The half-time lead that decided nothing
Sevilla went to the Coliseum with a chance to make the European talk real. They left with Getafe 3–1 Sevilla and the same question about what this team does when the plan stops working (1)(3). One up at the break and the better side for 45 minutes, then Enes Ünal on 68, Martín Satriano on 73 and Orel Mangala deep in stoppage time (6)(9). It is Getafe's first home win over Sevilla in three years (1). A side with top-four ambitions does not hand that back.
Ten men and no answer on the bench
The sending off changed the game, and Sevilla did not handle it. Getafe pushed more men forward, Ünal finished and then set up Satriano, and Sevilla's shape dissolved instead of tightening (3)(5). Gabriel Suazo started as captain and could not hold the left side together once the pressure came (2). On the Sevilla forums the anger was pointed at the bench: superior for a full first half for a 0–1 lead, then nothing when the equaliser arrived.
Sixth place is a mirage built on two games
The table still says 6th, 17 points from 10 games, goal difference level at zero. Read the form line instead: L D L W W. The wins were Osasuna 2–0 at home on October 26 and a 0–3 Copa del Rey win at Sporting Hortaleza on October 29. Beating a struggling league side and a lower-division opponent in the cup is not a season. Real Madrid beat them 4–1 on October 18, Levante held them 3–3 on October 12, and Getafe beat them 3–1 on November 1. Sevilla have conceded three or more in three of their last five.
What to watch against Alavés
Alavés at the Sánchez-Pizjuán on Friday, November 6 at 21:00 CET. That is the game that decides whether Sunday was a bad afternoon or the start of the autumn slide. Sevilla have not lost two league games in a row this season. Do it at home against Alavés and the European position stops being a story about the table and becomes a story about the coach. Watch whether the XI changes, and whether the response after conceding arrives inside ten minutes rather than never. Lose it and the international break gets spent on the bench, not the squad.
