Last update 1 September, 2021 by Alberto Llopis
When people think of the League, The duopoly of Real Madrid and Barcelona is usually imagined dominating the events, with the odd title from Atlético de Madrid before their stars leave. However, with the economic difficulties that the clubs are going through and the departure of key players to other teams in Europe, the league is more unpredictable than ever. Those who bet on Santander League matches They don't know who to choose.
Last season, Atlético surprised the bookmakers by winning the title on the last day of the season, and the fourth and last place in the Champions League went to Sevilla. Despite being notoriously associated with his expeditions in the Europa League, the red and white, now directed by Julen Lopetegui, have a real chance to pursue domestic success for the first time in years: his last home trophy was a Rayo Cup more than a decade ago.
Lopetegui is building an exciting team at the Ramón Sánchez-Pizjuán and, with its star players Youssef En-Nesyri and Jules Koundé, who want to stay at the club despite links with a move to London clubs West Ham and Cheslea, The Spaniard seems to have a settled squad at his disposal.
Bryan Gil left the club to go to Tottenham Hotspur, and the Argentine international Érik Lamela arrived as part of the exchange. The player, of 29 years, premiered with a dream debut: scored a double in the victory of the rojiblancos by 3-0 against Rayo Vallecano. En-Nesyri opened the scoring after Luca Zidane was sent off for the visitors, and Sevilla largely controlled the match before Lamela secured the three points to put his new team at the top of the table, although momentarily.
Lopetegui's team, who finished last season so strongly, wants to get back on track in the League. Almost fifteen points separate them from Real Sociedad, who came fifth, and that began the new campaign with a resounding victory against a recently promoted.
In addition to the pressure that Sevilla had to win and gain more momentum to finish in the top four, They were also fighting the elements – the heat wave in Seville something that Lopetegui mentioned in his press conference before the game. “The heat is one more circumstance that is there on the sidelines, that is part of the marathon that is a league and that will force us to compete without looking at the context
I face the season with enthusiasm and with the same butterflies in my stomach”
Despite this large balance of points, some irregular results left Sevilla without a chance to fight for the title, since Diego Simeone's Atlético is simply superior to the rest in the League. But with this current crop of players, if the Rojiblancos can get points from the other respective great teams, as well as keep crushing the newly promoted, This certainly outsider group could embark on a true title chase for the first time in the careers of many of its players., a feat that could hinder them due to a lack of experience or help them by playing with pure impetus and a sense of the unknown. The pressure is on Lopetegui to continue giving results.