Real Madrid 4-1 Sevilla, 5 Talking Points: La Liga 2016-17

4. Jorge Sampaoli and “Bielsalisima” found out yet again in the long run

The last time Sevilla faced off against Real Madrid, they were genuine title contenders who were giving Barcelona and Real Madrid a run for their money. When they rolled up into the Bernabeu yesterday for their return leg, they were fighting to mantain their fourth spot.

While Jorge Sampaoli and his “guru” Marcelo Bielsa have been lauded as revolutonaries and heroes, and rightly so, for introducing an all-new philosophy into the ever-expanding schools of thought that football embraces. Their football. primarily based on shock-and-awe is utterly unstoppable in short doses, but they have a major issue when it comes to going the whole distance. Their teams fade away by the time the “crunch” part of the season comes into its own – and when the very best teams up their game, they most often tend to dip.

That’s what happened to Sevilla this season, their season taking a nosedive in the months of March, April and May and allowing what appeared to be a promising three-horse race descend into a scrap between the usual suspects. Sampaoli now looks like he’ll be heading to Argentina‘s national team where Lionel Messi is in dire need of a man who knows some tactics which means that he may not get the opportunity to prove he can build a side capable of sustainable success built around the values of Bielsalisima anytime soon. Damn shame too.