Watch out Liverpool, this club has always been up for a cup
WHAT do the Russian Railways Cup, the Achille and Cesare Bortolotti Trophy and the Costa del Sol Trophy have in common?
All of them are among an eclectic mix of silverware nestling in the trophy cabinet at the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, home of Sevilla.
And they take as much pride of place as the club’s sole La Liga triumph in 1946, their five Copa del Rey victories, the Spanish Super Cup of 2007 and their four Segunda Division titles. Not to mention the 18 Copa Andalucia trophies they amassed between 1916 and 1940.
If it is variety you want, we’ve got it, say Sevilla.
But as with any ambitious club these days, their eyes are on Continental success and the grand prizes – and although they have yet to win the biggest of them all, the Champions League, they stand head and shoulders above the rest of Europe when it comes to the Europa League and its previous incarnation, the UEFA Cup.
No club has won the trophy four times like the men from Andalucia, and tonight they attempt the unheard of by attempting to win it three seasons running.
Anfield certainly has had its moments but cup nights at the Sanchez Pizjuan are a sight to behold. The stadium rocks with fervour and passion as the crowd, tight to the pitchside, roar on their heroes.
It is an intimidating atmosphere and it is no surprise that Spain have used the stadium for home matches when something extra was needed.
Spain have played 26 times there, won 21 and drawn five. That tells you something.
The Euro experience really kicked off in 2005 when Juande Ramos arrived from Malaga to take charge. His side were far too good for Steve McClaren’s Middlesbrough, with a 4-0 UEFA Cup final win in 2006 in Eindhoven.
The next year they were at it again, with a tougher 3-1 shoot-out win over fellow Spaniards Espanyol at Hampden Park.
Ramos then left to go to Tottenham and there followed a five-year hiatus, with Sevilla beset by financial problems.
But cup fever was to break out once again after the appointment of Unai Emery, with the UEFA Cup becoming the Europa League in
2009. The ex-Valencia man is an intense coach, who has an impassioned presence on the touchline that invigorated his team and the fans.
He takes an almost masochistic approach to his job, saying: “It’s a battle and obviously at times not very pleasant when a match is a fiercely contested fight. But that’s when the pain becomes enjoyment.”
The 2014 Europa League campaign certainly had its painful moments. The final was Sevilla’s 19th match in the competition. They only qualified for the competition after Malaga were banned for breaking Financial Fair Play rules and Rayo Vallecano were denied a UEFA licence because of outstanding debts.
Sevilla squeezed past rivals Real Betis 4-3 on penalties in the last 16 and were pushed all the way by Emery’s old club Valencia in the semi-finals before coming through on away goals to reach their third final. It was a new team who faced Benfica at the Juventus Stadium in Turin. The match was goalless after extra-time and it was French substitute Kevin Gameiro who decided the shoot-out 4-2 in Sevilla’s favour.
Could Sevilla pull off a second Euro double in 2015? Yes they could. Ivan Rakitic had gone to Barcelona but Jose Antonio Reyes was still pulling the strings alongside Ever Banega and newcomer Vitolo.
They took on Ukrainians Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in Warsaw and won a thriller 3-2 with Colombian star Carlos Bacca netting a double, including the winner.
Former Arsenal star Reyes became the first player to win the UEFA Cup/Europa League four times (he had previously won it twice with Atletico Madrid).
So another trophy found its way into the Sevilla cabinet. They were only denied the UEFA Super Cup, too, by Pedro’s extra-time effort which won a nine-goal thriller for Barcelona. And now Emery’s men go for the next one tonight.
But that won’t be the end. On Sunday Sevilla will lock horns with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final, to be held at Atletico’s stadium in Madrid, and in August the two will fight it out again over two legs for the Spanish Super Cup.
When there’s a cup on the line, Sevilla are never far away.