Before the euphoria of a 3-0 thrashing of Manchester United put Sevilla into a Europa League semi-final, Sevilla president Pepe Castro spoke to the media.
“Our mistake was to start a new season with Julen Lopetegui, his project was over,” he declared with an insurmountable heap of hindsight.
Yet, it was the very 90 minutes of football which followed which showed him exactly why this sport can never be so simple.
José Luis Mendilibar was unemployed. His most recent role was a failed attempt to keep Alavés up and avoid relegation. Before that, he had taken Eibar down. Even before that job, he had left Levante and Osasuna with both sides in the drop zone upon his departure.
Had Mendilibar been suggested as the replacement for Lopetegui in the summer, Castro and his cronies would have been laughed out of the Pizjuán, past the Feria, and thrown in the Guadalquivir.
Loïc Badé had joined Nottingham Forest on loan. After only 21 appearances for State Resnais in 2021/22, he was shipped out to bring in some money. The Premier League outfit didn’t include him in their team selection once.
The deal was cut short in the winter transfer window to allow him to join Sevilla in a desperate hope to revitalise his transfer value, and with the French club not wanting to take him back. Just like Bryan Gil, he was an unconvincing arrival at the Pizjuán, a roll of the dice from Monchi.
Lucas Ocampos’ days at Sevilla were behind him. The changing of the guard saw him pushed out and sent to Ajax in a rather unceremonious transfer.
Only 114 minutes later, Ajax didn’t just pass up their €16 million buy option, but they decided to send him packing back to Andalusia too. The forward was only too happy to oblige.
Youssef En-Nesyri was under the cosh. 2022 had seen him score only two LaLiga goals in a full 12 months, and patience was running out with a man who was known for his inconsistency.
Incredible in fits and bursts, he had failed to produce consistently for Sevilla for some time and his was one of the first names that would come up in the selection of a scapegoat.
Ivan Rakitić was past his sell-by date. When he had initially returned from Barcelona, he still had plenty left in the tank. But now aged 35, he’d lost that yard of pace and some said he was taking advantage of Sevilla to end his career on a high.
A popular figure among fans, he joined a club alongside the likes of Fernando and Jesús Navas, who were accused of being too old to be regulars any more.
Yet, this was the band of misfits who demolished one of the most expensive Manchester United squads ever assembled. Food for thought. Pepe Castro may even claim he saw it coming.