Things haven’t exactly gone to plan for Unai Emery this season. First of all, he had to sell key players Jesus Navas, Alvaro Negredo and Gary Medel. Now, he has to deal with the fact that those who were brought in to replace them are failing to step up. Sevilla have become a one-man side with an over reliance on Ivan Rakitic. It is not something that Emery is happy about and it’s not his only problem.
‘We hope that all those around him improve because he can’t do it on his own. The team can and they need to learn that they can win without Rakitic but it is also true that he is a person that brings a winning mentality,” mused Emery this week.
Last season the midfielder had Gary Medel and Geoffrey Kondogbia to help with the workload but this season he has appeared to be working alone whilst others struggle around him. Before the season started some predicted a bright campaign for Sevilla, but things haven’t gone to plan.
Sitting in 14th, with just three wins and four draws, this is not the start Los Nervionenses wanted. One of the major problems the side has faced is filling the void left by Alvaro Negredo. Kevin Gameiro was signed for €10m but so far the French forward and his partner Carlos Bacca have only found the net four times each.
It is Rakitic who leads the goalscoring charts with seven. Jose Antonio Reyes, once a Sevilla darling that they wept as he left for London, has become a mere side note and the club are keen to move him on. To make things even worse the long run of failing to win away in La Liga continues and there is no evidence on the horizon that the win will come soon.
The defence is a worrying situation too. While Alberto Moreno is earning praise, the rest of the back-line constantly faces criticism. So far they have conceded 25 goals. Granted that seven of those goals came in the match against Real Madrid, but Unai is anything but happy with his side’s defensive displays. On Wednesday this week he said that he was more concerned about the leaky defence than his forwards’ lacklustre ventures.
He also added that it was the responsibility of all the team to chip in. He admitted that he has heard the fans voicing their concerns on the terraces and that he has taken their comments on board. But, for how much longer will they, and more importantly will Jose Maria del Nido, put up with the poor performances?
Sevilla-based outlet Estadio Deportivo this week reminded Emery that Del Nido has a limit and that it appears that he is very close to it. The former Valencia man brushed it off but he knows deep down that time is running out for him to turn things around. The big question isn’t can he make Sevilla grand again, but can anybody?
