Ooh Betis

Pepe Mel forever

It's been a very quiet couple of days here on Planet Betis, so why don't we turn the spotlight on to another fans' chant, this time the weekly homage to Pepe Mel.

For some reason, songs dedicated to individual personalities seem to be rarer and less poetic in Spain than England, with even Lionel Messi having to do with a dismal two-note drone. But the Betis coach gets a version of the tune I've just learned from Wikipedia is part the Stars And Stripes Forever march (see here from 1'30"), accompanied by arms-wide above-the-head handclaps. For a uniquely Spanish twist, the eighth and last time we get to his name it is shouted rather than sung, which creates a rather comical moment of silence immediately afterwards (which you just get a taste of on the clip below).

When the song was first heard in Gol Sur, about halfway through last season, it was seen by the local press as a very important indication that Mel had been truly accepted by the Betis faithful - and by the end of May it had become a weekly standard.

 

My favourite rendition, though, came during the Albacete home game in February. After five consecutive defeats the papers were full of talk that Mel needed a win to rescue his job, and with just 20 minutes to go the scoreboard was stuck at a very frustrating 0-0. In many stadiums, in many countries around the world, this would have been a time to get on the manager's back, but the Betis fans chose exactly this moment to show their support. The song started in Gol Sur and was soon taken up around the Villamarín: "Pepe Mel, Pepe Mel, Pepe Mel..." Five minutes later, Roversio poked home a headed-on corner and the promotion campaign was back on track.

(For more posts about songs and chants heard at Betis games, have a look at All The Hits And More in the Menú de Desgustación section over in the right-hand panel.)

Macron economics to win Betis shirt deal

A story in the Diario de Sevilla newspaper this morning is suggesting that from next season Betis's kit suppliers will be Macron. The Italian company - who currently produce shirts for West Ham, Leeds, Napoli, Bologna, Monaco, Mallorca and many others - are a growing force in the international sportswear market and will no doubt do a better job than RBb, the in-house brand licensed to a company in the north of Spain by Manuel Ruíz de Lopera on one of his barmier days.

I suppose there's a sight tinge of disappointment that one of the really big names - Adidas or Nike, basically - weren't desperate for the job, but, as I understand it, they're too wrapped up in looking after their giants - Real Madrid, Barcelona, Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Bayern Munich etc. - to care too much about the next tier down. So if you're Real Betis and you want a Nike strip, you can certainly have one - if you turn to the green page of the catalogue and pick out something stripey. A brand like Macron, on the other hand, with ambitions to challenge the big multinationals, actively seeks out a club like Betis and, far from being uninterested, will pay good money for the privilege of designing, manufacturing and selling their shirts (and other merchandise). So you can see why such a deal suits both parties.

And, on the whole, their designs tend to be pretty unobjectionable, usually sticking closely to the classic template of a club's kit. So, whatever happens, I think we can guarantee that Betis will still be appearing in shirts with 13 green and white stripes next year. Which is something.

The next job for the Betis directors is to extricate themselves from the contract Lopera struck with Green Sport of Vitoria to bring the design and manufacture of Betis shirts "in-house". Everyone has their own opinion on the last three years' kits, but what is undeniable is that the supply chain has been a total disaster, with shortages of the most popular lines, oversupply of items like XL pink goalkeepers' jerseys and everything way too expensive.

Anyway, RBb deserve to lose the gig purely as punishment for this. Somebody should tell them that "going retro" means revisiting design classics, not Luton Town in 1974.

Screen play

El Cuatro seems to find Betis fans entertaining. Hot on the heels of last week's coverage of the Villamarín stands during the Zaragoza game, the Spanish TV channel decided to focus their cameras on the Betis end in Getafe's stadium too. (The fans' footage starts after about a minute of the clip below, after Sevilla's Martin Cáceres reveals that he and his team-mates are learning to put up with jokes from Betis fans, Pepe Mel returning from Madrid saying that he feels like a reality TV star, and highlights of the game.)

 

Telling it like it was

"Gilipollas" is every non-Spanish-speaker's favourite Spanish word. Pronounced "hilly-PO-yas", it's a coarse word for an idiot, the sort of thing you'd call your annoying younger brother.

So when, immediately after last night's game, Pepe Mel talked about wasting the first half with "three-metre 'gilipases'" you can probably appreciate that he wasn't impressed. "Stupid passes," is the essence, but a bit stonger. 

This clip is short enough to translate in full. "We took 46 minutes to turn up," he says. "We threw the first half in the bin. We didn't attack, we didn't defend, we didn't do anything. In the first half, everything was three-metre 'gili-passes', and that's not going to get you anywhere. I think the second half was ours, but you can't give away 45 minutes to opponents with something to prove, who have come out pressing and fighting. It's too much to concede."

It's hard to argue with him, and actually plenty of Béticos have said today that one of the best things about last night was that Pepe Mel's clear-sighted honesty. At least he was watching the same game (which isn't aways true of coachs and fans).

The biggest culprit for this fannying about in midfield - although by no means the only one - was Javier Matilla, having his first start in a competitive game since being bought for €1.5million from Villareal in the summer. To Betis in their current financial situation, that's an absolute fortune so it must be that someone somewhere has seen some signs of exceptional talent in the 21-year-old, but I think it's true to say we've yet to see much evidence of it since he arrived in Seville. Currently Matilla presents a difficult problem for Mel in that he probably needs playing time to build up his confidence, but giving him that looks likely to hold back the team. We're all going to have to be patient.

Of course, it's also true that not everyone can be Beñat. The difference the little maestro made to Betis the moment he came on was remarkable, and he continued to pull the strings throughout the second half. There's a growing feeling around that he might well make the Spain squad before very long - something that delights half the Beticismo and terrifies the other half (in case he gets injured or tapped up). 

Injuries permitting, I think we can guarantee Beñat will start on Sunday afternoon, when the visitors to the Benito Villamarín are third-placed Levante. That's right, third-placed Levante. 38,000 people will be hoping for an altogether sparkier performance from the men in green and white.

How it happened

Very brief highlights are below, but there's a longer recap over at Betisweb.

 

Getafe CF 1-0 Real Betis

Ah well. That had to happen sooner or later and it's no particular surprise that it happened tonight. Betis gave a rather tired performance, giving the ball away with uncharacteristic frequency and making too many wrong decisions, and even though they were on top in the second half they couldn't quite claw the game back. Matilla was a big disappointment as a replacement for Beñat (who came on at half-time and immediately made a difference), but the whole team looked sluggish and a fired-up Getafe side were just about worth their win.

Actually, the whole thing reminded me of the games immediately after the Barcelona cup exit last season, when Pepe Mel's side were so obviously drained from their exploits against the soon-to-be European champions. The Betis coach will no doubt be thinking of ways to freshen up his side before Sunday's home game with Levante without sacrificing the continuity that's been so important to the successful start of the season. Sergio in midfield? Pozuelo upfront? A bit of youthful energy might be just what's required.

The first half in particular tonight was as stodgy a Betis performance as we've seen for a while. Matilla seemed keener on not making any terrible mistakes than creating anything positive, even Salva Sevilla was passing straight to players in blue shirts and Roque Santa Cruz looked anything but dangerous. Fair play to the Getafe team, who pressed and harassed for all they were worth, but the home fans must have wondered what spells Betis had cast in previous games to end up top of the league. When, after 31 minutes, a ball from the right found Diego Castro in too much space in Goitia's area - not unlike the final two Zaragoza goals on Friday - he fired past the Betis keeper without too much difficulty. At that stage Getafe were much the stronger side and Betis looked lost.

One thing you can never accuse Pepe Mel of, however, is dithering. At half-time he withdrew Matilla for Beñat and Betis immediately looked more comfortable. With Getafe tiring, Betis gradually took control of possession and ended up carving out several good chances. Jonathan Pereira had two in particular, but he's looking unusually desperate in front of goal just now, so Getafe keeper Moyá was able to keep them both out. Molina come on for Salva Sevilla to play alongside Roque Santa Cruz - an experiment that didn't really work - and Álvaro Vadillo once again was shepherded much more effectively by Primera defenders than he ever is in Segunda B. 

I suppose the fact that Betis were so dominant in the second half is a good sign, but it still feels frustrating not to have got a point from a game like that. Let's hope they can make Levante pay on Sunday afternoon.

Oh, and did I mention that we're still top?

Betis: Goitia; Chica, Mario, Dorado, Nacho; Sevilla (Jorge Molina, min. 54), Matilla (Beñat, min. 46) Iriney, Montero (Vadillo, min. 70); Pereira, Santa Cruz.

Goal: 1-0, min. 30: Diego Castro.

Getafe-Betis - Live thread

Leave your comments - anything you like - here. I'll put the team up when its announced.

UPDATE (8.00pm): The Diario de Sevilla website is reporting Betis's starting line-up as: Goitia; Chica, Mario, Dorado, Nacho; Salva Sevilla, Iriney, Matilla, Montero; Pereira, Santa Cruz. So the only surprise is Matilla for Beñat.

Guardian angle

I've just noticed that Betis - at long, long last - are the focus of Sid Lowe's Monday morning Spanish football column in The Guardian today. It's an excellent piece - lively and informative and very sympathetic. Hello world.

Keep on keeping on

The headline in Marca, playing on the Betis motto, says it all: "Líder manque pierda." Leaders even if they lose. Remarkably, with Valencia and Málaga both dropping points at the weekend, Betis are still top - even before tonight's game at Getafe. If they should win, they'd go four points clear and guarantee they'd be in first place when they visit Real Madrid in three weeks' time.

(Just to take a brief detour for a moment: Béticos were in the unusual position on Saturday of not wanting Sevilla to lose. Playing Valencia at home, our city neighbours scraped a very fortunate 1-0- win, even after having two men sent off and conceding a penalty - which Valencia midfielder Banega put against a post. Another key moment is worth looking at here: Sevilla defender Spahic steps on his opponent's toe, then cries like a three-year-old when Aduriz does the same to him. The Valencia man, would you believe, was sent off for that.)

Although Getafe are down in 19th place, with a draw and three defeats in their first four games, it's hard to be confident about tonight's match. The side from the Madrid suburbs are in rebuilding mode and have had a lot of injuries, but it wouldn't be too much of a surprise if they suddenly clicked, especially as new boss Luis García (formerly of Levante) is regarded as one of the brightest young coaches in Spain. Tonight will be the first time this season he'll be able to call on his first-choice front four of Pedro León (on loan from Real Madrid), Spanish international Dani Güiza, Venezuelan Miku and former Sporting Gijón star Diego Castro, all of whom are established players with decent reputations, and his side gave Real Madrid a fright a couple of weekends ago before losing 4-2 at the Bernabeu. 19th position definitely understates their potential.

Betis, on the other hand, have had two very tough games in the last week and arrive in Madrid a little battered. Beñat and Roque Santa Cruz are both in the squad but might not be risked over 90 minutes, while Casto's one-game suspension means a rare start in goal for Iñaki Goitia, who looks a nervous shadow of the mostly competent keeper we saw in 2009/10. On the plus side, Mario should return in central defence against his old team (who were foolish to let  him go), and Álvaro Vadillo will get another chance to show the superstar form he does with Betis B. (Sorry, Linus, but Ezequiel has been left out of the 18-man squad once again. He'll have to be patient.)

There's no doubt that Pepe Mel faces some difficult decisions tonight. Does he go with the same team come what may, or give some of his main men a well earned rest? Either choice is risky, and of course we don't know exactly how the players are feeling, but I'd be inclined to give a chance to guys like Molina, Matilla and Vadillo. This is far from a must-win game - even though another three points would be very sweet - and it might just be a good opportunity to try out some new names. It'll be interesting to see what he decides, but I don't think a draw would be a bad result in the circumstances.

Of course, Betis have already beaten Getafe away once this year. Back on January 6th - the equivalent of Christmas Day in Spain - they gave Michel's side a good hammering in the Copa del Rey, putting in unquestionably their best performance of the season. If the world had been watching - which they weren't, they were too busy opening their presents - they would have had advance warning of the kind of form Pepe Mel's side has shown in the last few days.

That day, Béticos were so excited that 200 or so (including your correspondent) went to the train station later to welcome a somewhat bemused team back to Seville. The players had to make their way through the throng to a bus waiting to take them back to the stadium, where they'd left their cars. My main memory of the evening is of young central defender Miki Roqué being so besieged by fans - and so obliging to them - that the whole squad ended up having to wait for him. I hope he's watching up in Barcelona and feeling part of the fun.

The game is not being shown live in the UK and Ireland, but is on DirecTV in the USA (kick-off 9pm our time). I'll open a live thread a bit nearer the time for comments before, during and after the game - feel free to join in, whether you want to discuss whether Pepe Mel's inverted Christmas tree formation or just say "Woo-hoo!" when Mario heads in a Beñat corner. 

The cover of the Seville edition of the AS sports newspaper this morning just says: "Que siga la fiesta!" Let's keep the party going. Hell, yeah.

The league table never lies

You may have seen this little story already, as it's had quite a lot of publicity here, even on national TV.

It's about the Sevilla FC website which features the mini Clasificación shown on the right on its home page. Notice anyone missing?! The club have said that this is the way it always works, with just the "two or three teams" around Sevilla showing up, and that the absence of a certain other team from the same city - that would be the one in FIRST place - is purely coincidental. 

I'm sure that must be true, especially given the excellent relations the two clubs are enjoying right now, but it's quite amusing nonetheless. And of course as Béticos we are all Flabbergasted, Outraged, Shocked and indeed Appalled. Tee-hee.

Right. I'm feeling a bit worn out from too much excitement, so I'm going to take a break for the weekend. Back on Monday to preview the game at Getafe.