Javi Martínez steps up: Sevilla's assistant faces a baptism of fire in Almeyda's absence
With Almeyda banned for seven games, Sevilla's assistant Javi Martínez takes charge for a brutal run of fixtures including Betis, Barça and Atleti.
Sevilla’s season just got a whole lot more complicated — and a relatively unknown assistant manager is about to find out what he’s made of.
The situation
Matías Almeyda has been handed a seven-match suspension, leaving a proper leadership void in the Sevilla dugout. His number two, Javi Martínez, will step in to fill that gap — and it’s not exactly a cushy run of games waiting for him.
This isn’t entirely new territory for Martínez. He already took the reins for the Levante match in gameweek 18 (a 0-3 defeat, it has to be said) while Almeyda was serving a ban picked up at the Bernabéu. But doing it for one game is one thing. Seven is a completely different kettle of fish.
What a seven games to pick
The fixtures Martínez will oversee are, frankly, a nightmare on paper:
- Getafe
- Betis (the derby, no less)
- Rayo Vallecano
- Barcelona
- Valencia
- Oviedo
- Atlético de Madrid
Three of those are genuine top-end sides, and the Betis derby alone would give most managers sleepless nights. Sevilla’s results across this stretch could define their entire season.
Who is Javi Martínez, anyway?
Fair question. He’s a proper Sevilla man through and through — born in the city, joined the club’s academy at eight years old, and came up through the ranks as a right winger in the Sevilla Atlético setup alongside the likes of Luis Alberto, Diego Perotti and Campaña, among others.
His playing career took him through Huesca, Zaragoza, Orihuela, Nástic, L’Hospitalet and even Gibraltar side Europa before he hung up his boots at 28 to go into coaching. He’s got a sports science degree and a UEFA Pro licence, started out scouting the youth teams, and worked his way up to become Jesús Galván’s right-hand man at the B team before getting promoted to the first-team setup this season.
What does Galván make of him?
Galván, who worked closely with Martínez until recently, spoke to Radio Marca Sevilla and was full of praise — though he did flag one interesting difference from Almeyda. He described Martínez as “more cold, ordered and methodical” than the Argentine boss — less fiery on the touchline, more measured.
He was quick to add that Martínez absolutely understands what Almeyda wants tactically and has the knowledge and trust of the players. But Galván did acknowledge that footballers often need the presence of a head coach to fully buy in — which is perhaps the one genuine question mark hanging over this period.
The bottom line
Sevilla need results. Almeyda’s absence is a blow, but Martínez is clearly a well-prepared, intelligent operator who knows this club inside out. Whether that’s enough to navigate one of the toughest fixture runs in La Liga right now — that’s the real question. The next seven games will tell us a lot.