A picture is worth a thousand words. The one with the staff Seville keeping to Julen lopetegui minutes after the end of the game reflects what the Basque coach has achieved in just one year. It seems incredible, but only that time has passed since Monchi trusted a coach who, after bouncing so much from the Selection as from Real MadridHe might as well have lost his self-confidence. Nothing is further from reality. Lopetegui willingly accepted the challenge of rebuilding a Seville who, for the second consecutive year, had been left out of the Champions League after getting used to disputing it. On paper it certainly did not seem easy.
Julen He assumed the position of a team in which in the summer of 2019 the entire spine was changed. So much so, that 9 of the 11 players of the starting team this Friday were not in the Sánchez Pizjuán when this season started. It is hard to believe it taking into account the solvency with which this Sevilla plays, but the explanation has a name and surname: Julen Lopetegui Argote.
The technician who once put the Selection in the lane that promised to take him to embroider a second star on his shirt, he has not only more than fulfilled the task assigned to him, but beyond what he has shone in the how.
This SevilleIn addition to competing wonderfully, he plays great. The plan of Lopetegui It goes through a showy 4-3-3 in which they seek to be the protagonist through the ball but other aspects such as defensive solidity are not neglected for this reason. Solidarity in aid is a ‘sine qua non’ condition and the effort and depth per band are a blessed blessing. In one of them walks a certain Jesus Navas who seems to have taken the elixir of eternal youth and at 34 plays with the energy of a newcomer who seeks to gain a foothold in football.
But beyond any individuality, the real reason for the success of this Seville it is in the strength of the collective. The soccer machine he created Lopetegui It is not perfect because perfection does not exist in football. But it can well be asserted that the Basque has managed to make an authentic team. At Madrid they didn't give him enough time for it. Only one year has it taken in the Seville.