finish in the top 4 this season in La Liga, as a mid-table and UEFA cup position would be the best they could do right now.

Well Sevilla are first in their Champions league group and have qualified for the next round.

exatly

were doing well for a club that has been thru so much this season

They still could come second don't forget. But I think this thread is more a case of "Why are Sevilla 3 points from the relegation spots, instead of three points from the top?" - It's a fair question.

Cheers mate, as that is exactly my question.

Their performances in the CL only serve to reinforce my suggestion that they should be doing better in La Liga. Although Slavia and Steaua are not the biggest challengers, taking points both at and away from home against them as well as beating Arsenal (even their "B" team) is impressive.

Sevilla has had a slew of factors that have come together at the same time, the kind which Madrid or Barca can overcome purely on club size to at least hang around near the top, when they happen to a smaller club like Sevilla that was playing beyond its normal limit they come crashing down.

It's very difficult to maintain such prolonged excellence for a club that is traditionally mid-table. Soon the big money clubs will try to ravage your assets and there is little that they can do. Del Nido tried stubbornly to hold on to Juande and Alves this summer, and its backfired badly. Instead of letting Juande go when he really wanted to (the summer), he tried to hold on to him only to have him leave a few months into the season. Had they let him go to Spurs in the summer, they would've been able to hire a proper replacement. Now they have to settle for the B team manager. The same can be said about Alves, they held onto a player against his will. That always spells trouble.

Also, the death of Puerta had to have been a tremendous psychological blow. I don't know how you recover from that in a season.

The team is in bad form and the attitude of the death of a teammate I think it has given them a loser attitude. If you dont have everyone with you and it on top for a horrible reason I think it makes the players lose their motivation fast. Sevilla still is capable od beating any team in Europe and in Spain and with style. I dont Jimenez´s style of play. It´s brutal. I wanted to bash the crap out of Alves the game we got owned by them because he was being a criminal. With Juande Ramos the play was more fluid and positive in defence. Their defence I think is a big reason for why they are struggling. They have missed their two stalwarts in defence for almost the whole season. They should contract Marchena¡! hahaha, he is a canterano for Sevilla, it would be great. No really, their defence is pathetic. It is usually like this:
D. Alvés-Fazio-Dragutinovic-Crespo
Fazio is completely new to the league. Dragutnovic I think is better as a fullback and Crespo is a young guy who has´nt player almost at all in the league. For this they give up a lot of goals, especially in set pieces. This screws them. Nevertheless I think Sevilla will get their act together in the second leg and can classify for UEFA.

Del Nido may not be a great guy, but hes a great president. Since he has arrived, Sevilla has invested alot of money in scouting and youth with long term goals. The fact that they have Monchi, the best sporting director in europe (with all due respect to Llaneza), says abit about how Del Nido does his business. How things with Alves and Ramos turned out are unfortunate, however hes showing the right attitude.

Having said that, Sevilla will be fine. Its obvious the death of Puerta has affected them, as well as the injuries in defence. Escude is class and Navarro is their leader and captain. With a talented and young core and management that knows what they are doing, they will be fine. Keita is a great signing, absolutely class midfielder. Some of their players will leave, but they will find replacements. they dont overspend, they dont sell for cheap. you can only think that they will use the CL and Alves money wisely nest summer. Its also important to note that they have a sizeable local fanbase.

Oh, and as for Javi Navarro... He will have an operation on his right knee this week, and will be out of action for another 3-4 months. Here.



Big loss for Sevilla.

Im sure Sevilla will recover to at least get into the top four by the end of the season, but I think the title is outt of their reach now. But considering all the things Sevilla have been through this season with the death of Puerta, you cant really blame them for playing with heavy hearts. This is a team that I follow closley I really like the football they play and want to see them doing well. I think we can possibly see Sevilla concentrate more on winning the Champions League rather than doing well in La Liga, they got the players to win the champiosn league.

Well Sevilla got back to winning ways with a 3-1 victory over Murcia that was far from comfortable.

Fabiano with a brace and Maresca with a questionable penalty helpped them get a win and move towards the top half of the table. From what I have read it seems the positive play of Alves and Navas helpped guide this struggling team towards a much needed victory. Hopefully this will spur them towards a return to form.

On their way to topping their group ahead of Arsenal now. Two goals in quick succession from Kanoute and Fabiano put Sevilla in a 2-0 lead against Slavia Prague with 10 minutes to go.

Now 3-0. Captain Daniel Alves with 5 minutes remaining.

What have Man utd been Thru?

Totally agree with you man, but sevilla are run in a very interesting way.

Juande Ramos was right about the club overachieving. They have the talent there, but it isn't really as strong as most big top clubs. Their only real strong department is central midfield with Poulsen,Keita,Marseca,Renato and Marti. But their other areas are still a work in progress.

They aren't a top side at all at the moment. They are gradually building their side and are looking ahead to the future when most of their top players leave.

I have never really rated their attack highly, but they get a lot of goals, because of the countless chances Sevilla create.

Attack
Kone(24) - Someone said he is a waste, but this guy is a really wonderful player and just needs more time to settle.
Aleksandr Kerzhakov(25) - Quality player imo, but isn’t being used to his best at the moment.

Midfield
Adriano(23) - How long has he been around for ? He has grown a lot, since he first arrived.
De Mul(21) - Was very good for ajax last season, but still another young player who has potential
Capel(19) - Wow this guy really hugs the line, but he has great talent and has been impressive this season in some real tough games. But I still think he is way too one dimensional.
Navas(22) - Wonderful player, but still needs to improve some aspects of his game. Finishing, final ball and needs to utilise his pace a lot more.

You guys are slating their defence, but they are really young and because of injuries they have been rushed into the first team.

Fazio(20) - The replacement to Escude.I haven’t seen a lot of him, but he was impressive for argentina in the u20 world cup.
Crespo(20) - Great youngster and is probably the most likely to replace alves if he leaves.
Mosquera(26)- Older than the defenders above, but is a real beast and is defintley the successor to Navarro.
Alves(24) - Still very young, but it doesn't look like he will stay.

These players are relatively young and still have a lot to learn. Monchi is building up this side in the background slowly and is preparing for when the big clubs tries to raid the big players. It has probably cost them this season, since they didn't real buy any big big players and looked to just continue building the infrastructure. I think that is pretty wise, but then again they should’ve taken advantage of the reputation they built the last 3 seasons. If they don’t get a champions league spot this season(very likely) and don’t go far in the champions league then they will find it very hard to attract big players in the summer.

I hadn't seen Sevilla this season yet until today. They looked really good once Garay went off, slicing right through the defense.

Capel at first was bugging me; he was too obviously one footed and didn't create much. Then all of the sudden he just started beating players, pulling too many defenders wide, and made several excellent runs. He surely has the pure talent to be quite a player, but he does need to add more to his game.

Navas for me needs to take less touches. He wasted several opportunities by not one-timing it. He scored despite this extra touch, but I was sure it was going to get away from him. He'd keep possession much more too.

I just saw the Sevilla - Racing game and it was very entertaining. I'm very glad that Sevilla is back to playing their best and so much credit has to go to their new manager Manolo Jimenez. Adriano's goal was absolutely brilliant, as was Navas.

Capel had a sensational game. This one dribble where he beat 3 players in a flash before hitting a strike from 20 yards was Messi-like dribbling. I quote Ray Hudson "lightning in a bottle"

I disagree about Navas, there was maybe twice he took too many touches, but other than that he was really good beside that one terrible miss. And there was no other way for him to score without taking the touch. He only took one touch past the defender then slotted it home nicely for his goal.

They both put in a lot of dangerous crosses throughout the game and were lively.

Alves was also brilliant today and showed why he is a world class player. Great work to set up Kanoute
When Sevilla's wingers are on form stretching and penetrating teams in the final third they are brilliant to watch. They have a nice passing game which is complimented by that dynamic wing play that really involves the two wide attackers and Dani Alves as well.

I think the derby is up next for them in the new year. Sevilla vs Betis

Look no further than the men between the sticks, Palop & De Sanctis. Yeah, the team is offensive gifted, no doubt, but hell when they are giving up almost as many goals (33) as they are scoring (46) well....surely that can't bode well for anyone. I am convinced, with better goalkeeping this team is contending for Top 3 in the league.

Sevilla hammered Zaragoza 5-0 at home after a brilliant performance. Fabiano bagged a brace, Alves had 3 assists, and Keita had a goal as well. The wing play from Navas and Capel was electric and Zaragoza were made to look like a pub team. A couple of comical own goals serve to further illustrate that claim.

Despite Sevilla's poor start to the season, the tragedy that blanketed the club, and the departure of Ramos...Jimenez's men have found their form of old. They now sit in the Uefa Cup places, and after Atletico's loss to Osasuna, they are now only 2 points out of the Champions league places.

Del Nido stated that if Sevilla did not make the top 4 that he would be forced to off load some of clubs stars (Most probably Alves and Fabiano). However, even if they make the top 4, I can still see Alves and Fabiano leaving...

Irregardless, this Sevilla team is now playing their exciting football and will make a push for the top 4. If they can get a win at home against Fenerbache they could also progress to the QF of the CL.

Well, following an impressive 3-2 win away from home to Mallorca today, Sevilla are within touching distance of a Champions League spot - three points behind Atletico to be precise. Even if they achieve this goal I think we'll see Sevilla revamped in the summer - with Alves, Fabiano, Poulsen... even Capel leaving. They have, I think, the worst defensive record in the top ten and have lost the most games, but their recent run of form has been excellent. If their start to the season under Ramos had been more productive they could have been aiming a little higher than fourth.

Yeah they are on a bit of a roll now, Atleti will be looking over their shoulders.
I must commend Alves for hows he's played recently despite all the speculation he's still got his head down and worked for the cause.

I always try to watch Sevilla's matches whenever they are on TV. Very entertaining team with great wingers and strikers

Now I don't know if you guys have spotted El Mundo Deportivo lately, but a few days ago they reported that Quique Sánchez Flores will be the coach of Sevilla next season, I don't know if I can actually think of a worse combination!



Apparently Espanyol, Betis, Zaragoza and Atleti were all interested in brining him in but it seems that Sevilla have won the race.

Sevilla having probably the most technically gifted team in the league and Quique being one of the most negative tacticians (If you can call him that) will be something to behold. If it's true I'd love to see how it worked out.

I do think however he would get the best out of certain players in certain positions. I think that Keita is a prime example which could be even better under Quique than before because he suites he is so complete and has great defensive discipline as well as offering a threat going forward, parking him next to a DM/ballwinner would suite both parties. As well as being a hardworker he is Quique's kind of player.

But I'm sure we're going to see Capel benched for Adriano and similar choices like that. Navas will probably receive less game time etc. With Quique it's work over talent. Could be interesting though, especially if he modifies his old ways a little.

Luis Fabiano on the bench in the Sevilla - Valladolid match, what's up with that? I know he wasn't happy when Manolo subbed him off the other day, and I believe he started on the bench more than once lately, as Renato plays just off Kanouté. What exactly is the reason behind this, is Fabiano that much out of form, or did something happen?

so..... any confirmation on who's going to be Sevilla's head coach/manager for the next season?

Probably Marcelino I would suggest... especially since his negotiations with Valencia failed. Or Quique Sanchez Flores.

I don't see what Jiminez has done wrong, as he has taken Sevilla back into the UEFA cup spot and challenging Atletico for the last CL berth. When he took over from Ramos, Sevilla were not doing so well in La Liga, and he guided them back to the European places.

exactly , after the death of puerta and ramos left , the team was negativly affected , but jiminez was able to make a great job , bringing sevilla back to wining and changing their position from mid-table to competing for uefa spot

and now they want to bring flores????

better ask valencia fans Del nido about him , you would hear pleasent things about him

http://www.marca.com/edicion/marca/futbol/...lo/1123724.html

I expected Sevilla to appoint a new manager, but Monchi said that Manolo Jímenez will continue, which seems fair since he's done well since taking over from Juande Ramos.

I don't want to be labelled as instigating Sevilla talk but just to bump and freshen some important threads I'll commit a sin anyway. Just wanted to say that even though a lot of people have been linked with destinations away from Sevilla, with Alves certainly on his way and Keita already gone, the del Nido driven side is still forming quite an impressive side.



Luis Fabiano looks set to stay, Capel has had no offers even though his buyout clause is generally cheap, Poulsen has had no offers even though his buyout clause is only €10,000,000 and he was dropped last season because he was talking about leaving. So with some new signings (those in capital letters above) and the interesting arrival of Acosta and Pouga, maybe Sevilla will have a good season again in Europe and domestically. Let's hope not, but it does look promising.

Excellent, this thread, and moreso this club, deserves some more attention. I assume it's a coincidence, but there was a nice piece on Sevilla on Goal.com today.

I fear Sevilla. Atlético's goal for next season is to finish fourth again, and in my eyes Sevilla is the biggest threat to break into this season's top four. Real Madrid, Barcelona and Villarreal all should be able to finish in the Top 3, but it will be interesting to see who finishes fourth. Atlético, Sevilla and maybe Valencia seem the most obvious contenders.

Last season Sevilla started the season badly, and it took Manolo Jímenez a while after he took over to get the team rolling. But Sevilla was excellent in 2008, and I'm afraid they can continue that in the new season. Dani Alves' departure is a HUGE loss, I believe he led last season's assist ranking and was their captain, but it seems that Sevilla has made excellent purchases to push for a Champions League spot.

They do have to hope that Fabiano and/or Kanouté score more than 20 goals again, because the midfield doesn't provide many goals. I do think that Capel can become a more important player, lets hope he can develop like he did this season.

Finally, Sevilla should try to hold on to Andres Palop. He's a keyplayer, and I haven't heard any rumours of Sevilla lining up a replacement in case Palop moves to Valencia.

Monchi is doing it all over again. Good prices too, Konko and Navarro came for the same money they got for Keita and Romaric + Acosta isnt even half the money they will get for Alves. Very good moves. And there are rumours about squillaci arriving as well, though I dont understand why they need another CB, they have Navarro, Escude, Drago, Fazio and Mosquera, but Monchi and Del Nido keep stressing how they need another CB. Drago and Fazio can play other positions, but they look best to me at the back and in the middle.

As for exits, Fabiano and Capel may leave. Sevilla doesnt want to let Fabiano go though because they dont own all of his rights and wouldnt get much money in a possible sale. He is most valuable to them on the pitch than in a transfer. Capel, well, if he is a loyal Sevillista he will stay. If he isnt, someone will pay the clause and he will leave. Its as simple as that. Poulsen wants to stay and leave at the end of next season on a free so he can get a good pay by the path of free agency.

As for Pouga, it seems he failed in the Swiss first division and was only successful in the second division. He is a big man though, and maybe Monchi sees something in him. But he will probably be a reinforcement for Sevilla Atletico in the end, there are too many talented strikers in Sevilla.

Do you guys/gals still rank Julio Baptista as one of your biggest club signings (yes, I know he's at Madrid now)?

how's sevilla looking in the offseason. havn't heard much of them.

Check out the few posts above you. Lot's of stuff of transfers and team layout and whatnot.


I'd think Sevilla fans would rate Dani Alves as a better signing considering the effect on the team, his role as captain in his final season and the amount of money they received from his transfer. Baptista would surely rank close though.


Should be interesting to see if he signs, especially with Madrid reportedly interested.

Christian Poulsen is in Turin to undergo his medical so he can complete his move to Juventus. He'll be officially presented by the club on Thursday. We triggered his buy-out clause, which was apparently set somewhere in the area of 10 million euro's.

EDIT: official announcement @ Juventus.com

Seville are perhaps the success story of selling clubs. They've built the team around a series of different players, only to sell them once they get a big bid, and replenish from the youth all while getting better. It's remarkable.

That Poulsen went at the same time as Alves was probably not coincidence. The team was built on the locomotive runs of Alves, who ran that attack, with Poulsen pretty much dropping into that right back spot to cover. Now that the Brazilian talisman is gone, the need for and ultra defensive midfielder may have evaporated with him. With more traditional banks of 4, Sevilla will be looking to keep getting better despite big names.

I am a bit curious about this Squillaci signing. Whatever happened to Navarro? I rated him, but he was injured for about a season if I recall. Is he fit again?

HOLY SHIT! I just realized that Sevilla picked up Acousta. He's a little firecracker of a player, one which I rate exceptionally highly. I'm not sure how much time he'll get right away especially with Navas pretty firmly entrenched on the right wing, but I have no doubt he'll be come one of la liga's elite attackers.

I think he is fit, but when you are 34yo it's way harder to regain your form, I guess.

Last season Javi Navarro and Julen Escudé were both injured the whole time/a lot, and the club had to rely on the vulnerable Mosquera, the inconsistent Dragutinovic and the young Fazio. I guess the club doesn't want to make that same mistake again, and has invested quite a lot in their defence.

I'm not sure if Javi Navarro is even training again...

---

I'm looking forward to seeing Acosta (no 'u', Zac ). He isn't leaving Argentina with a very high profile, at least I hadn't heard of him much. But Sevilla is obviously confident that he'll become an important player. A playmaker like him surely gives the club some more options in attack

New kit. Not the best pictures but they'll do.

The home kit looks great, I think. The other four shirts not so much

Wow, Navas is like 2 heads shorter than Kanoute.

The guy with the white kit and red line (on the right) reminds me of Antonio Puerta

Dammit, I thought for sure I just copied and pasted from the goal.com article. That'll teach me to write out a name all on my own (does Gerrard have 2 R's or 3 R's?).

Granted, I've only seen Acosta in some youth tournament (the U-20 WC perhaps), but it was enough to convince me that he will be very, very good. That combined with Sevilla's track record at unearthing talent, I'm going to keep my expectations high for the next several years.

Monchi and his knack for finding talent makes me jealous. damn him...

The kid wearing the Atletico shirt is Cala, a Nov 1989 born defender. Since you all know Navas, Kanoute and Konko, the other guy you may not know is Javi Varas, the guy wearing the grey goalkeeper kit, starting keeper for Atletico.

I do agree with whoever said they only like the home kit, its nice and classy, but the others dont do anything for me.