Sevilla have been a force in La Liga this season. The perennial Europa League specialists
are currently pushing Barcelona all the way under their new coach Pablo Machín, who took
over in May 2018. Machín, whose playing career at Numancia in the third tier of Spanish football
was cut short by a knee injury, made waves by successfully steering Girona to La Liga
and then securing their position in Spain’s top flight, finishing only seven points off
European qualification, despite a small budget.
At Sevilla, Machín has employed the three man defence he used so successfully at Girona
– who have themselves largely retained the system under their own new coach Eusebio Sacristán
– and, indeed, there are other similarities between Machín’s previous team and his
current one. There is an emphasis on creating a low defensive block of five, counter-attacking,
and using through balls centrally, just as there was at Girona – at Sevilla, though,
Machín has a better quality of player and his system is being showcased to greater effect.
Figures from Tactics Platform’s Cheuk Hei [PRONUNICATION NOTE – CHEW HEY] show that
three man defences have only been used 22% of the time by teams in La Liga this season
– Sevilla have played three at the back in each of their 15 fixtures to date, so they
account for almost a quarter of La Liga’s games with three man defences. This difference
in shape to the norm is part of the reason for Sevilla’s success – it’s harder
for La Liga teams to defend something they only come up against infrequently – but
it’s also because, under Machín, Sevilla have become masters of the attacking potential
of the system.
Sevilla’s three man shape tends to see either a midfield double pivot, with two strikers
and a man in the hole, or a single deeper midfielder with a square of attacking players
ahead.
Defensively, Sevilla tend to drop into a shape similar to the one used by Machín at Girona
– five defenders, then a screening midfielder, then two compact lines of two – at Girona,
though, this was sometimes more of a two and three arrangement.
The aim is to make the centre hard to play through, with the midfield pressing passing
lanes and the defensive midfielder patrolling.
As the play shifts wide – which is what Sevilla want as their centre backs drop back
and form a tight cluster of three near the goal – the opposite wing back may push up
and in to man mark the opposition player who is widest on the other side of the pitch.
This is all geared towards forcing the opposition into attacking out wide, partly because Sevilla’s
big centre backs then have the chance to clear crosses, but also because it assists Sevilla’s
efforts to counter by turning the ball over wide and then attacking. Sevilla still aren’t
a great side defensively, but they’ve improved under Machín.
Where Sevilla excel is in the attacking phase. The first advantage that a three man defence
gives them is that Sevilla can attack with extreme width coming from the wing backs.
This either stretches an opposition back four out to defend the wide spaces, or means that
a horizontally compact defensive four leaves space wide or requires help from its midfield.
Jesus Navas has excelled in the role on the right, while Guilherme Arana has been the
most effective left wing back.
This is combined with a Sevilla midfield line that includes at least one very attacking
midfielder, Pablo Sarabia or Lucas Vasquez, or even both, who take up positions between
the opposition defensive and midfield lines. Wissam Ben Yedder, who has been playing as
a second striker alongside Andre Silva, also drops off, while Silva stays high. If the
defence stick centrally, the wing backs can cross to Silva; if the defence splits or is
helped out wide by midfielders, the vertical movement of the Sevilla attack creates havoc.
It’s worth remembering, too, that much of this attacking movement is conducted at pace
and on the counter, forcing the opposition to make quick decisions about who to track
and cover.
Sevilla’s midfield movement extends to the wide areas too, as the central midfielders,
or Ben Yedder, drop in to create passing triangles with the wing backs and keep the ball moving
quickly until gaps appear centrally. If this does not happen, Sevilla will quickly switch
the ball through the defensive midfielder or centre backs, and attack the opposite side
of the pitch.
Machín has fully embraced the attacking potential of his squad and regularly played line-ups
that see three attacking midfielders with the creative deep playmaker Ever Banega acting
as the central covering midfielder. His passing from deep is a potent counter-attacking weapon
too, as he pings passes out wide as Sevilla transition into the counter, before taking
up a position from where he can further probe the opposition defence with his through balls
if the move breaks down or possession is recycled – more interestingly, perhaps, is the ease
with which Banega has adopted the destructive side the position and it shows how capable
Machín is of getting players to buy into his ideas.
Sevilla are a fun side to watch – they attack with width and pace, keeping the ball intelligently
until the opposition make a mistake if they cannot effect an attempt on goal in the first
thrust of an attack. With players like Sarabia, Ben Yedder, Vasquez and Banega pulling the
strings, and Andre Silva acting as a strong, physical focus for the attack, Sevilla look
potent going forwards. And though recently results have dipped, they remain a threat
to anyone in La Liga and, potentially, to the hegemony of Spain’s big three at the
top of the table.