Against all expectations, we got so close but were just seconds late to get across the line before the Abu Dhabi/Emirates state sponsored club.
Ocampos and Navas were superb; perhaps the best performance I can remember from Ocampos. Great finish from YEN, but then sadly three very good chances not converted by him in his customary “not quite enough quality” manner. If we took at least one of them we would have been 2-0 after an hour/65 minutes and would have likely held on for 2-1 win.
Acuna showed his usual mixture of good and poor too, perfect cross for the goal and lively going forward but badly misplacing crosses and passes more often than not from promising positions, and then caught out ball watching on several diagonal high balls, one of which resulted in young Palmer coming past Acuna for the free header to equalise with just over 10 minutes left till normal time finish.
Mendi’s low block, coiled spring for counter-attacks tactics worked nearly to perfection too, we absorbed almost all of their big attacking threat and countered very well, with a surprise sudden impact a few minutes till the end when we started attacking them again and had another chance.
Would have been good to help Bono have another big European trophy against the best team in the world before he probably leaves, but he and the team should still be proud considering the level of resources we have to fight in top tier.
Great performance by Sevilla, all that City artillery didn’t achieve much penetration. It was great to see that we kept Haaland out of the game. I was worried about a big defeat and we’ll have to see if such a close game improves our confidence and appetite for success in other competitions, it could make us stronger but we need to do better in signings before the market closes. Nesyri’s goal was the most difficult of the three chances he had.
I’m lost for explanations how we struggled against Valencia and shone against City.
I believe City didn’t give more than 30-40% in that match. That cup didn’t matter much to them and often they looked unmotivated to win it. While we gave our 100%. 100% always beats 40% even against the best team in the world, let alone that they missed 2 of their key players.
We approached the Valencia game as we have won it from the get go - didn’t have the right mindset for the match, hence the surprising loss.
There’s a common denominator in both matches though, and that’s Mendi’s late + wrong subs.
Subs in general (right or wrong) earlier than the 75th minute vs. City - players were almost collapsing in the pitch from tiredness.
5 subs allowed vs. City, he makes 2 subs, 1 of them 10 mins before FT and 2 others right before FT (2-3 mins). It’s only the second competitive match after preseason.
It’s common sense. That above is if he’d at least try because you’re not guaranteed success even with the right subs and timing, Mendi didn’t even try - totally failed in that regard.
Fair enough Shend, but if you look at the game last night, City didn’t make a substitution till the 85th minute either, so it seems like both coaches thought they still had a chance to win it or didn’t want to disrupt the game. It’s not like City had their C team out there either…
Yeah, I’m not going to debate the tactics, but in spite of anything, (1) I’m effing proud of this team, this escudo, these colors, and (2) I’ve never been a bigger fan of Financial Fair Play enforcement. Manchester City, Real Madrid, Al Hilal, they can all enjoy as much polished silver as money can buy. But if it’s a question of battle, of effort, of heart, we all know who takes that trophy.
Btw, meant to post earlier. Great post, @Edinho. Worth appreciating all the great content we all get from each other. This community has really become such a bit part of my sevillismo. So much nicer to share with others than watching solo, as I did for many years before Monchi’s Men.
