Sevilla’s transformation under José Luis Mendilibar has been remarkable and is something that not even the biggest Sevilla supporter could have seen coming. Before José Luis Mendilibar came to Sevilla, the team were near the relegation zone and in serious jeopardy of being dropped. The Nervionenses began the campaign with Julen Lopetegui, who had previously qualified Sevilla for the last three Champions League editions.
Despite his prior doings, a poor start and rumblings from both the supporters and members of the club’s board would see him be sacked and replaced by Jorge Sampaoli; who had previously managed Sevilla in the 2016/2017 season.
It was originally thought that the side could only improve under Sampaoli’s guidance since the team had more than enough quality to be aspiring for UEFA competitions. However, things only got worse with Sampaoli as the team went from fearing missing out on Champions League positions to being dragged into the relegation fight.
To add insult to injury, it was Sampaoli who was making the team worse as players were complaining that the Argentine was overcomplicating things and making them play in a way that they were not comfortable in. That’s when Sevilla sacked Sampaoli and sought a manager who had prior experience managing teams in relegation scraps. The selection would be José Luis Mendilibar, who would only sign for the last few months of the season.
Who is José Luis Mendilibar?
If you don’t know Mendilibar’s background and your first impression is that he’s the typical old timer that can’t stand the ever-changing trends of modern society, then you are correct. He’s a critic of the modern game, is against the use of VAR, and has little patience for managers who preach about only playing a certain way. Mendilibar has spent most of his managerial career either promoting teams or fighting to keep them in the first division, which is why Sevilla saw him as the ideal manager to lead this team that is not used to fighting relegation.
Instantly, Mendilibar made Sevilla a compact team in La Liga as they became difficult to beat and would stave off relegation without any sort of issues. That was expected from him, but what nobody could have foreseen was the impact he would make on the international stage.
Sevilla might be the team with the most Europa League titles, but they were nowhere near the favorites to win this year’s edition. Especially when they were taking on a revamped Manchester United side in the quarterfinals, who had already eliminated Barcelona and their local rivals Betis in the previous stages. Not to mention that Mendilibar was managing for the first time in any UEFA competition.
Europa League Glory
Remarkable, they came back from Manchester with a 2-2 draw, where they got a bit fortunate because both Sevilla goals were owl goals, but many thought that United were still the favorites to go through. Despite this, Sevilla would not only eliminate Manchester United, they thrashed them in the second leg by a 3-0 scoreline.
In the semifinals, they would take on Juventus, with the first leg finishing in a 1-1 draw in Turin where Sevilla could have scored more goals and Juve’s equalizer came in the very last minute of the game. In the return leg, although it was Juventus who would open the scoring to take the lead, Sevilla quickly equalized and would then win it in the extra time; reaching yet another Europa League final.
In the final, they would take on an AS Roma side managed by José Mourinho, who is without question one of the best managers in the world and a specialist in winning one-off games. Despite being down and struggling to break through the Italian defense, Sevilla equalized with a bit of fortune through a Roma own goal when the Palanganas were beginning to take control of the match. It finished 1-1 and the extra time would see no other goals, which meant the final would need to be decided in a penalty shootout. In the shootout, Sevilla would prevail and claim their seventh UEFA Europa League title.
An unbelievable achievement, but what has José Luis Mendilibar done that’s taken Sevilla from the threat of relegation to Europa League winners? Is it a change of personnel? Change of tactics? Or is it only a change of routine?
The answer is probably simpler than you think.
Keeping it Simple
Mendilibar has his particular way of playing, but most importantly, he wants to keep things simple. He is somebody who adapts to his teams, sets them up to play in a way that suits the side, and then sees in what areas the squad can improve on. While Sevilla didn’t have the same amount of possession as before, they began playing more wide and using the aerial threat of their strikers to wreak habit in the opposition area. He solidified the defense, which had been a mess all season and players who were struggling were now performing at the highest level.
But above all, the biggest change is that the team began playing simply (reflected by the manager). They played to their strengths, wouldn’t do things for the sake of doing it, and made good decisions without making big efforts. All this, along with the fact that Sevilla actually have a better squad than what the league table was showing, has led to the team’s transformation and seen them claim yet another Europa League title.
Furthermore, José Luis Mendilibar was able to achieve this with his old-school ways, sticking it to all those who preach about their idea of playing and that winning isn’t the most important thing.
Javier Martinez is a seasoned veteran of football coverage and an expert on Spanish football. He has been covering world football for more than seven years with bylines at outlets such as The 18 and The Real Champs.