Worrying signs losing to 2 relegated threatened teams already.
The cup final was better but it might just been a 1 off where we relished the underdog role. City weren’t at full throttle in the first half of that match.
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Wow what a goal!
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What a goal by Rafa. Likely too little too late but at least something to enjoy
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Sublime finish! If this is his last game in a sevilla shirt then fair play!
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Defensively all over the place. Bade being out and Salas coming in certainly didn’t help.
Two defeats to start the season. Not good at all and a sense of deja vu from how we begun last campaign.
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Am I just reading into things too much, or is Mendi pretty Spanish-centric? Right? Like, my first hint was his perference for Dmi over Bounou. And then how much time Rafa Mir has gotten in spite of sucking. Joan Jordan, Suso, Oliver, Kike Salas, in order of largest to smallest same-country, same-language, same-culture privilege (ie. Kike hasn’t had much support from Menid, but starting over Gattoni today seemed illogical).
But the fact that you don’t play Gattoni, rarely use Tecatito, deny the facts on Jordan, don’t let Sow into the game, even as a sub, etc. It’s just like maybe he’s got a intercultural chip on his shoulder that’s holding him back as a coach. Who knows, a bit of a heavy accusation, admittedly, but I remember seeing him give some super long speech in Spanish to Sow with no translator around and thought “uhhh, not sure that’s going to have the effect you think it is, Jose Luis…the guy doesn’t speak any Spanish.”
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Where is our €10.00m investment in Sow? Where is Gattoni? Kike Salas doesn’t deserve to start another game in the top flight, and never did.
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Now it’s up to Orta to save the season or be another Oscar Arias.
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When I saw Salas on the team sheet that filled me with dread straight away. He’s simply not good enough and shouldn’t play again. That should have been established last season.
Acuna subbed at half time? Ocampos taken off? Sow not given a chance and Jordan preferred?
It was obvious what was going to happen. So predictable.
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No CB, no GK, no midfield. Lots of work to do, but there’s a high chance it won’t be done.
Flashbacks of 2022-23 season… this time it could be much worse.
Can’t really call for Mendi’s head so early on and Orta is still getting his feet wet with the new role, but things have to change quickly, somehow.
I know we often talk out of our ass and don’t consider the circumstances of real life management, but what I can tell you as someone who manages 16 people in my company - it is fucking tough, but decisions need to be taken quickly. If bad decisions (turned problems) remain in place for a long time, it’s like cancer and it will be hard to get rid of it.
In Orta we trust?
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If It’s still the same Lopeball squad after August then no one but Castro (& Orta?) can be criticised.
I mean, most Sevillistas know this squad need a COMPLETE revamp 2 season ago.
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Mendi blaming it on the players not putting in the effort and not running and working hard enough against and struggling to motivate themselves for a game like this and takes some blame for it too. Not playing Sow, although I get the same feeling as Ryan, which in Spain is very common honestly and the lack of international experience from Mendi his side as the bottom tier purely national level coach he’s been all his life. It’s still early so I won’t go further but I did say it before as well. It’s one thing getting a group together and getting back to basic, players in the same direction at the end of last year, helped by a fair amount of luck. Andnnow having to build something new. Which I think is wishful thinking to begin with of Mendi being the right guy for that. Something I didn’t trust at all.
When he’s asked about Sow he refers to other players that have gotten the results last year and putting his trust in them. It’s all signs of his limitations and lopeteguititis.
I can see Orta and Mendi being on different planes in different dimensions and will be very curious how this takes shape coming weeks.
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This… it’s a damned bad disease!
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It starts from the top as you say. Personally I want a change in the Sevilla board. I feel currently we are a sinking shape unless something changes at the top. I think Castro and his crew are at the end now.
A fresh approach to how this club is run, changing that squad completely and a new direction is needed. I feel things have gone to far and there is to many in that squad either old, past it, not good enough or not the right fit.
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Last time I remember Alavés scoring 4 goals, was 20 years ago against Liverpool.
They did their best and deserve it but that shouldn’t happen.
Rafa Mir’s shot was stunning. Absolute power and conviction, with a bunch more emotion of when people want him out. Final gift of remembrance.
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I’ve had enough of this manager (start the thread now) if it turns out that Gattoni and Sow were carrying knocks then I’ll back off but I don’t believe it’s the case and that was a disaster from the first minutes and it appeared he was not capable of reaction. If I can see it, he certainly should see it before me.
We took the lead at 1-2 but it was clear it wouldn’t hold, Mendi has to re-think what a manager is.
Their 3rd goal was extremely lucky that a glancing haircut header should arrive perfectly at the head of the one attacker who wasn’t being marked at 6 yards out.
Salas and Gudelj are a recipe for disaster in defence.
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I’m seeing a lot of Mendi-centered anger after today. I think it’s understandable, but I also think there’s a lot more to it than Old Man Mendi’s too old.
For a start, it’s not just Mendi that’s old, the squad is too old in general. (Then again La Liga has the oldest average squad age in the top 5 leagues)
The ghost of Lopetegui still hangs heavy on the shoulders of some of the team. At one point in the second half I saw a stat of 11 - 3 big chances created in favour of Alaves, which reminds me of late-era Lopetegui Sevilla. YEN was left isolated and trying to scrounge for scraps in the air, much like Lope-Ball. There was no plan B either.
You could see the defeat in the faces of the players after the third Alaves goal, Gudelj looked like he’d had the wind knocked out of him, others looked like they’d rather just go home. Not one player on the pitch was trying to get the team together and get them up for a fight. There’s not enough leadership on the pitch, as much as Navas and Rakitic are legends at the club, they don’t seem to be the types capable of rousing players when they’re up sh#t creek.
There needs to be sensible, but rapid investment in the squad, coupled with more of a refresh in the overall personnel. You can’t get rid of the whole squad, bar 4/5 of the indespensibles, but they do need to get rid of the dead weight around the edges of the team either by loans or cancelling contracts. One or two other first team player cough Jordan cough need to find a way out as they’re just not cutting the mustard. I’d like to see some young players like Moilero at Las Palmas come in rather than yet more older experienced guys.
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It’s horrible… you don’t wish it upon anybody. Even when it’s gone, it’s still lingers on for years to come and nothing but trauma remains so far no cases of complete recovery. Real Madrid lucky to have cut it out in the early stages.
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I do think any Mendi out calls are premature. Football fans can be very fickle at times (not levelling that at anyone on here) and easy to forget the miracles the man achieved last season in comfortably keeping us up and winning the Europa League. As bad as the first two results have been, that doesn’t change this fact nor does it have to define a season. It’s still early doors.
None of that is saying though that the first two games are acceptable as they haven’t been and changes are needed. For me it starts at the top though and whoever is manager currently would have a tough job with the squad we have that is in desperate need of a revamp and has been for a few seasons now, one that we’ve not seen so far this summer.
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It wouldn’t surprise me if managers have largely been tasked with maintaining the status quo (CL qualification with qualification from group stage or deep EL run) without a lot of investment since the late stages of Lopetegui’s era.
This is a critical failure to account for football teams need yearly refreshments to account for player sales, ageing and just general human experience e.g. feeling urge for new challenges or bigger paycheques.
There might not be a lot of money in the coffers, but why not give canteranos a chance (with tolerance for inconsistent output) or buy talented, players from the lower tiers with a view of them growing into first team players in a year or two.
Sevilla’s board seem to equate talent in the first team with consitent output from the squad, which as we’ve seen fails to account for diminishing returns as players age and/or experience discontent.
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