Vitolo: Sevilla's Action Man Becoming Bolter from the Pack for Lopetegui's Spain

Julen Lopetegui had seen it before and had picked him precisely for it, and seeing it again on such a stage will have only reinforced it.

Setting off in that slightly crouched way of his, body tense and legs pumping like pistons, Vitolo stormed toward goal as Pablo Sarabia glanced ahead. Sarabia's ball wasn't perfect, but Vitolo's aggressive presence sent Sergi Roberto into a spin, allowing him to pounce on a ball spilling free, to charge on beyond Roberto and beyond Marc-Andre ter Stegen, too, heading for the corner flag in front of the rocking stands when it was all done. Sevilla 1, Barcelona 0. 

Vitolo's opener in the clash of the season thus far was so very him. The Canarian's game is one defined by a power or grunt that has a technical lining, a blend that is far from common in the Spanish game and one that has been left relatively untamed at the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan. Sevilla have found it's a valuable asset to have, and now Spain are, too. 

As England prepare to face La Roja on Tuesday, Vitolo is one of the few faces Wembley won't instantly recognise among the visiting party. The 27-year-old will stand alongside the likes of Sergio Busquets and Alvaro Morata, Thiago Alcantara and Koke; alongside Spain's Premier League contingent in David De Gea, David Silva, Nolito, Nacho Monreal, Ander Herrera, Juan Mata and Cesar Azpilicueta.

Talk will also focus on missing faces: Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, Sergio Ramos, Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas. Watching on, few will know Vitolo, but that might soon change. 

Under new boss Lopetegui, the Sevilla man has quickly become a prominent figure in the national side this term. Selected against Belgium in September, he initially looked a slightly left-field choice, a player who had lingered on the fringes but who had rarely struck as an obvious fit. "Novel," said AS of his inclusion at the time. 

But there's nothing novel in his selection now. That night against the Belgians, Vitolo created the first for Silva and won the penalty for the second. What's followed has been impressive: a goal and an assist in the 8-0 rout of Liechtenstein, the opener against Italy and another strike against Macedonia on Saturday. 

Another start at Wembley wouldn't surprise. Emboldened by the new boss, Vitolo is giving Spain some of that much-discussed "something else." His hard running out wide differs from what Nolito or Silva offer in similar positions; his certain ruggedness alters the complexion of the attack; whereas others want to play in front and in between opponents, Vitolo wants to go at them and beyond. 

Lopetegui has recognised the value in such characteristics, but he's not the first to do so. It was former Spain manager Vicente del Bosque who handed Vitolo his national-team debut 18 months ago against the Netherlands.

Throughout his tenure, Del Bosque regularly looked to add fresh faces and stylistic diversity to his squad—his handing of debuts to 68 players in eight years speaks volumes—despite the accusations that his loyalty and favouritism stretched too far. The issue for Del Bosque, though, was that his team's core was always so strong and established. There was a difference between altering the squad and altering the team, and the weight of history challenged the notion of the latter. 

Vitolo, then, couldn't break through the periphery. But you sense that wasn't the only reason. 

Until this season, the Canarian's Sevilla had stood in a different ideological space to the national side. Under Unai Emery, the Andalucians were more physical and direct than most in Spain. There was a swagger or personality to them, and they rode Emery's template to three straight Europa League crowns. But the force and straight lines clashed with the intricacy of La Roja, the incompatibility difficult to overcome. Now, though, things are different.  

Having taken over from Emery, Jorge Sampaoli is leading Sevilla down a radically different path this term. Renowned for his work with Universidad de Chile and the Chilean national team, the Argentinian has ripped up the existing template. His Sevilla are now technical and slick, imaginative and daring. Last month they toppled Atletico Madrid, and before the international break, they outplayed Barcelona at their own game for a half. 

Vitolo has been a leading figure, playing almost everywhere: on the left, on the right, in attacking midfield, at wing-back and even once at left-back. Alongside the passing and interplay of Samir Nasri, Steven N'Zonzi and Franco Vazquez, Vitolo is charged with being the flyer, the bolter—the man to shake things up. 

It's similar with Spain now, too. There's a synchronicity between the two teams and Vitolo's role in them, helped by La Roja's subtle shift under Lopetegui. 

Only months into the Basque's tenure, Spain look kind of the same but kind of different, too. Costa has been reintroduced, there's a touch more energy in midfield, and work without the ball has gone up a gear. Part of that is natural under a new boss, and part of it is necessary.

The Spanish no longer have Xavi, Iniesta is injured and Busquets is struggling for form. The once-indomitable method has been toppled as well. This, then, is now a team looking for some new elements because they have no other choice. 

The way Lopetegui spoke about Costa in an interview with the Guardian's Sid Lowe pointed to a manager and a team ready to embrace them. "Diego lives football his way," he said. "We don't want to change his character because it's part of him."

Vitolo isn't as combustible as Costa, but there are shared qualities. The power, the aggression on the ball; they both have it. They're traits the new boss is looking for to a degree, empowering those with them. 

"I'm happy with the faith Lopetegui has shown in me," Vitolo said in September, according to AS. "[He] told me to play in the same way I do for Sevilla."

That clarity and compatibility between club and country is showing. His dashing performances at the Pizjuan are being carried over to the international stage, Sevilla and Spain now sharing much—Vitolo more than anything.