Sevilla

Ivan Rakitic, Mr. Reliable, who had netted dozens of spot kicks throughout his career including in successive penalty shootouts for Croatia at the 2018 World ...

He was in the dugout for each of the top four finishes and establishing Sevilla among the league’s elite. One of the loudest dissenters is former club president Jose Maria del Nido, who remains the majority shareholder but cannot exercise this power due to an agreement struck in 2013, before he was imprisoned after being convicted of embezzlement. Under the Argentine, who previously coached the club in 2016/17, results and performances suggest there is little sustainable growth. A genuine triumph and something to be celebrated but the club, through misjudgement, had raised expectations. Lopetegui’s departure followed the exits of star defenders Julen Kounde and Diego Carlos to Barcelona and Aston Villa respectively. Real Madrid – who had sold Raphael Varane and lost long-term captain Sergio Ramos that summer – were leading the way but, despite going on to win the league and Champions League in a remarkable run of results, were not viewed as all-conquering. Winning matches became normal but dropping points became a big deal.” Explaining the transfer policy and expectations at the time, Monchi said: “The demands on this team are great because it has become a ‘big’ team.” But the process accelerated in January last year, as Sevilla continued to resist interest in their star players and instead invested; signing Jesus Corona from FC Porto and, eye-catchingly, bringing Anthony Martial in on a loan deal from [Manchester United](https://www.mirror.co.uk/all-about/manchester-united-fc). Sevilla beat Cadiz 1-0 and at the end of the match, Rakitic was embraced by the club’s sporting director Monchi in an emotional hug. Instead of a momentum-building dramatic win, Julen Lopetegui’s side had dropped two points and the points gap at the top stood at six. Mirror Football has spoken to multiple sources who work with and within the club to analyse how it went wrong. It lifted Sevilla, who began the match in 19 th , above their Andalusian opponents and out of the drop zone.