Oso — Match Report — Sevilla vs Rayo Vallecano (15/8/26)

⁃ Playing LW in a 4231 — touchline winger. ⁃ Unconventional driven cross in 1st min, forced to do so as a result of a poor first touch which led him away from goal. ⁃ Good crossing ability, he hits them at a fast pace and good height for strikers to attack the ball rather than it floating in a certain area. ⁃ Wants the ball to his feet, not shown any real risk taking with attacking movement (diagonal run in behind for example). So far (15th minute) he’s been little more than a width placeholder for Sevilla. ⁃ Moves quickly off the ball. His off ball role has him zonally mark the RB area (if the RB advances beyond he doesn’t follow when Rayo are in build up phase). ⁃ When he floats crosses they can be quite inaccurate but unlike his usual technique of ‘driving’ the ball. His set piece delivery has been poor. ⁃ 31st minute -> lazy tracking back which allowed Ratiu the time and space to cross which assisted a goal which was later disallowed due to an earlier foul. ⁃ Second half he’s more focussed on man marking than occupying a zone. ⁃ When he’s engaged, he’s defensively quite solid. He tracks the ball well and knew when to switch the man he was tracking/marking and made a good clearance. -Shows glimpses of being a valuable asset in out of possession (OOP) structure however it’s nowhere near consistent enough in regards to pressing and intensity.

Overall, he didn’t have a great game before being substituted in the 78th minute. His positive actions were too few and far between to make an impact for Sevilla.

On a side note, in the first half, debutant Nico Guillen caught my eye and impressed me. He made one or two eye catching passes and won his duels well. Furthermore, prior to the substitutions in the second half, right winger Miguel Sierra (22) was the only player capable of creating anything for Sevilla. He also won the penalty which Sevilla equalised from.

SEVILLE, SPAIN — AUGUST 15: Joaquin Martinez ‘Oso’ of Sevilla FC runs with the ball during the LaLiga EA Sports 2026/27 match between Sevilla FC and Rayo Vallecano de Madrid at Estadio Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan on August 15, 2026 in Seville, Spain. (Photo by Gabriel Colchero/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images)