Two years after claiming their seventh Europa League trophy, Sevilla find themselves mired in a relegation battle.
Having mustered just one point from their previous six matches, Sevilla currently sit 15th in the LaLiga table, two points above Girona, three above Alavés, and five above Las Palmas in the relegation zone. With five matches remaining, they find themselves up against it as they look to secure their top-flight status.
Sevilla enjoyed an unprecedented spell of success under Julen Lopetegui, who consolidated their presence as a top-four powerhouse and a European challenger during his reign from July 2019 to October 2022.
However, since departing, Sevilla have struggled to find a long-term manager, going through Jorge Sampaoli, José Luís Mendilibar, Diego Alonso, Quique Sánchez Flores, and García Pimienta before eventually rehiring Joaquín Caparros.
Caparrós was unveiled as the new Sevilla manager on May 25, 2000, and quickly ended their one-year top-flight exile by leading them to the second-division title. One of his first actions as Sevilla manager was to hire Cristobal Soria as club delegate, who had worked alongside him during their time at Recreativo de Huelva.
“Joaquín Caparrós was the person who decided to take a chance on me,” stated Soria. “He’s the person who threw his arm around me and taught me everything, after which I developed my persona. He was the person who put the first of many stones to become what Cristobal Soria is for many people.”
While Caparrós didn’t manage to win any top-level trophies at Sevilla, he laid the foundations for their success by promoting youth products like Carlos Marchena, José Antonio Reyes, Jesuli, and Sergio Ramos and signing the likes of Júlio Baptista, Adriano, Daniel Alves, and Renato.
He departed in 2005, with his replacement, Juande Ramos, helping to put an end to their long-awaited trophy drought.
Caparrós returned to Sevilla on April 28, 2018, following the dismissal of Vincenzo Montella and was appointed as caretaker manager until the end of the season, before being named Sevilla’s Director of Football following the appointment of Pablo Machín.
However, Machín would last just 10 months at the helm before being sacked following Sevilla’s Europa League elimination by Slavia Prague, after which Caparrós returned for another spell as interim coach.
He then moved into international management and took charge of Armenia, leading them to the longest unbeaten streak in their history (nine games).
Having coached Armenia between March 2020 and September 2022, Caparrós spent nearly three years out of work before eventually returning to Sevilla on April 13 for his fourth spell in charge.
Sevilla enjoyed a promising start to his first match back, with Peque Fernández opening the scoring after 12 minutes, only for Kike García to equalise before the break in a 1-1 draw for Alavés.
The following match, however, would see Rubén García open the scoring for Osasuna, whilst Sevilla’s star attacker Dodi Lukebakio was sent off shortly after in a 1-0 defeat.
On paper, Sevilla should not be where they currently are in the table. They boast two experienced veterans in central midfield in Nemanja Gudelj and Saúl Ñíguez, as well as several flashy attackers like Chidera Ejuke, Isaac Romero, and Lukebakio. And in Loïc Badé, they boast a defensive leader who, similar to Ramon Vega, never backs down from a challenge. However, the fact is, they are currently in their predicament, and they need to stop the bleeding immediately.
At 69 years of age, Joaquín Caparrós has seen it all in football. He’s spent 44 years in management, and whilst he’s only won one trophy—the 1999/00 Segunda—he has the chance to add to his Sevilla legacy by avoiding relegation.
Will the fourth time prove the charm for Caparrós? Stay tuned for what promises to be an enthralling final five matches for Sevilla.
