Did Sevilla underachieve in the 2010/11 La Liga season?
In the 2009/10 La Liga season, Sevilla were able to get the last Champions League position available thanks to the heroics of Luis Fabiano. Following the 2010 World Cup, the striker’s form, as well as his attitude, changed and he was eventually shipped out to Sao http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Brazil-c2858. The fortunes of the club changed as well with the club ending on 5th position, thanks to better head-to-head results against Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid.
The team was able to retain most of its players, though, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Adriano-c3773 went to Barcelona in exchange for 9.5 million Euros plus incentives, but the fortunes of the club were not the same. The club that scored 65 goals in the 2009/10 term managed to score only 62 this time out. The attacking prowess of the team could not be questioned but it was the defensive blunders that stood out for Sevilla.
In the entirety of the league campaign, the team managed to leak more than 61 goals which when compared to last year’s tally is 12 goals more. A team which was just a couple of years ago was challenging for continental honours has stooped to a low point.
When comparing the defensive gaps of Sevilla with the Champions http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Barcelona-c38604 there is a huge disparity. Barcelona won the league by conceding only 21 goals and scoring 95 in the process. Sevilla, on the other hand, conceded thrice as much. Villarreal, the team that occupied the slot above them, conceded 23 less goals. In the last campaign, the team conceded at an unhealthy average of 1.61 goals per game.
A team consisting of attacking geniuses of Jesus Navas, Fredric Kanoute and http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Álvaro-Negredo-c5294 was betrayed by the defensive deficiencies. Scoring at an average of 1.63 goals a game would allow us to believe that the team would perform better but such was not the case.
Had the Sevilla defenders managed to cough up the courage to stand up to their tasks and plug the holes in the defence, Sevilla would not be chasing glory in the second tier of European club competitions. Champions League would have been the reward.
Villarreal make for a good example. The yellow Submarine were able to cough up 54 goals and their tight defence meant only 44 balls went through the posts.
Lack of defensive stability at Sevilla was marred by long term injuries to first team players. Stars whose seasons were shortened by injuries include the likes of Jesus Navas (left ankle, twice), http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Fabiano-c13129, Sevilla were constantly strained and could not match their opponents in La Liga.
The Seville-based club set lofty standards for themselves when they won back-to-back UEFA Cups in the 2005/06 and 2006/07 season, and it is only fair if more was asked by the supporters of the club. The defensive wobbles have to be stopped. They ought to learn from their mistakes and learn from Villarreal in order to make themselves perennial mainstays in Europe’s elite competition.
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