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Sevilla. A bit of Sampaoli and a lot of a club vision

Sevilla. A bit of Sampaoli and a lot of a club vision

You have to back to 1946 if you want to find the first - and last - time that Sevilla won the La Liga title.

The chances of them repeating the feat this time around are probably fairly slim but, whisper it, this side under the stewardship of Argentinian maestro, Jorge Sampaoli, and the strong but successful lines designed by the club, could very well prove a match for anyone, both nationally and in Europe this season.

Not that Sevilla are exactly strangers to the exclusive trophy lifters’ club having won the Europa League on the last three occasions. They also won the the tournament in 2006 and 2007 when it was the UEFA Cup and have also won the Copa del Rey five times.

So Sampaoli has arrived at a club that is a winning institution, with a clear business plan (buy cheap and good players, sell expensive) and a very powerful work ethic with and without the ball. For some time now the exploits of director of football Monchi, with the ability he seems to possess to turn footballing straw into gold, have drawn the attention of a begrudgingly envious, but deeply respectful, football world. Everton tried to sign him as their director of football last summer.

But while Sevilla have always been known for their ability to beat absolutely anyone on their day in the one off, or even two-legged affairs (ask Liverpool), they have always tended to fall slightly short in the marathon that is a 38 match campaign.

Sampaoli could well change this and if he does, expect a new, and different, statue of San Jorge (St George in Spanish) to be erected outside the Sanchez Pizjuan in football bonkers Sevilla.

What has the Argentinean coach added? He had to accommodate eleven new players, and the club had decided, after the departure of Unai Emery, that they wanted to see if with more offensive players, the team could give a step forward. And a coach that would be happy with that brief.

Last weekend, Sampaoli served due notice as to his team’s title aspirations with a 1-0 win against a previously unbeaten Atletico Madrid side.

Actually, he showed the world what he could the previous year when he took Chile to victory in the Copa America against his native Argentina following a penalty shoot out in the final. He came to the International management via his exploits with the Universidad de Chile with which he won the Torneo Apertura in 2011 and 2012 and the Torneo Clausura in 2011.

So what makes him so good; what makes the difference?

Well three things actually; style, psychology and training.

The style is very clear. Lots of people in front of the ball, a lack of fear from his players on the ball, lung bursting shows of effort and running with and without the ball, all mixed up with a lot of possession.

In just about all the games they have played this season apart from their Champions league game against Juventus and their two Super Cup matches against Barcelona, Sevilla have won the possession battle.

So the team this season keeps the ball longer periods (only Barcelona and Real Madrid have got more possession), and surprisingly the adaptation has used a shorter time than expected (despite the fact the team is not fully playing in the Sampaoli style yet).

An example of this style is defensive midfielder Stephen N'Zonzi, prone to the occasional display of petulance and temperament at previous clubs, but putting in the sort of shift this season that makes his £7 million price tag look like the bargain of the year, and just how many times have we said that about the transfer dealings of Snr Ramon Rodriguez Verdejo (Monchi)?

Leicester were rumoured to want him as a holding midfielder, persumably to replace N'Golo Kante who they had sold to Chelsea.

At Sevilla much more has been asked of him. Break down attacks by all means, but then his brief is to find the passes to his forwards and then also get into the box.

It was his goal that ultimately separated Atletico and Sevilla at the weekend.

The style has many similarities with that of Atletico Madrid with a lot of pressure on the ball but is probably even more offensive.

It took Atletico an age to develop that type of ‘handwriting’ while Sevilla under Sampaoli have taken to it like the proverbial ducks to water.

Unai Emery’s style was different, something you could normally see with his substitutions which he normally made with a view to holding on to results. Sampaoli is more ambitious than that and frequently looks to score more.

Of course it’s very easy for coaches to ask their players to perform in the style demanded of them by the Argentine. Getting them to do it is another matter altogether. The reason the Sevilla players - not least N'Zonzi - have bought into Sampaoli’s philosophy is because they trust him.

Psychologically, Sampaoli has worked wonders too.

The coach insists in the 'not to be scared’ mantra and that surely helped Sevilla get at Leganes their first win away since may 2015.

In fact, it has been a crucial week for Sevilla. After beating Leganes, then they had an easy match against Dynamo Zagreb who defended too much in their own box and so handed the initiative to Sevilla. The victory against Atletico for the first time since October 3, 2010 was the icing on the cake.

This is a side that has played with different formations, the last two games with three at the back, which has given Nasri has more time than ever to connect with the front three of Vazquez, Vietto and Vitolo. Physically they are more powerful than they have ever been and the first changes - despite having played in the Champions League earlier in the week - were not made until the 85th minute.

Inspired by the confidence instilled in them by their coach they are defensively assured and don’t make many mistakes and are also encouraged to show no fear as they use their speed to press forward from the back.

Nasri, of course, has more to prove than most. On loan at Sevilla after being discarded by Pep Guardiola at Manchester City he will be desperate to show not just Pep and City, but primarily himself, that he is the class act that we always knew he was and that he has recovered his love for football.

He has been playing in a variety of positions and is now settled just behind the front three where he has more space to weave his magic and where he looks like he has played all of his life.

The result of this is that the with five victories in five home games the Sanchez Piuzjuan is once again looking like a fortress.

It has nearly always been a notoriously difficult place to come to but this time however the chances are it could well be matched with performances away from home and if that happens, then maybe dreams of a repeat of the 1945-46 season may not be as far fetched as some might think. Or at least, at the moment, they are giving the impression that they can compete as well as anybody.