The balance of the minutes played by the Sevilla squad at the end of the season is a curious fact. There were only two changes in the eleven players to whom Lopetegui gave the most minutes compared to last season. And injuries were largely to blame in these two variants.
Rafa Mir and Papu Gómez entered the gala line-up in place of En Nesyri and Suso. The first suffered a serious muscle injury and then spent a month in the Africa Cup. Suso, for his part, underwent ankle surgery in December and could not play another minute before the end of the course despite trying.
The podium of the most used is repeated. This year Diego Carlos has played the most minutes, followed by Koundé and Bono. A year ago the French central defender was the first, the goalkeeper the second and Diego Carlos the third. The rest of footballers who repeat in the gala eleven are Jordán, Ocampos, Acuña, Rakitic, Fernando and Navas. Especially curious is the case of these last two, who despite their long-term injuries have not been removed from this classification due to their replacements.
That there are only two variants in the starting team and that injuries have been key to it has positive and negative readings. If you want to see the glass half full, it is observed that Lopetegui has laid the foundations of a team that could play by heart. If you want to see half empty, the reality is that only one of the signings made this campaign can be considered a starter.