NUMBERS STILL INDICATE THAT WE'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH

There is a high price to pay for the demands that not only come from the outside, but also that come from within. Within the space of a week, a thriving Sevilla went from being well in the cup competitions, and sitting third in La Liga; to unexpectedly being dumped out of the Copa del Rey by a Second Division side and only drawing at home in the follow up league game at home to a Deportivo Alavés side who sit 15th in the table. However, this is what football is all about and how quickly the outlook of a club can change within the space of a week.

Even with the failure that happened in Anduva, and the fact that nothing can be done to soften that blow, it doesn't mean that there needs to be a drastic change between now and the end of May. In fact, the team are sitting on 39 points in the league table after 22 Matchdays, a figure that has only been topped on three occasions this century: in 06/07 (43 points), 14/15 (42 points), and 16/17 (46 points). Moreover, in the 2008/09 season, we sat in third position in the table at this point of the season, with a point less than we have now. In 2009/10, the side were also sat in the Champions League places with the exact same points tally after 22 games as this season.

In the 2008/09 season, we sat in the Champions League places with a point less after 22 games

However, the truth of the matter is that Sevilla, who are now the second best away team in the league after Real Madrid, are not going through their best period, after the recent setbacks in both the cup and the league. We must remind ourselves though that we have won 11 games, which gives us a win percentage in La Liga of 50%, whilst our percentage of games unbeaten sits at 77%. Since the beginning of the campaign, Sevilla FC have lost five games - with three of them coming against Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. With 16 league games left, it's now time to continue to push for the Champions League spots and consolidate our position there; even if the competition may be extremely fierce.

Without the midweek matches in the Copa del Rey now, Julen Lopetegui will have a full week to prepare for Sunday's game at Balaídos, and then after that, another full week to prepare for the game in Nervión against RCD Espanyol on Sunday 16th February. In two weeks time, the team will need to focus once again on playing more than once a week as the Europa League knockout stage commences, before another crucial league clash - this time away to Getafe CF on Sunday 23rd February. There is no doubt that the next month ahead of Sevilla FC will be telling in how the season pans out, as there's no choice but to start flying high again in the fight for the two big objectives that are left of the season.