JULEN LOPETEGUI: TO CORNELLÁ AND BACK, 144 GAMES LATER

Although it wasn't exactly what the boys wanted, the first team were left with a bitter feeling after the point yesterday. Sunday's match at the RCDE Stadium is an opportunity to look back and see, once again, at the overwhelming reality of the team's stats ever since Julen Lopetegui took control. Lopetegui was back in Cornellá-El Prat, the same place where he first took charge of the team and picked up his first win. It was back in August 2019 when goals from Reguilón and Nolito gave the team all three points in their first game of a season that would end in pure elation the following August in Germany. 

During his time at the club, with the addition of yesterday's draw, Lopetegui has now 144 official games managed as Sevilla FC boss. 101 in LaLiga Santander, 15 in the Copa del Rey, 14 in the Champions League, 13 in the Europa League and one in the European Supercup. From here onwards, virtually all the figures represent a milestone in the club's history in the top flight. In fact, it is the best win to loss percentage in the club's century-long history. Now being the seventh with the most games as Sevilla manager in the league (Sunday's derby will bring him level with Cid Carriega in sixth) and the fifth in all official games, only Joaquín Caparrós, Unai Emery, Manolo Cardo and Ramón Encinas are in front. 

Lopetegui is already the coach with the fifth most matches managed at Sevilla FC

In those 101 league games, 198 points have been earned (1.96 on average per game), 144 goals scored and 84 conceded (0.83 on average per game). Also, clean sheets have been another feat apart since the arrival of Julen. In the league there has been 47, meaning in 46.53% of the games played Sevilla haven't suffered a single goal. A stat that follows the same pattern if the rest of the official competitions were to be considered, with 67 clean sheets and the same 46.53% unbeaten record. In terms of winning percentage, they have won 83 out of 144 - 57.6%. A percentage that increases amazingly when considering the team's unbeaten record. In the 101 Lopetegui games, only 17 of those have been defeats (16.8%).  Numbers that hardly change if the rest of the official matches were considered, with 26 matches lost out of 144, which is only 18%.

All of these figures are a reflection of the time Lopetegui has been at the club. In addition, Sevilla still remain the team with the least goals conceded and the team with the least defeats (along with Real Madrid) to date in LaLiga Santander with only two defeats in 25 games. It should also be mentioned the goalscoring prowess of the team, as we are the team that has scored in the most matches in the current league season. In fact, the team has scored in every home game and has only failed to score in only three of their away outings; Nuevo Los Cármenes, Anoeta and El Sadar. This makes this current Sevilla FC team the second best Sevilla FC side ever after 25 games, momentarily second to 2016/17, which then had four more points (55) and finished with 72.