Sevilla finished 12th in La Liga last season, which was a disappointment but they did progress to the final of the Europa League, winning the competition for a record seventh time.
Sevilla also reached the quarter-final of the Copa del Rey, so there was plenty for the fans to cheer throughout the campaign.
Back to work 💪🎯 #RealSociedadSevillaFC pic.twitter.com/9ZmfcMXt7P— Sevilla FC (@SevillaFC_ENG) November 21, 2023
Back to work 💪🎯 #RealSociedadSevillaFC pic.twitter.com/9ZmfcMXt7P
Unfortunately, success in the Europa League has not propelled the team to new heights this season.
As things stand during the second international break of the 2023/24 campaign, Sevilla are 13th in La Liga, on 12 points.
That leaves the club 16 points off the top four and qualification for the Champions League.
Sevilla are only 5 points clear of the relegation zone and could be sucked into a relegation battle if form does not improve over the winter months.
Sevilla have won only 2 of their 12 league fixtures this season, which is a miserable return and they have a goal difference of just +1.
Performance in the Champions League group stage has also been poor and Sevilla are bottom of a group containing Arsenal, PSV Eindhoven, and Lens.
As worst, Sevilla would have been hoping to finish second in that group but they have yet to win a game in the competition.
Even qualification to the Europa League for finishing third in the group looks tough right now.
Instability in the managerial position has cost Sevilla over the past year, with four different managers taking control of the team.
This season, José Luis Mendilibar started as the Sevilla manager but he was sacked on the 8th of October and Diego Alonso took control of the club.
Sevilla have won just 1 match under the guidance of Alonso and that came at lower league Quintanar in the Copa del Rey.
However, Sevilla have not been easy to beat in La Liga since the arrival of Alonso and they are undefeated in their last 5 league games.
Sevilla’s main issue under Alonso is conceding the first goal in matches. Other than the 1-1 draw at home with Real Madrid, Sevilla have conceded the first goal in all their La Liga matches with Alonso as manager.
They were 2-0 down against Rayo Vallecano, 2-0 down against Cadiz, 1-0 down against Celta Vigo, and 1-0 down against local rivals, Real Betis.
There is no doubt Sevilla have shown great character to come back in games, especially when 2-0 down but conceding the first goal in matches cannot continue.
Things do not get any easier for Sevilla when the season resumes on the 26th of November as they travel to Real Sociedad.
However, there are games upcoming against Mallorca, Getafe, and Granada that Alonso will have identified as matches they can win.
Scoring the first goal will be key for Sevilla and if they can strike first in all those 3 fixtures, they will have a better chance of winning and moving up the league table.