Had a random idea for a small thread. What if everybody suggests their off-the-wall indicators for success this season. All the better if they can be empirically tested at the end of the season.
For example, I’m going to put forth this one:
If Rakitic starts more than 40% of matches, that’s going to be a sign of a scary season. Less than 30% and it means we’ve really slotted in a healthy midfield that’s working better than the second half of the season.
Any takers on either of those? What other random indicators would you think would be predictors of the quality of this upcoming season?
I like this idea, but why come for my mans Rakitic?
My indicator would chance creation. Some improvement here would tell me we’re not just relying on our defensive core. I was looking at stats the other week and i think we were #1 in the top 5 leagues in possession in the defensive third. Then it’s a drastic drop the further we move up the field. I’ll try to put all that together on some sort of graphic.
Pretty sure your indicator has a strong correlation with this indicator: # of times Lopetegui has been sacked. If = 0, the number will be low; if = 1, number will be higher (tho I’m not convinced with more points next to SFC in the LaLiga table).
If this hypothetical sacking happens early in the season, I wouldn’t be surprised for this indicator to = 2 (like the year where both La Roja and Real Madrid fired him in a single year).
Depends who we’re talking. I think last season it felt like it was always the key folks getting hurt, rarely the less urgent guys. Couldn’t we have switched a couple injuries from a Gudelj or a Oliver T or a Augustinsson or even a Joan Jordan rather than Suso, Fernando, or Lamela.
Very well said. I am not anti-LopeBall if it brings home the points. But I begrudgingly have to admit that the games are just much less watchable.
Having said that, I don’t miss the likes of Berizzo or some more watchable style of football. I’ll keep my Julen Lopetegui for another 10 seasons if we keep making Champions and challenging for top spots.
True, but the underlying thought I have is that the squad must be performing really well to make a game enjoyable to watch under LopeBall. If Lope had a squad like Man United, he would, in my opinion, give them what they lack (stability and consistancy) and that squad would give Lope in return what he lacks (Self-creating offensively minded players). So my comment is as much of a criticism toward Lope as it is toward Monchi and the board. Lamela and Corona are players that could potentially help Lope with this, they just need to be healthy and get to know their teammates a bit better.
im going to try to remember the games that were actually fun to watch, so far only two really stand out as fun to watch, those being the 3-0 rayo win and the 5-3 levante win. Other than that, there were only a couple that were moderately fun, and a lot that were awful. Not godo
I really don’t get the point especially as result based as you are. Looks like the only measure in the end will be if they end fourth of not. If you sacrifice 10 years of your life just for some end result that at that point won’t make you happy either. Your motto might as well be, it’s not about the journey but about the destination lol. And when you arrived there, you are just there. and you have to move on and you look back and wasted 10 years watching paint dry. Football and sports in its core is about entertainment, from the start of history. Gotta love the mentality.
The only way I’d differ here and I’ve said this before, if Lope-ball is guaranteed to bring us Atletico’s success from 2013-14, I’d be ok to extend with him for 10+ years. I wouldn’t be content with 4th and/or having a similar season to the last one - that’s too much sacrifice throughout the season with piss-poor football and lots of irritation.
On the other hand, I think that Simeone’s philosophy and understanding of football is much higher than Lope’s in every possible aspect. Therefore I think Lope wouldn’t have done what Simeone did in 2013-14 with Atletico if they’d swap places at that time. We have to remember that Lope got sacked by RM during the first half of the season due to poor results - and he had a pretty decent squad back then.
I am sorry @RyanMoore , it seems like I accidentally turned your fun topic into a ‘Opinions on Lope 2.0’. Friendly reminder to all, including myself, to not get too far off course.
Yes, @Jesus, I myself pushed us down this rabbit hole. Clearly for many sevillistas, the prime indicator of success involves either a new coach or our current coach coaching like another coach. And fair enough, I don’t disagree. But I also hate Simeone’s style…and yet #results.
Anyone else have any clever indicators to add to the original thread: what will make this year’s #SevillaFC tick. Or conversely, what would spell our downfall?
I’ll add another: how many weeks it takes for a full blown #DelNido versus #Biris showdown and/or meltdown. When you look at the drama with the Abonados, the general dislike of Lopetegui, and the fact that the world economy sorta sucks and people need an outlet to complain, I sort worry the club are likely to face upheaval off the pitch. So that’s another addition to the thread: if we don’t see social upheaval off the pitch before Week 8, I think that’s generally going to spell good things. The converse, of course, spells bad things for the season.
Ocampos is like anti synergy for Rafa Mir. He won’t play serviceable. Energy is not enough, the terrible form he has been in, stops almost all things that we could try to call “flow” in our attacks.
If he tries to play easier again, keep it wide, and force them to choose between him and the overlapping back. Instead of spoiling the ball already before we even get to that point or forcing runs into walls of players. He could contribute but that seems impossible as of last years.
Tecatito, Lamela and Isco, I have put some of my hopes on Isco that he can connect well with Mir, to set him up some more, where others wouldn’t or straight up neglect trying to find him.
