As the dust settles on Barcelona’s fantastic 3-1 demolition of Manchester United in the Champions League Final, and the national side recently so effortlessly thumped the United States 4-0, one thing is for certain – Spain are the best footballing nation in the world at this moment in time.

Spanish football’s contemporary success is hugely desirable: the national team are the current holders of both the European Championships and the World Cup, after victories in both 2008 and 2010 respectively. Spanish club Barcelona have won the Champions League twice in the last three years, and both Sevilla and Athletico Madrid have triumphed in the Europa League in the last five years.

Spain’s Primera Liga is producing fantastic, world-class players – every single player in Spain’s starting line-up for the World Cup Final belonged to a La Liga club. Eight of Barcelona’s first eleven for the Champions League Final progressed through the Barcelona academy. And for the last two years, the Ballon D’Or has been graced exclusively by players currently playing in Spain: Andres Iniesta, Xavi Hernandez, Cristiano Ronaldo, and current holder Lionel Messi. The standard set by the Spanish league can only be envied by their counterparts. Which begs the question – what makes Spain such a fantastic footballing nation?

Anybody who watched any of Spain’s action from the World Cup will know that their ball retention is second to none. The Spaniards made 3597 passes, more than any other team at a World Cup since 1966. In the final, their passing accuracy was 84.2%, Holland’s 69%. Xavi, Spain’s midfield maestro, was simply impeccable – the Barcelona man made 57 attacking-half passes, compared to Wesley Sneijder’s measly 21. Spain retained possession like their lives depended on it, waiting patiently for an opportunity to pierce the Dutch defence. Barcelona replicated this passing accuracy last Saturday, and Xavi again proved to be the master of his art, with 95% accuracy.

This tireless attitude to ball retention is coached in Spain from a very young age. Every Barcelona team, from the academy teams to Messi and co. incorporate a 5v1 possession game known as ‘El Rondo’ into their training sessions. The players on the outside, the Rondistas, must keep possession from the middle player, as he tries to intercept their passes. It breeds quick passing, short-distance sprinting, stamina, intelligence of movement and speed of thought. Xavi said recently that players recognise the ‘shame’ of giving the ball away, even in training games such as this.

In La Liga, 77.1% of players are Spanish, one of the highest percentages of all of the top European leagues. Of all twenty squads in the Premier League, less than 40% of players are English. Spanish teams prefer to nurture players through academies before spending money on foreign players. Teams scour the local area for talent, rather than abroad like many English teams do. These Spanish academies strive to be more than just a football team (hence Barcelona’s motto ‘Mes Que Un Club’), and instead act as a family to these young players, developing their lifestyle and attitudes into those of professional footballers. The importance of education is impressed upon young players by the club until they have completed their studies, and by the age of 17 and 18, many of these prospects are ready to progress into first teams, integrating alongside the more experienced players in the team. Daniel Pacheco, a Barcelona youth team graduate said recently ‘they look after you as a person, not just a footballer’.

Spanish clubs’ scouts search for talented, ball-playing footballers. Those who are bigger, stronger and faster than the rest may be desirable in England, but in Spain they are simply disregarded, unless they are technically able too. Young players develop their skills by playing 5-a-side with friends, where a quality first touch and faultless ball mastery lead to success. Because of the Mediterranean weather, children can play all year long in Spain, whereas their English counterparts are resigned to the indoors, losing opportunity to become better technical footballers. However, Spain share their climate with numerous other countries including Portugal and Italy, yet none of those have found success in the way Spain has done. So is there a difference in the aspirations, dreams and desire between these young Spaniards and all other potential footballers?

Maybe so. Young, talented footballers are often offered lucrative contracts by English clubs in order to be prised away from their Spanish academies, in the way Cesc Fabregas was. Yet Fabregas remains the player who can’t budge the likes of Iniesta and Xavi, the guys who refused to leave Spain, off their perch. In England’s second tier, players earn between £3,000 and £10,000 a week, nearly three times what a player in Spain’s Segunda Division would expect. But the willingness to stick it out, play in B teams in lower leagues in the hope that one day, they may just follow in the footsteps of Ramos, Xavi and Villa, is what makes Spanish players the best in the world. And that is why Spain will continue producing the world’s best players for years to come.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Player transfer fees and their larger than life wage bills are a common topic of discussion for a football fan of today. From Wayne Rooney threatening to quit to oil-rich owners going on shopping sprees, the footballers have now become spoilt and they now know that their high demands will be met at their current club or the next.

It is especially easy to get a huge wage offer for those who possess skill and/or experience. Yaya Toure moved from Spain to England with a wage demand that even England’s best Rooney was not getting at the time.

For the smaller clubs, it has become far more difficult to move into the top-flight and pose a threat to the top teams in their own country, let alone go on a Euro trip.

We have taken the liberty to skim out the football clubs out of the ESPN’s 200 best-paying teams in the world and present a list to you of 66 best-paying football teams in the world.

If you’re gifted with football, this is who will show you the money:

The Leagues and Countries: Bundesliga (Germany), EPL (English Premier League, England), La Liga (Spain), Serie A (Italy) & SPL (Scottish Premier League, Scotland).

Also see: Best Paid Footballers By Country

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

During the 1-1 draw against Sevilla, Barcelona’s defender Eric Abidal pulled off one of the greatest headers of recent times when he hurled himself face first into the ground to pass the ball to a defender. Of course, the ball was between Abidal’s face and the ground.

Here’s a YouTube video of the incident and while you’re watching it, pray for his quick recovery from the liver tumor surgery:

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Madrid might boast one more club in La Primera than Barcelona, but at the moment is is the Catalans who are coming out on top. The thrashing of Real Madrid at the Camp Nou on Monday evening was hugely impressive and, coupled with Espanyol’s win over Atletico Madrid at the weekend, gave the capital clubs plenty of thinking to do heading into the next round. Indeed, of the three Madrid sides in action, it was only the smallest who did Madrid proud – their 3-1 victory at Sevilla lifting them to a comfortable mid-table slot just three points behind the Andalucian club. Nevertheless, Getafe had their fair share of misery in the week too, as they conceded late on against Odense to wave goodbye to any hopes of Europa League progression this season.

All in all, not a good week for the capital sides, and they will all be hoping to bounce back strongly this weekend. The most significant fixture, and certainly the one which will garner the most attention, will be Real Madrid’s clash with Valencia at the Bernabeu. Following the battering they took against Barcelona, Madrid simply have to take all three points against los Che or else they will begin to fall further away from the champions. How they come back from their first defeat under Jose Mourinho will be intriguing to watch and will also show the mental strength of the team. To further add to the pressure, los Blancos will be without the injured Gonzalo Higuain and so will be relying on Karim Benzema up front, which, considering his dismal showing at the Camp Nou, could be a concern. For Valencia, it is either the best or worst time to play Madrid, but they have been in good form lately and will be looking to push themselves back into the top four places. Worryingly though, in a game where they are likely to have to repel plenty of attacks, they are without both Cesar and Miguel Moya, meaning that third-choice goalkeeper Vicente Guitia will start.

On the other side of the city, Getafe face a tough test against Mallorca, who have won their last two matches and lurk just below the Champions League places. The home team will have to be at their best defensively if they are to take anything from the match and they have shown signs of improvement lately, following rumours that coach Michel might be facing the sack. His position appears to be safe for now but should they lose to Mallorca they then face a tough test in Villarreal and the pressure could yet again be on.

Over in Valencia, Atletico desperately need to pick up all three points against Levante to ensure they don’t lose more ground on the top four. Their performance in the defeat to Espanyol last weekend was below-par and then against Aris in the week it was dismal, as they conceded soft goals and put themselves in a tough position to qualify for the next stage of the Europa League. Quique Flores made no excuses following the mid-week loss and both he and the players know they have to win against a Levante team that has lost five of their last six matches. Failure to win could see Atletico slip eight points behind Espanyol in fourth spot – a huge margin considering the current form of both clubs.

Espanyol themselves will be disappointed if they don’t manage to continue their impressive form when they take on Sporting Gijon in Barcelona. The visitors have lost their last three matches and Mauricio Pochettino’s team should be full of confidence following their win at the Vicente Calderon last weekend. Similarly, Barcelona should be flying after their demolition of Madrid but, as is his way, Pep Guardiola has been careful to not get too excited and has reminded all and sundry that it was just one match and his team now have to take three points from Osasuna – never an easy away fixture. The Pamplona club might be useless on the road but at home they are a force to be reckoned with and they should provide a stern test for Barcelona on Saturday evening.

While the world-famous El Clasico took place on Monday, there is a less famous but just as passionate derby taking place on Sunday when Real Sociedad welcome Athletic Bilbao to the Anoeta. The last time the two Basque teams met was back in January 2007 when Andoni Iraola scored twice to give Athletic the win and it promising to be an intense clash, with tickets already sold out. To make it even more interesting, both teams are level on points in the Primera table and both boast exciting attacking talents in the shape of Joseba Llorente and Fernando Llorente.

Elsewhere, Villarreal will look to continue their good form against Sevilla – who have been terribly inconsistent this year and have not yet been truly revitalised under Gregorio Manzano. The Andalucian club lost 4-2 to Paris St. Germain in the week and now cannot afford to lose their last match if they want to progress further in the Europa League. Villarreal on the other hand were comfortable winners against Dynamo Zagreb and if anyone is going to catch Barcelona and Real Madrid at the top of the table it is them, even if they are already seven points behind the leaders.

Down at the the bottom there is a huge clash between Almeria and Real Zaragoza, both of whom have been poor this season and find themselves 19th and 20th in the table respectively. Between them they have just two wins from 26 matches and there is little doubt that this match is hugely important to both teams – perhaps more so for Almeria considering they are at home and have lost their last three on the spin. Malaga and Racing Santander have carried on from where they left off last season and they are in danger of slipping down to Segunda too. Even with Manuel Pellegrini in charge, Malaga have struggled and they currently sit in the third relegation spot, four points behind Racing who have been nearly as bad as the island club this season.

Finally, on Monday night, Deportivo la Coruna take on the surprise package in La Primera, Hercules. Depor made a dismal start to the season but have improved lately and they will be hopeful of taking all three points against a team who has blown both hot and cold this year. While wins over Barcelona and Sevilla were impressive, defeats to Malaga and Osasuna were damaging and, if Hercules are to stay up this year, they will surely have to win more games against the teams around them, like Deportivo.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The draw for the last 16 of the Copa del Rey has been made, with the subsequent pairings ensuring the big two of Real Madrid and Barcelona can’t meet each other until the final. Real have been drawn against Levante whilst the two most decorated teams in the competition’s history – Barcelona (25 wins) and Athletic Bilbao (23) – came out of the hat together in what is without doubt the tie of the round. The clubs last met in the 2009 final when Barcelona won 4-1 in the Mestalla, Valencia.

The first legs are formally scheduled for December 21st, with the return fixtures pencilled in for January 4th of next year, and there are a couple of local derbies to get passions racing. Villarreal have been matched with great rivals Valencia whereas Manuel Pellegrini’s Málaga can look forward to a clash with holders Sevilla.

The two surviving second division clubs, Real Betis and Córdoba, will face Getafe and Deportivo respectively; the other two games are Almería v Mallorca and Atlético Madrid v Espanyol.

The final will be played on April 20, 2011.

The full draw is:-

1. Valencia – Villarreal
2. Barcelona – Athletic de Bilbao
3. Córdoba – Deportivo de la Coruña
4. Betis – Getafe
5. Almería – Mallorca
6. Sevilla – Málaga
7. Real Madrid- Levante
8. Atlético de Madrid – Espanyol

Quarter-finals:

Winners of match 5 v Winners of match 3 (A)
Winners of match 2 v Winners of match 4 (B)
Winners of match 7 v Winners of match 8 (C)
Winners of match 1 v Winners of match 6 (D)

First legs January 12th – Second legs January 19th.

Semi-finals:

Winners of match D v Winners of match C
Winners of match B v Winners of match A

First legs January 26th – Second legs February 2nd.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

The new La Liga TV rights deal is unfair to everyone except Madrid and Barcelona.

A rift is beginning to develop in Spanish football over the share of future television money from the LFP (Spanish League) after a meeting attended by all first division clubs.

Six of them – Sevilla, Zaragoza, Villarreal, Real Sociedad, Athletic Bilbao and Espanyol – have all officially distanced themselves from any proposed agreement, and Sevilla president José María del Nido, spokesman for the group, explained the position to Palabra de Fútbol radio:

“Only Real Madrid and Barcelona stand to gain from this,” he said. “The two giants have earned €1,500 million more than the next club in the last ten years, and with this agreement in place four clubs – Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid and Valencia – will all earn more in the next six years than a team that finishes third in the league.”

The agreement is due to start for the 2015/16 season, although there is an option to bring it forward a year, and it has so far been signed by 13 clubs – the only one still not to have made a definite decision is Málaga. The suggestion put forward is that Real Madrid and Barcelona would share 34% of revenue whilst Atlético Madrid and Valencia would share 11%. The remaining 45% would then be divided amongst the other 16 clubs, with so-called ‘parachute payments’ in place for relegated clubs.

The rebels are totally opposed to the plan, which on the face of it implies the rich will get even richer, and say it affects competitiveness and fairness. They now intend to take their complaints to the Tribunal de la Competencia (Competition Tribunal) where they will make it clear they want a system where clubs equally share 40% of total income, whilst 60% would be subject to different criteria: TV audiences generated, league position and standing.

Del Nido went on to back up his claims with facts: “Of the 79 leagues played 51 have been won by Real Madrid or Barcelona, which is 65% against 35% for the rest. In the last ten years the two big clubs have won 80% of the titles with 20% for the rest. And most significantly, in the last five years only these two have won the title. If this continues the league title will have been sold in advance for the next ten years,” he added.

He gave more details of the meeting on Sevilla’s official web site www.sevillafc.es:

‘We discussed how the Spanish league has evolved in the last five or ten years, for today there exists a difference of 45 points between the first and last in the table. It’s wrong and degrading to professional football as it eliminates competition. We have seen that the only way competition can exist is if everybody competes at least more equally, with television rights shared as they are in countries such as Britain, France, Germany and Italy. In France five different teams have won the title in the last ten years and in Germany the number is four.

Furthermore, Sevilla FC is fighting for the interests of all first and second division clubs and not against any particular one. We want the distribution of income balanced in everybody’s favour – clubs like Osasuna and Racing would earn more as well as ones such as ourselves, Atlético and Valencia. Real Madrid and Barcelona would earn less but this is exactly what happens in the Premiership. If Manchester United are Champions they will earn double what a team that gets relegated earns, but this doesn’t happen in Spain. Real Madrid earns €150 million from television rights while Levante get €9 million; in this instance it’s impossible for teams in the same category to compete.

We spoke about the television money for three hours and not one president showed their dissatisfaction with the collective sale of the TV rights, the same as not one disagreed with the equal share which Sevilla and the other five clubs want; the presidents of Real Madrid and Barcelona remained silent. The five who share this proposal with us will carry on fighting from within the group of thirteen clubs.’

Finally the Sevilla president spoke of his conclusions in respect to the future of live television money. “I think time will be in our favour,” he said, “because we are talking about something that would be in place for the 2014/15 season. So we have time to modify any criterion that has been reached. We are absolutely convinced we have right on our side and are fighting for the interests of Spanish football so that the league is truly competitive. We will carry on with what we discussed today as it could take many years fighting for this cause.”

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

Real Madrid fans were hoping for a draw here at Camp Nou but it was very far from the definition of a draw to be called a draw. I know, the first sentence was not much about “making sense”, it was more about the following sentence. Barcelona humbled Sevilla FIVE-0.

Lionel Messi was quick to open the score in the fourth minute. David Villa followed 20 minutes later. That was all the notable action to come from the first half until Sevilla’s Abdoulay Konko got sent off within three minutes of receiving his first booking.

Second half mainly consisted of Barca attacking over and over again and goals by Dani Alves and second goals from Messi and Villa.

Barcelona 1-0 Sevilla (Messi, 4′)

Barcelona 2-0 Sevilla (Villa, 24′)

Barcelona 3-0 Sevilla (Alves, 53′)

Barcelona 4-0 Sevilla (Messi, 64′)

Barcelona 5-0 Sevilla (Villa, 90′)

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

One could be forgiven for thinking that Real Madrid are the only Spanish team to have played in Europe this week. Incessant media coverage coupled with relentless praise, usually reserved for a team that has just won the quadruple, or at least the Champions League, has meant that the other six Spanish teams in Europe have gone about their jobs rather quietly.

That is not to say they have not been successful though – the other two clubs in the Champions League picked up four points between them, while in the Europa League three of the four were victorious.

All this points towards yet another strong year in Europe for the teams from La Primera, with Real Madrid perhaps the favourites at the moment to win any silverware. While the capital club have struggled on the continent in recent years, they put in a spectacular performance to dispose of AC Milan on Tuesday and seem to be finding their feet under Jose Mourinho. The big question will be whether they can maintain their form until the business end of the season and certainly they will be hoping that the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo or Gonzalo Higuain can stay fit.

While Madrid have been dazzling with their goals lately, Barcelona have been slightly underwhelming by their own high standards and the 2-0 win over Copenhagen was far from impressive. It has not been only been a problem in Europe too, as the Catalans have not dismantled teams in La Primera as they have done for the last two seasons. As with Madrid though, the true tests won’t come until much later in the season and with Barcelona likely to finish top of Group D still, they are the favourites with the bookies to triumph next May.

Valencia on the other hand are fortunate to have a chance of making it to next February, after Rangers missed a couple of open goals in their drawn match. Los Che were overrun by the Scottish club at Ibrox and Unai Emery will have to get his tactics right for the next couple of matches if his team are to progress. The good news is that they have two home games left against Rangers and Bursaspor, both of which they should win, before they travel to Manchester United, by which time they might have already secured qualification.

On Thursday evening it was the turn of the rest of the Spanish clubs to participate in the Europa League and three of the four of managed to secure victories. Getafe were the only losers as they were defeated 1-0 by Stuttgart to leave their hopes of qualification hanging in the balance.  The Madrid side have managed just three points from their opening three matches and they will have to improve markedly if they to progress at the expense of either Stuttgart or Young Boys.

The same could not be said for Villarreal, who at the moment sit second in La Primera and also top of their Europa League group ahead of Dinamo Zagreb. Their 1-0 victory over PAOK wasn’t exactly memorable but it was their second straight victory in the tournament and another win should see them qualify to the next stage.

Sevilla also secured a 1-0 win, this time over Karpaty, which puts them second in Group J, one point behind PSG. Gregorio Manzano’s team are priced at 20/1 to win the tournament and the starting eleven that the coach put out, coupled with the dominating display, shows that the Andalucians are keen to taste European glory again.

Atletico Madrid have not got off to the best defence of their title and they put in an error-strewn display against Rosenborg. Fortunately, Quique Flores was able to bring Sergio Aguero off the bench and he soon grabbed a goal and then an assist to give Atletico their first win in the group. Much like last season, Atletico have not yet set Europe alight with their performances and they need Diego Forlan to improve his lacklustre form if they are make the latter stages of the tournament again.

Promisingly for the Spanish contingent, all seven of the Primera teams could still be playing in Europe next February, with Getafe the most likely to bow out early at this stage. Madrid and Barcelona look as though they could certainly challenge for the Champions League and Sevilla, Villarreal and Atletico are not yet in top form, but should improve to be serious contenders in the Europa League come the beginning of next year.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

For all the praise lavished upon Jose Mourinho for his so called ‘shrewd’ signings this summer, it should not be forgotten that there were other coaches around who did a little more than use the World Cup as a scouting guide. Take Esteban Vigo for example. Whilst Madrid and Barcelona were off spending their millions, Vigo was trying to decide which players he could realistically bring to newly-promoted Hercules to keep extend their stay in La Primera past just one season. The three main names he chose were as follows:

• David Trezeguet – a 33-year-old striker who, for all his former glories, managed just eleven goals in his last 39 appearances for Juventus.
• Royston Drenthe – signed by Real Madrid as a star of the future, Drenthe became almost an outcast at the Bernabeu and presumably was gladly loaned out to Hercules in the summer.
• Nelson Valdez – in 113 games for Borussia Dortmund, Valdez found the net just 16 times.

Did Vigo know something that no-one else did? On paper these were three players who, despite having a purple patch at some stage of their career, appeared now to be on the decline and were unable to reproduce their best form. Fast forward seven matches into the season and how things have changed.

Hercules find themselves not languishing in the bottom-three as many people might have predicted, instead they are sitting comfortably in mid-table and have already caused the upset of the season, if not the century. When Vigo took his men to the Camp Nou, Barcelona had not been beaten for over a year at home, they had won their last eleven matches and they were defending an undefeated run of 17 games. Ninety minutes after kick-off and all the records were all ended as two goals from Nelson Valdez gave Hercules their third successive win over the Catalans.

A couple of weeks later and it was the turn of Sevilla to take on the newly promoted team, the result – exactly the same, although this time it was Trezeguet who grabbed the brace of goals. Finally, and most recently, Hercules welcomed the potential league leaders Villarreal to the Jose Rico Perez, and in an enthralling encounter the home side took the lead twice before eventually being pegged back and held to a draw by the visitors.

All in all, not a bad start to the season for Vigo and Hercules, especially considering the fact that it has been nearly fifteen years since the club has played in the Spanish top flight. In between their relegation in the 1996/1997 season and their promotion last year they have experienced both life in Segunda and also Segunda B; a league where one can now find the B teams of Atletico Madrid, Getafe and Deportivo La Coruna. Now they are back amongst the big time it appears they are determined to stay, although to make sure of doing so they might have to improve their record against the teams out of the top seven, which currently reads; played three (Athletic Bilbao, Getafe and Real Zaragoza), lost two and drawn one.

Whilst Trezeguet and Valdez have been making all the headlines in the wins against Barcelona and Sevilla there is one man whose signing Vigo is likely to be just as pleased with, if not more so, and that is Royston Drenthe. After three years out in the wilderness at Madrid and with his star rapidly fading, Drenthe is taking his chance at Hercules and is showing why los Blancos splashed out €14 million for him. On the list of ‘most successful passes made’ in La Primera, the Dutchman currently sits in sixth and it is fair to say that without him Trezeguet and Valdez would not have scored all the goals they have.

Unfortunately it looks as though Drenthe will miss the match with his parent club in two weeks time, unless Hercules shell out a reported €2 million, but Valdez and Trezeguet should be ready to lead the line for Vigo. Mourinho is likely to bring his star-studded team to the Jose Rico Perez as league leaders and with an undefeated record, although whether they will leave with both statistics intact will remain to be seen…

From Soccerlens.com - Football News

With just five matches gone in the current La Liga campaign, the bosses and fans at Sevilla have decided that they have seen enough of Antonio Alvarez and have given him the boot following a humiliating defeat against Hercules.

The decision marks yet another occasion when Sevilla president Jose Maria del Nido has seemingly given into the wills of the supporters and yet again the timing of the departure is far from perfect.

For starters, there can be little doubt, given the swiftness of the sacking and the subsequent replacement, that Alvarez was destined to leave Sevilla, whether they won, drew or lost against Hercules on Sunday afternoon.

Did the coach know that this would be his last game in charge? Only he and a handful of others will know that, but if news of the sacking had indeed spread then it could have contributed to the abject performance on the pitch.

It was not just the proximity to the clash with Hercules that is worrying though; it is also the fact that the season is just five games old. Now, had Sevilla picked up just a handful of points from those five matches and found themselves in the bottom three, a sacking might be understandable, but as the league table stands now they are in seventh place, just two points from fourth and five from the summit.

Perhaps there is a little more room for complaint on the European front, where not only were the Andalucian side knocked out of the Champions League after a shock defeat by Braga, but they then went onto start their Europa League campaign with a home loss to Paris Saint-Germain.

That final result was a major blow to Sevilla’s chances of progression in the tournament this year and now, in his first game in charge, Manzano must take his team to Dortmund and hope they can pick up some points.

Following the trip to Germany the former Real Mallorca boss can then look forward to another key-clash, this time against one of their major rivals for a top four spot in the league, Atletico Madrid.

For a man who has been out of work all summer, these two fixtures will represent serious tests and perhaps might have been better handled by a coach who was familiar with the club and players already.

In the eyes of Del Nido and the fans though there is little doubt that Manzano is the first proven coach to take charge since Juande Ramos left in 2007, but with the same players at his disposal as Alvarez, his job will be just as tricky.

The other option available for the bosses, aside from the one taken, would presumably have been to give Alvarez until Christmas and then re-evaluate the situation, also giving the new coach an opportunity to make some additions to the squad.

The downside with that choice would have been that by the time December came around, Sevilla might have been out of Europe and already out of touch with the top four in the league.

Either way, there is little doubt that Alvarez was viewed as a ‘temporary’ coach by the president; a man who would hold the fort until a more qualified and experienced coach was available to step in.

That coach, in the form of Manzano, is now in the Sevilla hot-seat, and whilst the fans appear to be pleased, it will be interesting to see how much time he is given should things turn sour like they did for his predecessor.

From Soccerlens.com - Football News