Tom Oldfield


There can have been no happier men in the building when the Champions League groups were drawn than Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido and manager Manolo Jimenez.

Due to the contentious UEFA seedings, the Spaniards ended up in pot 1 alongside the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona. And the luck continued to go their way as the draw progressed, pairing Sevilla with Rangers, Stuttgart and Romanian minnows Unirea Urziceni. Qualification was wrapped up after the first four games, with the Spaniards collecting an impressive ten points and earning the right to cruise along in their final two group fixtures. They have done everything that has been asked of them and have sent out an early statement of intent.
 
The second round, though, promises to be a far tougher proposition and that is what the coaching staff will have to start preparing for now. The question is: how many more gears do Sevilla have?

The Spaniards have a number of strengths. Firstly, they have both spirit and resilience. Top players, including the likes of Sergio Ramos and Dani Alves, have been and gone yet the club continues to defy the odds and chase the big prizes by holding onto the bulk of the squad and adding new stars. They have an uncanny knack of unearthing talented youngsters who play with freedom and a total absence of fear and picking up solid performers who other clubs have prematurely cast aside, like midfield workhorse Didier Zokora.

They have a prolific frontline which on its day can rival anything in Europe. Luis Fabiano has begun to fulfil his vast potential in La Liga, earning him a starting role at international level with Brazil, while Freddie Kanoute has blossomed into the player West Ham supporters hoped he would be at Upton Park. They offer Sevilla a number of different ways to play and are ably supported by midfielders Adriano and Jesus Navas. As Rangers found, it is a deadly combination.

And at home, at the Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan, they are formidable. With frenzied support and an emphasis on attack, they take some stopping on home soil, as Arsenal found to their cost two years ago in a group stage defeat. They have begun the La Liga season with some fine victories in front of their own fans, crushing Real Zaragoza and gaining a fine 2-1 win over big-spending Real Madrid, and are putting pressure on the leaders. Jimenez’s side look the likeliest to challenge the dominance of Barcelona and Real.

But it is in Europe where Sevilla could make the biggest strides. So how far can they go?

Much will depend on the draw again. There will certainly be a batch of stronger sides in the second round – but also a fair few weaker teams. Barcelona, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal are obvious ones to avoid while AC Milan, Inter and Juventus are dangerous on their day. And there are still some question marks over how the Seville defence would hold up on a trip to the Emirates or Old Trafford.

But there will be some surprise qualifiers, that is for sure. Powerhouses of previous years Liverpool and Bayern Munich are both on the brink of heading out of the competition while the group involving Inter and last year’s winners Barcelona is still undecided, as is Group C featuring AC Milan and Real Madrid. There could well be an intriguing mix of clubs when the knockout rounds kick off.

And Sevilla cannot be discounted. Successive UEFA Cup triumphs show that the Spaniards relish the knockout element to cup competitions and they have the talent to score on their travels. They understand the significance of away goals and know they can cash in during an intimidating home leg for their opponents. Their form this season has even established them as outsiders to reach the semi-finals in some pundits’ eyes.

The Spanish side certainly possess the belief to push on through to the last eight. It would be a major surprise if they went any further but stranger things have happened. After all, back in 2004, Monaco and Jose Mourinho’s Porto – two unfancied sides that year when the competition kicked off – reached the final as the big guns fell along the way.

Sevilla’s strong run of results means they can concentrate on their domestic fixture list for the time being, before switching back into serious Champions League mode when the challenges of the second round arrive, whoever their opponents may be.
 
One thing is for sure, though. With their attacking mindset and their abundance of creative forwards, Sevilla will not die wondering. If and when they go out, it will be with all guns blazing.

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