Going into Matchday 10 and facing a tough away trip to Villarreal, Sevilla are a team in unpredictable form.
Sitting in eighth place in the La Liga ladder, the team from Andalusia have a record of three wins, three draws and three losses, which begs the question – are Sevilla La Liga’s most inconsistent team?
Sevilla are becoming a tipster’s nightmare. A team who many predicted would challenge for a Champions League spot, Los Rojiblancos started the season poorly. Two draws and a loss was all that was taken from their opening three matches.
It looked as if a change in fortunes had occurred though, as Sevilla rolled into the UCL to dispatch Borussia Monchengladbach 3-0. A hard fought loss to high flyers Celta Vigo followed their midweek victory, but the signs of recovery were there for Unai Emery’s men.
A trip to the Canary Islands to face the newly promoted Las Palmas looked like an easy win for the Red and Whites. Unfortunately for them, the home side did not read the script and put Sevilla back on the plane with a 2-0 loss.
A positive result against Rayo Vallecano looked to steady the ship, before a predictable loss in Turin to Juventus rocked the boat yet again. With a home fixture against Barcelona up next, it looked as if another defeat was on the horizon.
However, they would shock the reigning champions with a 2-1 win that showed the side’s full potential.
They then travelled to the smallest club in the history of the league, Eibar, in what should have been the simplest match to predict of the round. Eibar would hold on for a draw, and Sevilla would continue to frustrate betting men around the globe.
Following the disappointing stalemate, the Red and Whites would suffer another Champions League loss, but only due to Kevin De Bruyne’s injury winner for Manchester City. In Jornada 9, Sevilla put five past Getafe in a match where the visitors gave away three penalties.
All of these results have fans and pundits alike scratching their heads as to what is going on in the Andalusian capital. At no point have Los Rojiblancos been that poor, but they could rarely be considered unlucky. Unlike the teams around them, Sevilla’s form is hard to predict as no one quite knows who will turn up to play on the day.
Looking at the table, they share the three-three-three record with two other teams, Valencia and Real Betis, and sit even on points with Espanyol, who have played out four wins and five losses from their nine matches. Also worth a look in for the most inconsistent tag is Sevilla’s next opponents – Villarreal.
Valencia’s three-three-three record looks nothing but natural when looking at who they have played. Defeating Sporting Gijon, Granada and Malaga, while losing to Athletic Bilbao and Atletico Madrid comes as no surprise. Their third loss, to Espanyol, came in an even match where one goal separated the two sides, who had 50% possession each and both recorded four shots on target.
Betis, meanwhile, are a team still riding high from promotion, and their form reflects that of a newly promoted side. Sitting in 10th on the table on goal difference will please coach Pepe Mel, and if they finish in the top-half come season’s end, it will be celebrated as a success.
Espanyol comes closest to Los Rojiblancos’ tag as the league’s most inconsistent with their four wins and five losses. The thing that separates the two clubs is the weaknesses that lead to these results. While Sevilla do not have any clear shortcomings, Espanyol boast the league’s most porous defence – having conceded 20 goals already this season. If the Periquitos are having an off-day defensively they are likely to get punished, as witnessed in the 6-0 demolition by Real Madrid and the three goals conceded against Villarreal, Deportivo La Coruna and Rayo Vallecano.
Villarreal may be considered inconsistent or out of form, depending on the side of the fence one takes. Unbeaten in their first six matches of the 2015-16 Liga season, they have gone on to record two losses and a draw from their last three outings. In may be seen that the pressure of being top of the table got to the Yellow Submarine.
Sevilla now travel to El Madrigal to take on the free-falling former leaders. If the two teams who hit the park last week show up this match will be a foregone conclusion. While the Red and Whites were putting Getafe to the sword, Villarreal were putting the fans to sleep with their insipid 0-0 draw with Las Palmas.
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But as this season has already shown us, turning up week-in and week-out is not a certainty of Unai Emery’s charges. The Sevilla that played on the Canary Islands might rear its ugly head again, and we could see the Yellow Submarine rise to the top.
It has become nigh on impossible to call what we will see for Los Rojiblancos and the current form of Villarreal adds an extra layer to that. Sevilla will be attempting to secure their first back-to-back wins of the season, while Villarreal need to put an end to their slide down the ladder.
If Sevilla wins they may have done enough to shake their inconsistency tag, a loss or draw will keep it with them for another week. If that is the case, expect to see the Red and Whites roll into the Bernabeu on Matchday 11 and take all three points from Real Madrid.
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