Recently on The Spanish Football Podcast columnist Sid Lowe proposed the notion that sides throughout La Liga had recognized Sevilla’s main avenue of attack, and in doing so have blunted their effectiveness going forward. Lowe identified the main ‘out-ball’, which is a long pass from Banega to Navas on the wing. Without this relief play Sevilla is somewhat bereft of ideas, and struggles to build-up play from their defensive third. If we dive into the passing charts it’s clear that the matches in which Sevilla is most successful the combination of Banega, to Navas, and Navas to Sarabia is being heavily exploited throughout the 90-minute period. In Sevilla’s recent match against Barcelona, in which the home side out-performed the Catalans, only to be undone by the genius of Leo Messi, Navas to Sarabia, and Banega to Navas, were the two most common pass combinations made by the Andalusian side – a total of 43 passes played between just the three players. Against Real Madrid, a few rounds earlier, in which Sevilla enjoyed a comparable amount of possession, they were well-beaten 2-0, and unable to exploit their desired lane of attack. In this match Banega made more passes to Vazquez, and in turn Sevilla’s attack was stunted. Banega, who has been lauded for his transition into a holding midfielder, may be languishing slightly because of his reliance, and sometimes-myopic desire to shift the ball out-wide to Navas. Roque Mesa, who has featured in Banega’s position, has shown a willingness to spread the ball more evenly, and as a result has been highly effective in generating chances – owning the second best xGBuildup90 in La Liga.