South American talent takes charge in Seville

One of them manages Betis and is Uruguayan, the other Sevilla and hails from Argentina. The former already knows LaLiga as a player, while the latter is yet to experience the Spanish league at all. Next season, however, Gustavo Poyet and Jorge Sampaoli will be part of LaLiga as coaches for the first time, managing the two Seville giants. South American talent has arrived for the great city of Seville.

After four seasons in charge of Sevilla, Unai Emery bade farewell to the Andalucian giants, with Jorge Sampaoli tasked with replacing him, his first job in European football. He is viewed as one of the most in vogue coaches of South American football, and we are now fortunate to have him as part of LaLiga. As a player, he was forced to hang up his boots aged just 19 following a serious injury, but in 1994, he began his coaching career with Alumni de Casilda. 2015 was his golden year as a coach, winning the Copa America while in charge of Chile.

The Argentine has already taken charge of the team, getting off to winning ways in the LaLiga World series. This saw Sevilla head to Orlando to play two matches, the first against River Plate, and the second against Independiente Santa Fe. The Andalucians won both games and made a great impression, playing good football with personality and courage, two of the main ingredients of this new-look Sevilla.

Their neighbours have also switched coaches, with Gustavo Poyet taking up the reins at Betis. Unlike Sampaoli, Poyet has already experienced Spanish football. He starred for R. Zaragoza, where he is still remembered fondly by the fans. As a coach, the majority of his career has been spent in English football, managing Brighton & Hove Albion and Sunderland, but last season he moved to Greece, taking charge of AEK Athens.

Like Sampaoli, Poyet has also got off to a good start, racking up victories against El Palo (7-0) and Real Linense (2-0), while in his first real test, his side beat Middlesbrough 2-1. The keys to Poyet’s style are quick transitions from defence to attack, and direct play.

 MATCH REPORT AND VIDEO | Real betis 2-1 Middlesbrough FC

➡ https://t.co/fNDZk7rOAM pic.twitter.com/qKBxFEhAvT

— Real Betis Balompié (@RealBetis_en) July 20, 2016

So this coming season, an Argentine and a Uruguayan will be in charge of the two Seville sides playing in the top division of Spanish football, with South American talent, passion and personality on display in Andalucia. On 21 September, in the fifth game of the season, Sevilla and Betis will lock horns for the first time in the 2016/17 LaLiga season. We will be guaranteed a great show, both on and off the pitch.