Exactly a month ago in this column I wrote about the then-Sevilla manager Jorge Sampaoli and how he was acting so bizarrely, with such self-destructive tactics and scant regard for his senior players, confusing and aggravating them, that it was imperative the club sacked him. Imperative if Sevilla weren’t to be relegated that is.
I also asked: “Is there anyone in the right frame of mind, with the correct judgement criteria, in a position to weigh up the pros and cons of sacking Sampaoli. And to make a brilliant decision about what to do next?”
It turns out that the answer was: “Yes!” and it only took Sevilla 18 days to agree with me to get rid of the guy who seemed intent on dragging them down to the second division, as if he were some kind of bizarre double-agent.
Then, to everyone’s surprise, they replaced the apparent double-agent with a saboteur (a description to which I’ll return in a minute.) A highly successful saboteur who is working minor miracles.
His name is Jose Luis Mendilibar — a lean, craggy, sometimes fearsome Basque man who hates modern football technology, hates modern football jargon and openly mocks those coaches who think the ball is for sharing via 15 or 20 passes before an attack can be mounted.
Yes, you’re right. It is the same Mendilibar who produced miracle after miracle to keep Eibar in the top division, season after season, despite the town only having 27,000 inhabitants, the stadium only having a 6,000 capacity and the club having a negligible budget compared to everyone else in LaLiga.
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Since Mendilibar took charge of Sevilla the team has produced more of his near-miracles. From playing with leaden legs, total lack of self belief and paper-thin competitive aggression, Los Rojiblancos are suddenly like footballing “Robocops.”
Unbeaten in six, they’ve knocked Manchester United (2017 champions and 2021 runners up) out of the Europa League, beaten Valencia away (their most threatening relegation rivals) and defeated Villarreal (2021 Europa League champions.)
Mendilibar is somehow coping with a deluge of injuries and suspensions and he’s also taken over just when the entire city of Sevilla goes on a non-stop three week, hedonistic, all-night party binge (encompassing Easter week and then the 177 year old tradition of The Sevilla Fair.)
