Barcelona Reportedly in Pursuit of Sevilla Defender Clement Lenglet
Apr 16, 2018
MUNICH, GERMANY - APRIL 11: Clement Lenglet of Sevilla controls the ball during the UEFA Champions League quarter final second leg match between Bayern Muenchen and Sevilla FC at Allianz Arena on April 11, 2018 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by TF-Images/Getty Images)
Barcelona have "already made moves" toward the signing of Sevilla defender Clement Lenglet, according to Catalan outlet Sport (h/t Sport Witness).
The Blaugrana want to sign the 22-year-old because of doubts relating to 32-year-old Thomas Vermaelen and Yerry Mina, who "just hasn't convinced" since his arrival in January, although they face competition from Real Madrid and a number of unnamed Premier League clubs for his signature.
Lenglet is said to be "affordable for now," despite discrepancies in the reporting of his buyout clause, which has been listed by some as being €30 million and others as €45 million.
The ageing Vermaelen is still yet to reach 40 matches for Barcelona since arriving in 2014, owing to his disastrous injury record, while 23-year-old Mina has made just two appearances since he joined—one of which was a seven-minute cameo—so it's clear Barca could use a quality alternative to Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique.
Lenglet has quickly become a key player for Sevilla since his arrival in January last year, and he has started 46 matches for them this season.
ESPN UK's David Cartlidge and Joe Krishnan of the Evening Standard singled him out for praise when Sevilla knocked Manchester United out of the UEFA Champions League in March:
Langlet MOTM for me. Didn't give Lukaku an inch and made several brace blocks. Really stepped up in the 2nd half, as did Sarabia and Banega.
The Frenchman excels at distributing the ball out from the back, but he's an assured presence in defensive situations and a robust ball-winner when he needs to be.
According to Squawka, he has picked out a team-mate with 84 per cent of his passes in La Liga this season and completed 12 of his 14 attempted take-ons. He has also won 48 tackles and 58 headed duels, as well as making 132 clearances, 25 blocks and 32 interceptions.
Lenglet can contribute going forward in more ways than one, as not only can he start attacks with his passing but also finish them, having netted four times in all competitions.
He has picked up 12 yellow cards, though, and football writer Simon Harrison took issue with his discipline:
Lenglet is a mixed bag. Really can be rash and a bit of a yellow card magnet. Sevilla’s CBs tend to get exposed and shown up for pace, but this issue was more prevalent under Berizzo. Still, I think he could be a decent player in a system that protects him a little better.
Lenglet still has the potential to be an excellent player, particularly if he can eradicate the flaws in his game with more experience.
His technical ability would make him well-suited to life at the Camp Nou, too, so it would not be surprising if they do manage to swoop in before Sevilla can tie him down on a new deal and a larger buyout clause.
How Wissam Ben Yedder Swapped the Futsal Hall for the Champions League
Apr 3, 2018
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 13: Wissam Ben Yedder of Sevilla celebrates as he scores their second goal during the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 Second Leg match between Manchester United and Sevilla FC at Old Trafford on March 13, 2018 in Manchester, United Kingdom. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Wissam Ben Yedder's brilliant first goal against Manchester United in the Champions League on March 13 won him instant global renown, but Tony Esteves had seen it before.
Ben Yedder, whose brace against United shot Sevilla into the quarter-finals, has played at Old Trafford, Anfield, the Camp Nou and the Santiago Bernabeu following an unconventional footballing education on the futsal pitches of the northern Paris suburbs. Esteves was the general manager of his first futsal team, Garges Djibson.
"The first goal against Manchester United was typical of futsal," Esteves told Bleacher Report. "One touch to control, then a touch in the direction of the goal and a shot. In small spaces, he still uses the touch of a futsal player.
"When you put Romario in the penalty area, he didn't move very much, but in two or three square metres, he was a killer. We used to call Ben Yedder our Romario. He never stopped scoring. He was like a rifle: bam-bam-bam!"
Sevilla's last-16 tie with United had gone 164 minutes without a goal when Pablo Sarabia threaded a pass through the home defence to Ben Yedder, who had been on the pitch for only two minutes.
Before him stood David De Gea, the finest goalkeeper in England; above him towered Old Trafford's East Stand. Momentarily, the 5'7" striker was back on the squeaky gymnasium floor of the futsal pitch, a hard Size 4 ball at his feet, a red and white striped handball goal in his eyeline.
A touch with his left foot brought Sarabia's pass under control; a second touch, with his right foot, eased the ball away from Eric Bailly; and with his third touch, he whipped a low shot inside De Gea's left-hand post.
"I went on instinct," Ben Yedder said. "I didn't think about anything."
His second goal, four minutes later, settled the tie.
Ben Yedder (middle of the front row) with his futsal team.
With eight goals in this season's competition (ahead of the first leg of Sevilla's quarter-final against Bayern Munich on Tuesday), Ben Yedder trails only Cristiano Ronaldo in the Champions League scoring charts. His brace at Old Trafford earned him his first France call-up at the age of 27 and, with it, his first international cap.
Eight years ago, he was playing for UJA Alfortville in France's amateur fourth tier. With each goal he scores and each milestone he passes, he embellishes the legend of a unique football journey.
There does not appear to have been a time when Ben Yedder was not playing football. A native of the same Sarcelles district as Riyad Mahrez, he was the fourth of six children born to Tunisian parents. And from a very early age, football occupied his mind from the second he opened his eyes in the morning.
"Sometimes at eight o'clock in the morning, when we didn't have school, he'd wake me up to tell me to come and play against him," Daniel Mendy, one of Ben Yedder's childhood friends, told So Foot magazine recently.
"We played in the rain, the snow. I remember one morning, I woke up early and went to one of the school pitches to practise shooting. And when I arrived, he was already there."
Ben Yedder began playing futsal at Gymnase Allende Neruda in Garges-les-Gonesse, nine miles north of central Paris, in his mid-teens. It was immediately apparent he possessed a skill set perfectly suited to the indoor game: a faultless first touch, dizzying technical dexterity, a low centre of gravity and a punishing ability to finish.
Footage of Ben Yedder's futsal days shows him shooting confidently with both feet, yet it took an injury to his right foot while at Garges Djibsonto bring his left up to scratch.
After breaking his foot, he turned up for training with the lower half of his right leg in plaster. Rather than watch forlornly from the sidelines, he used the opportunity to work on his left foot. When the cast came off, he remained committed to his task. Today, he strikes the ball equally well with either foot.
Ben Yedder was just as determined to improve his understanding of the game, once asking to be taken off during a match against particularly obdurate opponents so he could spend time scrutinising their defence for weaknesses.
"He came off, he watched the game and in the second half, he said: 'I've got it. Let me go back on,'" recalls Esteves. "He went back on and scored four goals."
Ben Yedder was capped at under-21 level by the French futsal team and quickly made the step up to the senior side, but his first match at the top level almost never took place.
He was taken to Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport for a flight to Chile, only for his coaches to discover his passport was a Tunisian one and not a French one. After Esteves had spoken to the local mayor, Ben Yedder flew out to South America the following day on a brand-new French passport.
A grateful French Football Federation official forgot about the time difference in his haste to thank Esteves, waking him up with a phone call at 3 a.m.
Ben Yedder would win six caps for the French futsal team, but he had also been playing 11-a-side football for US Saint-Denis, an amateur outfit based north of Paris.
In 2009, a move to Alfortville, who played in the fourth-tier Championnat de France Amateur, shunted his career onto tracks that would lead him away from the echoey sports halls of the French futsal scene and towards the pristine grass pitches of Europe's most famous football stadiums.
Michel Moulin, a former sporting advisor at Paris Saint-Germain, was working for Alfortville in 2009 and instantly fell under Ben Yedder's spell.
"I was told about a young player who was a phenomenon. We gave this little guy a trial and after 15 minutes I said, 'You've brought me Maradona,'" Moulin told RMC Sport last year.
Moulin unsuccessfully offered Ben Yedder—then playing as an attacking midfielder—to Lille, before a phone call to Toulouse president Olivier Sadran paved a path for the 19-year-old to move to south-west France. He left Alfortville having scored nine goals in 23 first-team appearances.
Moulin said Alfortville "kitted out all our young players from head to toe" with the money they received.
Singularly unprepared for the rigours of professional football, Ben Yedder barely featured for Toulouse in his first two seasons at the club. But after breaking into the first XI at the beginning of the 2012-13 season, there was no looking back.
He scored 15 goals in his first full Ligue 1 campaign and continued to find the net with regularity—16 goals in 2013-14, 14 in 2014-15, 17 in 2015-16—despite Toulouse's fluctuating form (they finished one place above the relegation zone in 2015 and 2016) and Sadran's refusal to let him leave.
Ben Yedder watched Moussa Sissoko, Etienne Capoue and Serge Aurier depart Toulouse for bigger and better things before finally being granted a move to Sevilla in July 2016.
Ben Yedder's breakthrough at Toulouse earned him recognition at under-21 level for France, but as in his futsal days, his experience as an international footballer proved short-lived.
After sneaking out of a training camp in Le Havre with Antoine Griezmann, Yann M'Vila, Chris Mavinga and M'Baye Niang to go on a night out in Paris in October 2012, he was banned from representing his country until December 31, 2013.
PARIS, FRANCE - MARCH 23: Wissam Ben Yedder of France during the International Friendly match between France and Colombia at Stade de France on March 23, 2018 in Paris, France. (Photo by Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)
At senior level, Ben Yedder's route to the French team was barred by Karim Benzema, Olivier Giroud, Alexandre Lacazette and Griezmann. However, despite repeated appeals to switch his allegiances to Tunisia, he refused to give up hope.
"It will be France and nothing else," he told L'Equipe in September 2014. "Even if I don't get called up, I'll keep working like I do today and I hope that one day my moment will come."
That moment came last month, two days after his double at Old Trafford, when he was named in Didier Deschamps' squad for France's friendlies against Colombia and Russia. He described the moment on Twitter as "a happiness for which I don't have the words" and shared a picture of himself from his Alfortville days. "Le Jamie Vardy Francais," replied one admiring Twitter user.
Ben Yedder made his senior international debut in France's 3-2 loss to Colombia at the Stade de France, coming on as a 73rd-minute substitute for Giroud.
He did not make it onto the pitch in France's 3-1 win over Russia and faces huge competition for a place in Deschamps' 23-man World Cup squad.
Meanwhile, few have given Sevilla any chance of getting past Bayern in the Champions League, but Ben Yedder learned a long time ago not to be cowed by improbable odds.
Manchester United vs. Sevilla: Preview, Live Stream, TV Info for UCL Match
Mar 12, 2018
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Romelu Lukaku of Manchester United applauds fans after the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 10, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Manchester United welcome Sevilla to Old Trafford on Tuesday in the UEFA Champions League, with both teams eyeing a place in the quarter-finals after a 0-0 draw in the first leg in Spain.
Jose Mourinho's side will be slight favourites as they have home advantage but will be vulnerable if the visitors grab an away goal having failed to score in Seville.
Here's a look at how you can watch the game, followed by a match preview.
Manchester United head into the game on the back of three impressive wins since the first leg. The Red Devils have beaten Chelsea, come back from 2-0 down to see off Crystal Palace 3-2 and edged fierce rivals Liverpool 2-1.
Confidence will be high ahead of the game, but United will need to be far more adventurous than they were in the first leg. Marcus Rashford scored both goals against Liverpool on Saturday, and striker Romelu Lukaku also put in a superb performance with his power and pace causing problems.
Football writer Graham Ruthven said the Belgium international is in top form:
Juan Mata also impressed against Liverpool, and his creativity and ability to score important goals may see him get the nod against Sevilla. Football writer Liam Canning backed the Spaniard to start:
Juan Mata deserves a huge amount of praise today. Floating around everywhere on the pitch, causing a lot of trouble. Nearly scored another spectacular scissor kick. Should be starting against Sevilla on Tuesday. Super Juan.
Record signing Paul Pogba missed the win over Liverpool due to injury and is a doubt for the game. James Robson at the Manchester Evening News said Mourinho will want him back for the match:
Mourinho says he doesn’t know how long Pogba will be out for. They will want him back for Sevilla
The hosts will also have to defend well and have been boosted by the recent return from injury of key centre-back Eric Bailly. Miguel Delaney at The Independent highlighted how important he is:
Rashford will rightfully get praise, but one of main reasons for this result is Bailly v Lovren. Lovren has been the source of both United goals; Bailly has made United so much more assured defending them. Huge difference made.
Meanwhile, Sevilla go into the game on the back of defeat to Valencia that effectively ended their hopes of finishing in the top four. They are now 11 points behind fourth-placed Los Che and will need to win the Champions League if they are to play in the tournament next season.
Sevilla's weakness in the first leg was their finishing. Vincenzo Montella's side created plenty of chances but could not find a way past goalkeeper David De Gea.
The visitors have plenty of attacking options with Wissam Ben Yedder, Luis Muriel and Pablo Sarabia all on six goals for the season so far. Montella also has Sandro Ramirez, Nolito and Joaquin Correa available and will need to get his team selection just right.
United will look to dominate the game on home turf but must be careful of being caught out by Sevilla. United will have to win the game outright to qualify. Meanwhile, another goalless draw will send the game into extra time and potentially penalties.
Eduardo Berizzo Sacked by Sevilla 1 Month After Cancer Diagnosis
Dec 22, 2017
SEVILLE, SPAIN - DECEMBER 15: Head Coach of Sevilla FC Eduardo Berizzo reacts on prior to the start the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and Levante UD at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on December 15, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images)
La Liga side Sevilla have sacked manager Eduardo Berizzo just one week after the tactician returned from cancer surgery.
The club announced the news in a statement on Friday. According to Robbie Dunne of AS English, he had only just returned to the bench:
There it is. Berizzo sacked as manager of Sevilla. One week after returning to the team from prostrate cancer surgery. https://t.co/Q8U8I4jB6G
Per the statement, Sevilla have already started searching for a new manager, and an official announcement should follow after the winter break ends Jan. 5. The club cited a "poor run of results" as the reason behind the sacking following a winless run of three matches in La Liga.
It's worth noting Berizzo was only on the bench for two of those matches: a scoreless draw at home against Levante and a 3-1 loss at Real Sociedad. Sevilla sit in fifth place in La Liga, behind the Big Three of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid and a Valencia side that started the season in remarkable form.
Coupled with their solid results in Europe, where they advanced to the UEFA Champions League's knockout stages, and the timing of the announcement, the move was widely panned on social media. Football Espana's Colin Millar was one of many who voiced his displeasure when he found out the news:
Absolutely remarkable. In late November, diagnosed with cancer. Three days before Christmas, sacked from his job. Something very, very wrong with that.
The 48-year-old previously coached Celta Vigo, where he had a remarkable run between 2014 and 2017.
PerDunne, former Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has already been mentioned as a possible―if unlikely―replacement.
Sevilla Announce Manager Eduardo Berizzo Had Successful Cancer Surgery
Nov 29, 2017
SEVILLE, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 20: Head Coach of Sevilla FC Eduardo Berizzo attends the press conference prior to their Champions League match against Liverpool FC at the Sevilla FC training ground on November 20, 2017 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images)
Sevilla announced on Tuesday their manager Eduardo Berizzo has had successful surgery to combat prostate cancer.
Per AS, deputy coach Ernesto Marcucci is currently in charge of the squad, and he praised the Argentinian tactician at this difficult time, saying his "mental strength is an example for all of us around him."
Per Matias Grez of CNN, the Sevilla players were informed of his condition earlier in November, and the story went public shortly after the team's 3-3 draw against Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.
According to the report, the news led to an immediate outpouring of support from all over the football world. La Liga rivals Barcelona―whose former manager Tito Vilanova died of cancer in 2014―led the way with a touching tribute:
Per BBC Sport, Berizzo has made it clear he does not like "being the focus of attention," and he has yet to make a decision on his role moving forward.
Sevilla will face Cartagena in the Copa del Rey on Wednesday, having beaten the Spanish minnows 3-0 in the first leg. The Andalusians currently sit fifth in the standings and will take on Real Madrid on Saturday, December 9.
Sevilla Confirm Eduardo Berizzo Cancer Diagnosis After Liverpool Comeback
Nov 22, 2017
Sevilla's Argentinian midfielder Guido Pizarro (R) celebrates with Sevilla's Argentinian coach Eduardo Berizzo (L) after scoring a goal on November 21, 2017 at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium in Sevilla during the UEFA Champions League group E football match between Sevilla FC and Liverpool FC. / AFP PHOTO / CRISTINA QUICLER (Photo credit should read CRISTINA QUICLER/AFP/Getty Images)
Sevilla's sensational comeback from three goals down against Liverpool on Tuesday evening has been given new meaning after it was confirmed manager Eduardo Berizzo has been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
The Spanish hosts were 3-0 down at the break in a pivotal UEFA Champions League group fixture but hit back to draw 3-3, after which the club's official website confirmed his illness.
A statement read: "Sevilla FC's medical department has confirmed that first-team coach, Eduardo Berizzo, has been diagnosed with prostaticadenocarcinoma. Future medical tests will determine a course of treatment."
However, reports that Berizzo informed his players of his diagnosis while 3-0 down at half-time are incorrect. Matias Grez of CNN said the playing staff were told the news "a few days ago."
That contrasted with initial reports that Berizzo first revealed the news during the interval at the Estadio Sanchez Pizjuan, prior to their remarkable comeback.
The Reds steamrolled their hosts in the first half thanks to a Roberto Firmino brace and Sadio Mane's reactionary header, but Wissam Ben Yedder bagged a double of his own before Guido Pizarro's injury-time equaliser.
It's unknown thus far as to what the future holds for Berizzo and how long he can expect to remain in a full-time position while he undergoes treatment.
His side currently sit fifth in La Liga, while Tuesday's draw meant they remain one point behind Group E leaders Liverpool with one pool match left. The two teams will be back in European action on December 6, when Sevilla travel to Maribor and Liverpool host Spartak Moscow.
Jesus Navas Officially Re-Signs for Sevilla After Leaving Manchester City
Aug 1, 2017
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - APRIL 08: Jesus Navas of City in action during the Premier League match between Manchester City and Hull City at Etihad Stadium on April 8, 2017 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
Sevillacompleted the re-signing of former Manchester City winger Jesus Navas on Tuesday, with the 31-year-old returning to his old club after four years in England.
The Spanish side confirmed the signing with a video on Twitter:
The Spain international joined the Sky Blues in 2013 from Sevilla for £14.9 million but was released by earlier in the summer.
He made 123 Premier League appearances for the club, netting just four goals, per WhoScored.com:
Jesús Navas: In the 4 seasons Navas was a Manchester City player, he scored just 4 Premier league goals. All were in his debut season pic.twitter.com/odigqpmqTK
However, while he was far from prolific, he did prove to be valuable for City and won one Premier League title and two League Cups.
Navas remains an effective winger with terrific pace and close ball control, which can make him a handful for opposition defenders.
In 2016-17 under manager Pep Guardiola, he also showed impressive versatility as he operated in multiple positions down the right flank, including full-back and wing-back. However, he often undid his good work on the flanks with unreliable delivery into the area.
Back at Sevilla, where he came through the youth academy and began his senior career, Navas could well thrive. The Andalusian outfit have revamped their attack with the additions of Nolito and Luis Muriel too.
He should have no trouble adapting to the surroundings again, and he already has plenty of experience in La Liga to be an asset back at his former club.
Nolito Completes Transfer from Manchester City to Sevilla on 3-Year Contract
Jul 15, 2017
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - DECEMBER 06: Nolito of Manchester City in action during the UEFA Champions League match between Manchester City FC and Celtic FC at Etihad Stadium on December 6, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by James Baylis - AMA/Getty Images)
Sevilla have reportedly agreed to a roughly €9 million deal to bring Manchester City forward Nolito back to La Liga only a year after he joined the Premier League club.
Rik Sharma of Catalan newspaper Sport reported the move is likely to be completed this weekend. The player is scheduled to take a major step in completing his City exit on Sunday:
Sevilla have reached an agreement to sign Nolito from Manchester City—he’ll have his medical on Sunday pic.twitter.com/rb4w9H6LJ3
Nolito went to the Etihad Stadium from Celta Vigo just last summer. He now moves back to Spain's top flight after having made just nine Premier League starts under manager Pep Guardiola.
Football writerShane Burnscritiqued the Spaniard's low contribution at City, referring to the would-be successive red cards he would have picked up for head-butting two players in two Premier League matches:
Nolito's City career see's him defined as the guy who got sent off for headbutting, only to return 3 games later and headbutt another player
According to Sharma, Sevilla initially intended to loan Nolito away, but president Pepe Castro opted to keep him after Vitolocompleted his moveto Atletico Madrid.
One might have thought the former Barcelona B star would be able to maintain his stellar La Liga form under old Blaugrana mentor Guardiola, but his transition to English football was underwhelming to say the least.
But after scoring 39 goals and recording 23 assists in 103 appearances for Celta, perTransfermarkt, he now joins another familiar face, Sevilla boss Eduardo Berizzo, who was his manager for two years at Balaidos.
Nolito was a force to be reckoned with during his three seasons with Celta, having never failed to score fewer than 12 goals per term. However, it's unclear how prominent a figure he'll be at Sevilla.
La Liga Results 2017: Full Table and Scores After Final Week 26 Match
Mar 6, 2017
VITORIA-GASTEIZ, SPAIN - MARCH 06: Pablo Sarabia of Sevilla FC duels for the ball with Theo Hernandez of Deportivo Alaves during the La Liga match between Deportivo Alaves and Sevilla FC at Mendizorroza stadium on March 6, 2017 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Sevilla suffered a setback in the La Liga title race in Week 26, as Deportivo Alaves held them to a 1-1 draw on Monday.
Wissam Ben Yedder gave the Andalusians the lead in the first half, but Aleksandar Katai tied things up with 15 minutes left to play.
Sevilla's title dreams took a hit on Monday, as their four-match win streak in La Liga came to an end at the hands of Alaves.
Ben Yedder took advantage of a defensive blunder to open the scoring, as Zouhair Feddal lost track of the forward and played him onside. AS' Robbie Dunne couldn't believe it:
That is a lovely strike by Ben Yedder. Dreadful lack of awareness by Feddal as he fails to step out with the rest of the defense.
Sevilla were the better team before half-time, but the hosts improved after the break. Deyverson wasted several great opportunities, but, after 75 minutes, Katai took advantage of a mistake from Sergio Rico and tied things up.
Per sports writer Sid Lowe, the goal was fully deserved:
Sevilla pushed for a late winner but couldn't find a breakthrough. The result leaves the club in third place, three points behind Real, who still have a match in hand.
Barcelona remain leaders after their 5-0 demolition of Celta Vigo, one of the best performances the Blaugrana have served up this season.
Lionel Messi found the net twice, while Samuel Umtiti, Ivan Rakitic and Neymar also got their names on the scoresheet.
The Catalans were pleased with their performance after the match, but the conversation quickly shifted to the upcoming UEFA Champions League match against Paris Saint-Germain. Neymar didn't waste too much time on the Galicians, via the team's official Twitter account:
Confidence should be high after back-to-back big wins, but the tie against PSG still seems all but over.
Real also took care of business during the weekend, beating Eibar 4-1 in the Basque Country. Karim Benzema was the hero with two goals inside 25 minutes. James Rodriguez and Marco Asensio also scored.
Like rivals Barcelona, Los Blancos mainly looked at what's to come after the match. Rodriguez cast an eye on Champions League opponents Napoli, per Real's official Twitter account:
🎙💬 @jamesdrodriguez: "It was a fair result and it puts us in good shape for what's still to come."
— Real Madrid C.F. 🇬🇧🇺🇸 (@realmadriden) March 4, 2017
Atletico Madrid halted their slide with a convincing win over Valencia, thanks to two goals from star forward Antoine Griezmann and a strike from Kevin Gameiro.
The Rojiblancos maintain a one-point lead over Sociedad, who beat Real Betis 3-2 in a spectacle match.
Is Jorge Sampaoli Overtaking Diego Simeone on the Superclub Wish List?
Dec 23, 2016
SEVILLE, SPAIN - NOVEMBER 26: Head Coach of Sevilla FC Jorge Sampaoli looks on during the La Liga match between Sevilla FC and Valencia CF at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on November 26, 2016 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images)
Bang, bang, bang and bang, get the hell out of here. It started in the 25th minute, and by the 35th minute, it was all over—four goals in no time, an opponent buried with blistering speed and a good dash of swagger thrown in. Afterward, Jorge Sampaoli was asked what he thought of it all. "We had our opponents at our mercy," he said.
Sampaoli doesn't take any backward steps and, evidently, nor do his team. The Argentinian has got Sevilla playing the way he talks, and that's quite something. Sampaoli, after all, is a man who speaks of rebellion, of rejecting perceived barriers and of the adherence to an encompassing idea or an identity. He's getting all of it, too.
Saturday night's 4-1 mauling of Malaga took Sevilla into the Christmas break in third place in La Liga, just a single point behind Barcelona after 16 games. No team not named Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid have had this many points at this stage in the last five years, and the style they're doing it in is captivating.
"I'm delighted with the performance and that we have earned the respect of everyone for the way we are playing," Sampaoli said.
Suddenly, Sevilla, and not Atletico, look like the challengers to Spain's hegemonic pair right now. The two clubs have reached the midseason break in different moods, and the tone of their managers' messages seemed to neatly reflect such.
Whereas Sampaoli spoke bullishly of what's ahead, Diego Simeone was talking about recovery. "Maybe this break now will be useful for us to rest, get busy and find better solutions so the team can respond better," the Atletico boss said earlier on the same day.
There's something in the way Sevilla and Atletico head into this short layoff that leaves one with the impression that these are teams and managers perhaps not quite heading in different directions but standing at different points on the curve.
Sampaoli looks to be on an upward swing. He's taken a team and a club with an already strong sense of self and made them vastly better. By contrast, there's a growing sense that Simeone has already reached the mountaintop with regard to his work at the Vicente Calderon and is now taking the first few steps on the other side.
Pitching up at the summit and staying there are two different things, after all. It was barely more than six months ago that Simeone was being marvelled at all over Europe. His Atletico had taken down Barcelona and then Bayern Munich in the Champions League, hustling and sucker-punching the giants to blow apart the established order.
In the middle of it all, Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t MailOnline's Adam Smith) declared Simeone the leader of the revolt against tiki taka. It depicted him as Che Guevara; he could just have easily been depicted as King Leonidas from 300.
What he was doing with limited resources was astonishing. Transforming an entire club, he made many wonder whether there would be any limits if he was given the resources others had. What if he had Manchester United's money to spend? Or Chelsea's? Or Juventus'? No manager outside the superclubs was more sought-after. But is that changing?
Only half a season down the line, there's now a sense that the Simeone era at Atletico is winding down. The loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League final in Milan, a second crushing blow in three seasons, has left behind a sort of hangover that's been difficult to overcome. Amid that, the Argentinian's negotiation of a reduction in his contract and his candid admissions that he one day wants to manage Inter Milan have left the impression of a man putting down the first steps of an exit strategy.
It's the momentum of the club that has changed, then. Atletico don't look quite the same. An evolutionary process toward a more expansive and attacking approach has proved more problematic than envisioned. This is the club's best squad in Simeone's tenure but this is also their worst-ever start under him. It's almost as though the added talent has become a complication; like more is less for a club and a manager who've thrived with comparatively little.
But there's maybe more to it than that, too. The ferocity of Atleti and their leader has faded a touch, the defining trait of the team not quite what it was.
The natural inclination is to see it as a sort of fatigue, that playing the way they have and they do is hard; that the toll of slogging it out with unfashionable but staggeringly effective football is now catching up with them.
In the world of superclubs, that issue of fashion is important here. Style matters as much as results in an era when the fight for eyeballs, commercial partners and revenue streams is as hot as the fight for trophies. Despite his incredible success, stylistically, Simeone has been as fashionable as sneakers with loose denim. Sampaoli, though, hipster glasses and all, couldn't be more on trend.
#LaLiga title contenders? Sevilla are a serious force to be reckoned with in Spain this season 💪 https://t.co/cJ5m9gDYIl
The Sevilla boss is a disciple of Marcelo Bielsa and known for his bold, high-pressing systems that are all the rage around Europe at present. Under Sampaoli, the Andalucians have been aggressive to the point of being frantic in just the same way Sampaoli's Chile were.
The Argentinian has switched between a back four and a back three this season. He's also used wingers like Vitolo at full-back at times and has opted for wing-backs positioned so high they've been more part of the front line than the last.
In the opening game of the season, Sampaoli's system was almost a 2-1-5-2 and produced a 6-4 win against Espanyol. More recently, Sevilla ran over the top of Atletico, and then they morphed into Barcelona for a half against Barcelona. On Saturday came the hammering of Malaga; on Wednesday, they put nine past Formentera in the Copa del Rey.
Suddenly, it might be Sampaoli who's standing at the head of the superclub wish list. He was linked heavily with Chelsea before Antonio Conte got the job in west London, as reported by The Telegraph in February, and is now considered a leading candidate to take over at Barcelona if and when Luis Enrique decides to step away. And others will be taking notice, too.
This surge is unfolding on the back of Sevilla again being forced to part with two of their best in summer in the form of Kevin Gameiro and Grzegorz Krychowiak. The restructuring was massive, and several prominent faces who've arrived are only loanees.
Like Simeone before him, then, Sampaoli is beginning to challenge the status quo in a way that defies the game's financial trajectory. His talk of rebellion is materialising, but in contrast to his compatriot, he's doing it in the most fashionable style around.
