Forever Betis

Picking and choosing

I should probably let you know that his morning's Seville edition of national sports daily AS featured a big picture of ex-Real Madrid midfield legend Míchel, declaring him el eligido (the chosen one). In other words, if Pepe Mel's time at Betis is coming to an end, it seems we have a successor in place (if AS is to be believed, which it might not be). Míchel, who is about the same age as Mel, was most recently coach at Getafe, with whom he achieved the not inconsiderable feat of keeping them in Primera both seasons he was in charge. (By the way, his name is pronounced more "Mitchell" than "Michelle". if you're a fan of the TV show Modern Family, just imagine Gloria calling out to her husband's bearded gay son and you'll just about have it.)

The article accompanying the front page splash is notably short on detail - basically it comes down to the fact that he's an old friend of Rafael Gordillo and, more importantly, is free - but it's hard to disagree that Míchel is one of the better candidates available. He is very well respected within Spanish football, more or less enhanced his reputation at Getafe and is apparently affordable.

But let's hope it doesn't come to that. A quick straw poll this morning among friends, students and assorted other Sevillano Béticos as to whether Pepe Mel should be sacked came down about 50-50, but there's a 100 per cent lack of overt enthusiasm for any of the more likely names to replace him, including Míchel. It wouldn't take much - a win in Pamplona on Sunday, for example - to lighten the burden on Mel considerably.

Tumbling down

I'm pretty sure that the last time I posted a screen-grab of the Primera table, Betis were top. Right now they're 14th, just a point above the relegation zone - and floating inexorably downwards like an overfed parachutist.

The powers-that-be held a meeting with Pepe Mel yesterday to bat around reasons for the current appalling run and discuss changes that could be made to snap the team out of its funk. The upshot was that Mel will continue in his for at least another week, but even he can see that this story only has one possible ending unless a win arrives soon. "I'm a football coach and out of the last 27 possible points we've only taken one," he said after the game on Sunday. "I'm not going to offer up my head to anyone when I think I'm able to do something about this, but I'd understand it if they decided to sack me. Under no circumstances can Betis go down to Segunda. I know what's at stake. No-one should worry about me. I can hold my head high, because I know I can't work any hard. I won't lose any sleep tonight. If they sack me, I'll just be one more Bético watching from afar."

It's probably true that a manager who's managed one point from nine games would probably be dismissed from any other club in the top divisions of all the major football countries, but Pepe Mel has a couple of things in his favour.

First, he remains popular with the fans, even if they disagree with tactics and/or object to his team-selection. He's likeable, he's been successful in the past and he's 110 per cent Bético. We would so much rather the team's fortunes were turned round by Pepe Mel than by a gun for hire like, say, Esteban Vigo. The crowd were singing his name in the first half on Sunday and the eventual defeat was greeted more by depressed silence than anger at the coach.

The second thing helping him stay in is job is that it would cost the club around €2million to sack him now, while various clauses in his contract will soon kick-in and reduce this penalty. If, for example, Betis spend three consecutive weeks in the relegation zone, they can get rid of him for free. Similarly, if Betis take fewer than 12 points from their second 10 games of the season, they only have to pay him up to that point. While there's no pressure from the fans, plus time to turn things around, it must be tempting to let events run their course.

Some more thoughts from Sunday's game...

l First off, there are more extended highlights here.You'll see that Betis really should have been four- rather than two-down when they started their comeback.

 

l We really should admit, I suppose, that the winning goal was pretty sensational - and all the more so for being no fluke. Iñigo Martínez has already scored from his own half this season (in the Basque derby with Athletic Bilbao) and the Sociedad coach claimed they'd discussed how far Casto comes off his line beforehand.

l Ah, Casto. That might be the last we see of him for a while. With summer signing Fabricio recovered from injury and raring to go, Casto was always a clanger away from losing his place and it's hard now to see him retaining his place for the next game. It wasn't just letting in a 56-yard shot, he also gave away a silly penalty (for which he was arguably lucky not to receive a red card, as the Atlético keeper did after a very similar incident the night before).

l Not that he was the only defender to look shaky. Ustaritz and Chica had several dithery misunderstandings, which a better team would have taken more advantage of, and it was easier for Agirretxe to score from a corner than it has been for me just now to spell his name. Not good.

l As I mentioned in the match report, Betis once again looked much too narrow - and that surely has to change if they're to start winning games. Actually, they played a kind of 4-4-2 on Sunday, with Pozuelo mostly on the right and Salva Sevilla on the other side, but neither are wingers so it was really up to the full backs to hug the touchlines going forward. With the team so short on confidence, however, you could see that Nacho and Chica were sometimes reluctant to throw themselves up the pitch - which is why nearly all Betis's attacks (even the two goals) ended up coming through the middle.

l Perhaps that's why substitute Ezequiel helped change the game. Like Jefferson Montero (who was injured on Sunday), he's much more likely to do the wrong thing than to get it right, but the little winger certainly gave the Real Sociedad defence something else to think about - which was something of a tactical leap forward for Betis. He probably deserves a start at some point.

l Ditto Jonathan Pereira. I have a theory that the turning point of the whole season came in the Getafe game back in September when, with Betis 1-0 down, he passed (poorly) when he was through on the keeper and should have shot. If he had done, and scored, he'd have kept his place, Betis wouldn't have started the process of losing their way, and we'd all be happier now. As he showed on Sunday, he's one of the sharpest finishers at the club and he should have been allowed another chance to demonstrate this before now.

That's enough of that. Next up are Osasuna away on Sunday evening. 

How it happened

Not great quality, but here are the goals.

 

Real Betis 2-3 Real Sociedad

A strange thing happened at about 1.50pm this afternoon in the south Seville barrio of Heliópolis: time, I swear, stopped still. This miracle of quantum physics occurred shortly after a football was struck vaguely goalwards by the left boot of Real Sociedad's Iñigo Martínez, who was standing near the halfway line just about then..

How can I be sure? Well, how else could I have thought all of the following in the next instant?.

l First up, you find yourself doing some quick three-dimensional mental arithmetic. Is the ball travelling fast enough to reach the goal? Yes. Is it straight and true? Too early to tell, but quite possibly. Is the goalkeeper in a position to stop it if it is? OHMYGODCASTOWHATAREYOU-DOINGOUTTHERE!!!

l Next you find yourself rifling through the previous 93 minutes of football to judge the fairness or otherwise of what might just be about to happen. And, it has to be said, today's game was difficult to weigh up. Sociedad are a bad team, but Betis did their very best to give them the three points (perhaps served up in the Davis Cup, which made an appearance before kick-off). First there was a defensive mix-up in the 23rd minute that ended with Casto upending Griezmann in the area for a penalty that the same visiting player pulled woefully wide. Then there were two dozily defended corners half-way through the second-half, resulting in a headed opening goal for Agirretxe and a similar effort hitting the bar from close range. And finally (I mean, up until the time-stopping incident) there was some kamikaze chasing after an equaliser that allowed Carlos Vega to finish off a counter attack by doubling the lead on 76 minutes.

On the other hand, Betis had the vast majority of possession (as always), generally looked the more accomplished side and created their fair share of chances. Salva Sevilla had his most assertive game of the season, Pozuelo is looking more and more like a Primera player and even Roque Santa Cruz showed signs of hitherto well-concealed mobility. Yes, Betis's play was still too slow, too narrow and too predictable, but you still felt they were a bit unlucky to be two-down with 10 minutes to go.

l Ah, but what a 10 minutes - which a quarter of the 36,000 crowd, who left in ostentatious protest at the second Sociedad goal, must have missed. With the visitors defending deeper and deeper and Betis playing with five attackers, Salva Sevilla finally managed to put a couple of chances on a plate for super-lively substitute Jonathan Pereira. The first, smashed into the net from about six yards out, was greeted with muted applause; the second, tucked away more carefully in the 85th minute, prompted wild celebrations in the stands. Two goals? A point? What kind a of paradise was this?

Well, a fake one, as we all know now. Time restarted, the ball continued on its incredible 50-yard trajectory from Iñigo Martínez's left boot, sailed over Casto's head, hit the underside of the crossbar and dropped into the back of the net. About a dozen Real Sociedad fans went bananas in the stand below me. Betis had lost again. You have my permission to weep.

Betis: Casto; Chica (Jorge Molina, m. 77), Ustaritz, Dorado, Nacho; Beñat (Ezequiel, m. 58), Iriney, Salva Sevilla; Pozuelo (J. Pereira, m. 67), Santa Cruz, Rubén Castro.

Goals: 0-1, m. 55: Agirretxe. 0-2, m. 75: Carlos Vela. 1-2, m. 80: Pereira. 2-2, m. 85: Pereira. 2-3, m. 91: Íñigo Martínez.

Pic: Yay - an equaliser!

 

Live thread

And almost exactly 18 months ago...

Remember this? This morning's press previews of today's game all mention the last time the sides met, back on May 23rd 2010 - the report of which is worth linking to. At the time Betis were making a desperate attempt (ultimately doomed) to win the last six games of the 2009/10 Segunda season and haul themselves into the promotion spots. Tickets at €5 (if I remember correctly) helped swell the crowd to over 50,000 and the players rode the incredible atmosphere to eek out a narrow win over the runaway division champions. A repeat performance today would do just fine.

 

Faint expectations

I was going to start by saying that this is a game Betis really should expect to win, but then I realised how silly that sounded. Let's not forget; Pepe Mel's side have lost seven out of their last eight games, scoring exactly one goal in the process. With form like that, you couldn't really expect them to beat Stalybridge Celtic Ladies, let alone another Primera side.

On the other hand, Real Sociedad are the one side whose winless streak goes back even further than Betis. Yes, they men from San Sebastián are that bad. In their last eight games they have just two 0-0 draws among the losses, and they find themselves one place off the bottom - and as high as that only due to goal difference. The appointment of unknown Frenchman Philippe Montanier as coach in the summer looked an imaginative decision at the time, but he's now hanging on to his job by a thread and his predicament won't be helped by the absence through injury of winger Xabi Prieto, unarguably Real's best player. They have one or two interesting players - notably French left-winger Antonio Griezmann and Mexican forward Carlos Vela, who's on loan from Arsenal - but confidence is low and their fans are only too aware that last year they ended up surviving relegation by a mere two points.

Of course, Betis can hardly gloat. The form of Pepe Mel's side hasn't always been as bad over the past eight games as their results suggest, but there's no getting away from the fact that the current system isn't producing goals. The likely replacement of Cañas by Salva Sevilla is a step in the right direction, but the Betis no.14 still needs to make sure he pushes well forward in support of the three-man forward line. Just like this, in fact...

 

I still suspect that Betis are an early goal away from putting a hatful past somebody, but they'll need to attack with a lot more pace and purpose than of late if Real Sociedad are to be the unlucky victims. At this stage we can only cling to blind faith - and even that has a sell-by date.

Kick-off, for the third time this season, is at 12noon, which I know makes keeping in touch very difficult for our American readers, but I'll still stick a Live Thread up before I leave for the Villamarín. How sweet would a victory be? I'm not sure I have the words...

Care to dance?

I'll be sure to post a short preview of tomorrow morning's crucial - no, crucialísimo - game with Real Sociedad by the end of play today, but in the meantime I think we're due another Betis terrace chant.

This one's simple enough -  it's the Betis Lambada, which the Supporters on Gol Sur are currently attempting to turn the rest of the stadium on to (with mixed results, it has to be said). According to Wikipedia, the orginal song was a worldwide hit in 1989, so we're only 22 years out of date. And what with this and Stereo Love, it seems Béticos have a thing for the accordian - who'd a thunk it?

 

I heard a rumour...

For a relatively small city, Seville has an awful lot of newsprint devoted to it. In addition to the three standard daily newspapers - ABC de Sevilla, Diario de Sevilla and El Correo De Andalucía - plus the sports daily Estadio Deportivo, there are at least four free papers given out to commuters and breakfasters - 20 Minutos, ADN, Qué and Viva Sevilla - all of which feature nuggets of Betis and Sevilla FC news every day.

These free sheets are easy to moan about when you're being accosted by aggressive hander-outers, but actually they can be surprisingly good quality (and, incidentally, are an excellent way of improving your Spanish). So I wouldn't be too quick to dismiss the cover story of Viva Sevilla that I read on the bus this morning: "Serra Ferrer, como loco por venirse a Sevilla."  Serra Ferrer, mad about coming to Seville.

The gist is that the rumour mill has gone into overdrive regarding possible replacements for Pepe Mel, with Lorenzo Serra Ferrer - the coach who led Betis to Copa del Rey success and the Champions League in 2005 - supposedly telling friends that he's keen to return. This would not be easy as he's currently majority shareholder at Mallorca and would have to sell up pretty quick, but it's an interesting snippet of gossip nonetheless. Other names in the frame, apparently, include ex-Getafe boss Míchel (famously a big pal of Rafael Gordillo), former Xerez and Hércules coach Esteban Vigo, Miguel Ángel Lotina (an experienced old hand who took Deportivo down last year) and Martín Lasarte (last scene at Real Sociedad).

None of the above names should get too excited yet, though. Pepe Mel still retains the wholehearted support of the dressing room and the board of directors and, according to a story in Correo de Andalucía, has no chance of being dismissed while Betis still hover above the relegation zone. And Mel himself is certainly still talking a good game. "I always think we're going to win and I'll settle for scoring a goal more than Real Sociedad on Sunday," he said this morning. "Hopefully the public will enjoy themselves and we'll put on a show for the spectators."

A goal more than Real? Some of us would just settle for a goal, full stop.

Salva to save the day?

It's been a quiet week on Planet Betis, with nothing much happening but continual messages of support for Pepe Mel from the dressing room and the boardroom. That's all very well, of course, but the only thing that really matters now is the performance in Sunday's game - for which Salva Sevilla is expected to return in midfield and try to get his (and his team's) season back on track. 

"We spoke a few days ago," said Pepe Mel recently of his playmaker, "and we looked at the errors made by both him and the team. He'd been a bit put off by things that didn't work out and that really affected all his decisions. He watched a DVD of things he had to change, and which he did well last year. Now's the time to bring him back and I'm sure he'll do well. He's got a good chance of playing on Sunday."

Salva is likely to replace Cañas, but it'll take more than a change of personnel to get the Betis machine working again. Let's hope he brings a change of style as well.

Some more brief notes...

lThis table, published recently in El Correo de Andalucía, is quite interesting. The columns read "Chances - for and against", "Shots - for and against", "On Goal - etc" - and even if I don't quite understand the difference between "chances" and "shots on goal" (especially as it seems possible to have more "chances" than "shots on goal"), it's pretty instructive to see that Betis have had the lion's share of possession in six of the past eight disastrous games. In other words, simply having the ball doesn't mean anything - it's all about what you do with it. Talking of which, you might also notice that fewer than one in three Betis shots are on target, which is obviously no way to go about winning football matches.

l This story is so ironic they've called Alanis Morrissette to let her know. In the week his future has been hotly debated all over Seville, Pepe Mel has just found out he was voted Segunda coach of the year for 2010/11 season by the nation's players. He deserved it, too.

l It was remiss of me not to spend a moment or two earlier this week mentioning Betis B, who beat third-placed Real Balompédica Linense 1-0 at the Benito Villamarín on Sunday to take outright lead of Segunda B, Group IV. Even more remarkable than the verdiblanco boys' recent run was the fact that over 1,000 visiting fans made the trip from down near Gibraltar, despite persisent rain. 

l And still Betis B might not be the club's strongest outfit. The Benjamin A team - under-10s, basically - face their Sevilla counterparts on Sunday on the back of a record even Jose Mourinho would be proud of. In their last five away games they've seen off all opponents with an aggregate of 39 goals for and exactly two against. Is nine too young for a first-team call-up, do you think? Even as an impact substitute?