35 CLEAN SHEETS UNDER JULEN LOPETEGUI: ALMOST A CLEAN SHEET EVERY TWO GAMES

It was an undeniable trait during the first season of Julen Lopetegui's reign at Sevilla FC and this second season has been no different. The Nervionenses ended the year off in the perfect way with a win and clean sheet against Villarreal, a result that brings Lopetegui's clean sheet tally to 35. That equates to a clean sheet in 46.05% of matches played over the last year and a half. Julen has previously outlined that a strong defence is an important part in the path to success for his team.

After an incredible run following lockdown, the team has ended the year with some excellent defensive numbers. In the last five matches of 2020, the team has only conceded one goal - Raúl Carnero's equaliser for Real Valladolid in the penultimate home game. Before that, the team had kept consecutive clean sheets against Getafe and Ciudad de Lucena, and after Valladolid kept the clean sheets against Valencia and Villarreal. This season, Julen's team have kept nine clean sheets: two in the Champions League, six in La Liga, and one in the Copa del Rey.

Analysing this La Liga season more in depth, Sevilla FC have kept clean sheets in 42.8% of their matches. Comparing that with other teams in the league, accounting for differences in games played, Atlético Madrid lead the pack with 60% of their matches ending with a clean sheet. The only other team ahead of Sevilla is Real Sociedad, although Imanol Alguacil's team would go down to 41.2% should they concede in the Basque derby against Athletic Club at the San Mamés.