Ooh Betis

Wakey, wakey!

This recap of Sunday's game - Betis's snoozy first-half performance included -  is a day overdue, so let's get straight to it...

l As always, Pepe Mel was watching the same game as the rest of us. "I'm very disappointed with the first half," he said afterwards. "We don't know what happened, but the opposition would have had to have been very bad not to have taken advantage. In the second half we were more ourselves, and if we'd started like that it would have been a whole other story. But in the first half... that's not the Betis that the fans like to see, and me neither - as the players are going to find out. The same thing happened to us [earlier this season] at Getafe."

l Talking to Béticos since, plenty of us seem to agree that for all the players' culpability, Mel probably made a couple of key mistakes himself. It's easy to point to in retrospect, but sticking Salva Sevilla out on the left-hand side unbalanced the team and stripped it of what Spanish journalists call "verticalidad", which I think we'd translate as "directness". Questioned about this, Mel said, "We've played that way a thousand times before and it's worked out very well... That's not the reason we were all so bad." Well, maybe. But certainly the fact that the team picked up considerably once Pozuelo had replaced Salva  doesn't seem like a coincidence.

His other questionable decision was to withdraw Rubén Castro after an hour, and play with Jorge Molina and Roque Santa Cruz together as a kind of "twin towers" forward line. Put it this way, if I'd been a Granada central defender, I'd much rather have been up against those two than Rubén (or even Pozuelo or Jonathan Pereira through the middle). My (totally speculative) theory is that because Pepe Mel was a big, English-style centre-forward himself, he has a bit of a weakness for that type of player, and perhaps over-estimates their effectiveness. Granada are a big side - I'd have thought that pace and nip would have been more dangerous against them than height and brute force.

l Talking of the opposition, could we not play them again for a while, please? That's five times in the last 18 months (four league games, and one in the Copa del Rey), and although the overall balance is two wins apiece and one draw (which Betis won on penalties), it still feels like they have our number. In the first half they were as good as Betis were bad, and actually had two or three decent chances on the counter-attack in the second 45 minutes, too. (And might have had more if they hadn't been so concerned simply to waste time.)

They have several decent players, but one who always stands out for me is the French-Cameroonian 22-year-old right-back Nyom. One of several Granada players on loan from Italian club Udinese (it's complicated), he's big, strong, solid in defence and dangerous joining the attack. I can't believe he won't be with a bigger club in the next couple of years.

l Casto - hero or liability? Discuss. While it's undeniably true that he's made some game-rescuing saves in the past couple of months, the mistakes are totting up. Fabricio, who looked very solid in the one game he's played (in the cup at Córdoba), must be itching for another chance.

l As I explained in the Comments section on Sunday, there was a minute's silence before the game for a much loved Sevillano bar owner and flamenco singer, nicknamed Pepe Peregil, who died recently. Amongst other things, he was well known for composing songs about Betis, one of which they played - to absolute, hear-a-pin-drop quiet - as a tribute. As I think you can gather from the video below, it was an incredibly moving few seconds - at least until the idiot referee called a premature halt to proceedings. To their credit, the guys in charge of the Tannoy kept the record on until the moment of kick-off.

 

l One of the best innovations of the new management regime is a free 24-page programme that you can pick up in the environs of the stadium on matchdays. (In England they'd charge three quid for it.) And who's this featured on page 17? None other than long-time reader Roman Pérez, from Arizona, via the USAF base in Rota near Cádiz. Enhorabuena, Roman! (And hola to David Whitworth, the English Bético featured on the same page, if you're reading.)

Incidentally, if you want to receive a PDF copy of Revista Balompié, I think you can subscribe to have it emailed to you free every other week. Try here.

l At the same time that the first team were taking on Granada, Betis B were facing their Sevilla counterparts in the derbi chico. It finished 1-1 (video here), with Betis's goal scored direct from a free-kick by Alex Martínez, who'll probably replace suspended Nacho in Mallorca this weekend.

l Finally, don't believe all you hear about Celtic's supposed bid for Jorge Molina. The most reliable sources are still saying that a deal is very unlikely.

 

How it happened

Betis 1 Granada 2 por acosart

 

Real Betis 1-2 Granada CF

Today's lesson? That you can't turn up at half-time and still expect to win football matches. It really is as simple as that.

These midday kick-offs have a tendency to be a little soporific on and off the pitch, but Betis really outdid themselves today. Their first half performance couldn't have been more sleepy if the team had taken to the pitch wearing nightshirts and clutching their teddy bears. This sorry state of affairs was exacerbated by the fact that Granada, out to impress their new coach, were in an exactly opposite mood - wired and ready.

So, for 45 minutes, the home side were second to every loose ball, hardly made a decent pass and looked completely shapeless. There may even have been yawning. By half-time no-one in the ground could say that Granada didn't deserve to be leading, even if the second goal had come from an all-too-typical Casto mistake, with the goalkeeper half coming for a ball in his area, realising he'd made the wrong decision and then only being able to watch as Jara crossed for Martins to tap in. (To be fair, the opener was the result of really good build-up play and a nice Ighalo finish.)

Happily, if not decisively, the second half was 100 per cent better. One of Pepe Mel's more appealing attributes is that he doesn't hang about to make changes when things are going wrong, and he brought off Salva Sevilla - who, not for the first time, looked a little lost on the left side of midfield - for Pozuelo at half time. The 20-year-old had an immediate impact, causing the Granada defence all kinds of problems with his pace, close control and vision. Suddenly, Betis were in complete control, carving out a succession of openings and generally giving the impression that the scoreboard was going to start moving in their favour at any moment.

Sadly, it wasn't quite to be. Julio César, the visitors' reserve goalkeeper, made several key saves - including one absolutely stupendous one from substitute Jorge Molina - and the ball kept flashing across the goalmouth with no-one there to poke it home. Rubén Castro was taken off - perhaps mistakenly - halfway through the half, and it wasn't until the last 10 minutes that Betis finally got a goal, when the keeper missed a routine Beñat corner and Jonathan Pereira took advantage. There were one or two half chances in the remaining 15 minutes, but mostly it was just a case of Granada sharing out the yellow cards for time wasting.

I'm not sure today's game really tells us anything new about Betis. They're definitely not as bad as they looked in the first half, and their dramatic improvement in the second period really just confirms that. On the other hand, the sooner they get to 30 points, the better. (Well, obviously.) For all that Granada played well and deserved to win today, this was a chance missed. Let's hope Mallorca are made to pay on Saturday.

Betis: Casto; Isidoro (Pereira, m. 64), Mario, Dorado, Nacho; Juanma, Iriney, Beñat, Salva Sevilla (Pozuelo, m.45); Rubén Castro (Jorge Molina, m. 58), Santa Cruz.

Goals: 0-1, m. 12, Ighalo; 0-2, m. 39, Martins; 1-2, m. 81, Pereira

Attendance: 36, 755

Betis v. Granada - Live Thread

Available for your comments. Bonus points for any Americans who get up in time for this one.

Halfway there

Amid all the excitement of last week's derbi, I ommitted to point out that it marked the halfway point of the 2011/12 season. Betis's 12th position after 19 games as a decent enough start, especially considering how many games they lost under freaky circumstances, and another 23 points between here and the middle of May would certainly keep them up.

On the other hand, I suspect Pepe Mel and most fans would be disappointed if the team didn't better those figures in the second half. In the last month Betis have proved themselves at least the equal of several clubs towards the top of what the papers call the Other League (ie, excluding Madrid and Barça), and if they can continue to see off lesser teams as comfortably as they did Sporting Gijón three weeks ago, they could yet make it as far as the top six.

So, today's game is vitally important, firstly to get the segunda vuelta off to a good start, and secondly, to help confirm the impression that, right now at least, Betis are one of the better football teams in Spain. A chance, as someone once put it, to announce our presence with authority.

Pepe Mel has almost his entire first team available today, with no-one suspended and only Amaya and Vadillo out injured, which most journalists have interepreted as half-blessing, half-curse. Team selection is certainly no easy task these days. It's thought he'll probably go 4-4-2, with Juanma on the right of midfield and either Salva Sevilla or Jefferson Montero on the left, but it's hard to be sure. Mario should return alongside Chechu Dorado in the centre of defence, with new signing Paulao on the bench in case of emergencies.

For a team we've played as much Granada in the last two seasons, the visitors are a surprisingly unknown quantity. Can new coach Abel Resino really change their dynamic in a week? Stranger things have happened, and they do have some decent players, but it's still true that they've only taken three points from their last 15 and away from home have only scored four goals all season. In theory, in-form Betis side should be too good for them.

About 1,000 Granada fans are expected to be at the Benito Villamarín today, taking advantage of the fact that the Betis board declined to charge them the ridiculous €70 that Béticos were required to pay to see the first game of the season. (The best reason to applaud this sensible decision is the sure knowledge that if Lopera had still been running things the price would definitely been €75, just out of spite.)

And if more Béticos than normal are tuned into their radios today, that's because the derbi chico - Sevilla Atlético against Betis B - is being played at the same time. (More fine planning from the LFP.) You'll remember that Betis won the first game comfortably, with Pozuelo taking a staring role in one of the most fun games I've seen all season, but the Sevilla side have reportedly improved a lot since then. Betis B have suffered a lot from call-ups to the first-team squad lately, but they won well last week and are still near the top of their group of Segunda B, so they should have every chance of securing a very nice double. I'll let you know what happens.

I have to admit that, while I'm not a big fan of noon kick-offs in general, there aren't many more pleasant places to spend a Sunday lunchtime in January than in warm Seville sunshine watching mi Beti'. (Hang that, there aren't any.) Up and at 'em, boys.

Ezequiel all a loan

There's a couple of brief but interesting news items to report today.

Firstly, Ezequiel has been sent to Segunda side Sabadell on loan for the rest of the season. The idea is to give the 21-year-old winger more time on the pitch, with the Catalan club even signing a clause committing them to playing him as much as possible.

It's still a bit of a mystery why Ezequiel has fallen so far out of favour with Pepe Mel. He was rumoured to have come back out of shape from a summer tournament with the Spain Under-20 side, but that seems a long time ago now and it's not as if his replacement on the left wing, Jefferson Montero, has been an unqualified success. At least now Ezequiel has the chance to show what he can do - even though it might mean I lose a certain Swedish reader for the next six months.

And in related news, central defender Juan Calahorro is almost certain to join a whole host of other ex-Béticos on loan at Xerez for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old has been very unlucky to fall down the crack between the first team and Betis B this year, and since the summer has done nothing but train. Good luck to him.

Granada get deFabricated

Let's talk about Sunday's opponents Granada for a few moments, shall we? After all, it was exactly a year ago that Pepe Mel and his team headed across Andalucía and got absolutely battered for their troubles. 3-0 was the final score, and even if wasn't a strict reflection of the balance of play, it was certainly a tactical triumph for Granada's coach Fabri.

I thought about that day when the news came through on Sunday night that Fabri had been sacked. Even in the cut-thoat world of football management, this decision seemed particularly cruel. The man led Granada out of Segunda B in 2010, then back to Primera for the first time in 25 years last June, and leaves the club just a point away from safety (and only four behind Betis). He's an irritatingly pugnacious little man - like a yappy Jack Russell  in a suit and tie - but it's hard to see how he could have done a better job in his two and a half seasons in charge at Los Cármenes. Most Granada fans seem to think the same; when I checked local newspaper websites earlier this week, the readers' comments were 90 per cent in teary favour of their team's erstwhile boss.

This all means, of course, that we have no idea what sort of side we'll face on Sunday. The new man in charge is Abel Resino, a kind of one-size-fits-all experienced Spanish coach who's had mixed results at Valladolid and Atlético Madrid recently, and you'd normally expect a sudden improvement immediately after a change on the bench. But last season's top scorer Alex Geijo has only managed one goal since August - as one comment I read put it, "Is it Fabri's fault that Geijo couldn't score through a rainbow right now?" - while another old hero, talented left winger Dani Benítez, has also singularly failed to enhance his reputation this year. It's hard not to feel that, Fabri or no Fabri, Betis should have their visitors' beating in two days' time.

Beñat comes good

The funny thing is, I think before 10.25pm on Saturday night most Béticos would have said Beñat was having a slightly disappointing season. Nothing disastrous, just a bit B-minus-y. Every now and again someone in the national press would spot him having the sort of complete game that we know he's capable of and they'd write him up as a future international, but then he'd be a bit iffy for a few games and the hype would die down. He hasn't looked hard fit all season, his passing has been uncharacteristically tentative at times, and rumours have been sweeping Seville (possibly unfair - who knows?) that he likes an evening out. Even his free-kicks and corners haven't looked as hard to defend as they did last year. 

We shouldn't forget, of course, that although at nearly 24 he's not super-young in footballing terms (actually, he's older than Leo Messi), it's still less than 18 months since he made his spectacular debut for the Betis first team. A bit of growing up time is surely allowed. At his best, he's still the most talented passing midfielder at the club, and when everything goes just right... Well, as you'll see, delirium ensues. (For the full effect, play all four at the same time, starting with the second one down.)

 

 

 

 

Hello world

If you have a few minutes, do check out a couple of nicely positive pieces about Betis put together by Barcelona-based Scottish journalist Graham Hunter. The first is a little video about the derbi that was put out on Sky Sports' Spanish football show Revista de la Liga (with a very sweet contribution from Roque Santa Cruz), and the second is a related article he wrote for ESPN.com. It's really good to see the club attracting some attention from the outside world after what we might call "the dark ages".

Hoop dreams

I try to avoid writing about transfer rumours while they're still just that, because they're almost always a waste of time. But as I know there's a disproportionate number of Celtic fans who also take an interest in Betis, I'll make an exception to report that the Scottish Sun (amongst others) have claimed that the Glasgow club are interested in buying Jorge Molina for around €2.4million.

It's easy to see why they might like him - he's definitely a British-style centre forward and he's scored goals consistently as he's worked his way up through the ranks of Spanish football - but he's probably too important to Pepe Mel for Betis to be tempted. Roque Santa Cruz has inched ahead of him in the strikers' pecking order in recent weeks, but there's not much in it and with the Paraguayan's injury record, it would be quite a risk to let Molina go at this stage of the season. I think it's unlikely to happen.