Real Betis have almost reached the halfway stage of this fascinating LaLiga season as we prepare for the return of football following the Christmas winter break.
18 games gone and the Green and Whites sit pretty in 3rd place with 33 points – The highest position at this stage for 57 years. The club will sleep in the Champions League positions for the festive period, which is a tremendous achievement for all involved. It has been a largely successful season so far with more highs than lows. That much-coveted consistency the club and its supporters have been yearning for has been achieved as Betis continues to grow from last season’s successful journey to finish in 6th place and secure a Europa League place.
Navigating between domestic and European football is notoriously problematic and certainly has been the case for Betis in each season the club has spun those particular plates. However, this season, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have coped admirably with the task – A case in point being the month of September where Betis won six out of seven games, winning away in Granada on a Monday before defeating Celtic in a thrilling match 4-3 just three days later on their European return.
That consistency is what Betis have craved throughout its existence. And thanks to Manuel Pellegrini, he has engineered, so to speak, a remarkable turnaround in Betis’ fortunes in terms of forging a winning mentality. Up until November, Real Betis were the most in-form team of Europe’s top five leagues in this calendar year with just four defeats in 42 matches, ahead of the likes of Bayern Münich and Inter Milan.
The club climbed slowly but surely up the league table as the season unfolded with a thumping 4-1 victory over Valencia as Betis and their supporters slept that night in a Champions League position.
But the season has not been without its road bumps. A 2-0 defeat against Villarreal before the October international break brought Betis back down to earth with a bump. A dose of reality of where the club was at. A month later, there would be further suffering with a week to forget, starting with a chastising defeat against Atlético de Madrid 3-0 followed by further heavy defeats against Bayer Leverkusen (4-0) and most hurtful against Sevilla in the derby (0-2).
Yet after an international break, Betis have shown that bounce back ability each time they have hit a problem. It is credit to this squad that they have reacted positively to adversity whereas in the past the team may have lurched from one defeat to another. Betis recorded five straight wins, including a deserving win at the Camp Nou against Barcelona. Midfielder Andrés Guardado said post match the team had been threatening a statement victory like that but for all the consistency and good results just could not get a win against a main player of the league. Well now they did. And the following week they did it again, thrashing Real Sociedad 4-0 with the Green and Whites running riot as Christmas came early at the Benito Villamarín. There was also a beautiful moment at half time as teddy bears were thrown onto the pitch by supporters, which are to be given to disadvantaged children. It is a wonderful experience to see, giving the effect that it is snowing. It is an annual tradition which rightly gets the plaudits.
There are many reasons why Betis have continued that great form of last season. The manager has galvanised a team where every player feels valued, hungry and motivated. There is not a set starting 11 with all the squad playing important minutes which is why the juggling of the competitions has gone so well. Arguably the players coming off the bench have been more important than those of the starting XI. Pellegrini has a happy knack of reading the game and making decisive substitutions which have favourably changed a game.
Delving deeper, there have been some big performances from notable players. The forever young Claudio Bravo continues to shine between the sticks at the sprightly age of 39. The improvement in Álex Moreno has been notable, improving and sharpening his defensive game with more consistency. Marc Bartra has returned to the level when he signed with notable interventions. Guido Rodriguez continues to be the axis and defensive shield this team has longed for. Even William Carvalho has begun to show his confident and fluid form when he plays for Portugal. Across midfield is where Betis have shone with Sergio Canales again being a pivotal player, even when not fully at his fittest and bright best. He fully deserves his recent contract extension through to 2026. The magician will continue to weave his magic.
A surprise success has been Juanmi Jiménez. The striker has finally got over his wretched injuries to produce a purple patch like no other with 11 goals in 16 La Liga games, making him the top Spanish goal scorer. His hot streak included a hat trick against Levante and the match winner in Barcelona. He has scored in his last five matches with seven goals in his dizzying spell. Betis supporters have even dedicated a new song to their new idol “Oh Juan Miguel, oh Juan Miguel, todos queremos que marque Juan Miguel.” (“Oh Juan Miguel, oh Juan Miguel, everyone wants Juan Miguel to score.”) Betis’ new Santa Claus giving out his presents with goals aplenty.
But the true fulcrum of the team has been Nabil Fekir. The Frenchmen has risen to the challenge of becoming the team's undisputed main man. He has wowed supporters with his skills, determination and numerous goals assists. He is one of La Liga’s most fouled players, which says a lot about his tenacity and trickery. In the past, he has been consistently inconsistent but the player has applied himself accordingly to work harder for himself and most importantly now, the team. Due to this, Fekir is the benchmark for this Betis. His top performances have meant the club are actively looking to extend his contract and lock in the prime years of his career at the Benito Villamarín.
Up front, the duo of Borja Iglesias and Willian José have equally spurred on each other to provide crucial goals with 13 goals and six assists between the dynamic duo.
Betis are clearly a well organised unit, demonstrating strong team performances which are the fruit of a clear pattern of play implemented from last season.
The younger players have also stepped up accordingly too. Defender Edgar has returned from his loan spell at Real Oviedo a more rounded and experienced player. Hs has gone from fourth choice option to Betis’ most reliable defensive choice. Rodri has come into his own this season with some sterling displays, the standout performance being his sumptuous goal against Granada giving Betis their first win of the season. Juan Miranda has continued to grow in light of his highly successful first season. Rober has continued his footballing journey with further minutes and entering the Spanish U21 squad alongside Rodri and Miranda. Although he has had less game time, the club will possibly study a loan move for the second half of the season to continue his progression and repeat his positive spell in Las Palmas with eight goals in 30 games last season.
So what can supporters expect from the second half of the season? More drama, in short. As we know with Betis, the club does not do things the easy way. Why go on a long straight road through green traffic lights when you can do various detours, go round multiple roundabouts and hit several red lights. There will be the ups and the downs – they go hand in hand with Betis. But nowadays with Pellegrini at the helm, the squad are more prepared than ever to confront those setbacks head on. And setbacks pave the way for comebacks.
With Betis competing in the Copa del Rey and the return of Europa League football in February, Betis will once again have to juggle competitions and shuffle the decks accordingly to get every player in optimum shape possible.
This latter end of the season will see a storied career come to an end with the final footballing chapter played out of the clubs emblematic captain, Joaquín. At the ripe old age of 40, the midfield maestro has reached the end of his highly successful road and will look to enjoy his final performance for his beloved Betis. Don’t be sad when it is over, be thankful it happened.
The captain and his team will face stiff opposition as the club enter the crucial stage of the season. Here are the key fixtures to come:
January:
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis
February:
Real Betis vs Villarreal
Sevilla vs Real Betis
March:
Real Betis vs Atlético de Madrid
April:
Real Sociedad vs Real Betis
May:
Real Betis vs Barcelona
Valencia vs Real Betis
Real Madrid vs Real Betis
Some tasty tussles on the horizon. Get your popcorn ready, you will not want to miss this thrilling finale.
18 games gone and the Green and Whites sit pretty in 3rd place with 33 points – The highest position at this stage for 57 years. The club will sleep in the Champions League positions for the festive period, which is a tremendous achievement for all involved. It has been a largely successful season so far with more highs than lows. That much-coveted consistency the club and its supporters have been yearning for has been achieved as Betis continues to grow from last season’s successful journey to finish in 6th place and secure a Europa League place.
Navigating between domestic and European football is notoriously problematic and certainly has been the case for Betis in each season the club has spun those particular plates. However, this season, Manuel Pellegrini’s side have coped admirably with the task – A case in point being the month of September where Betis won six out of seven games, winning away in Granada on a Monday before defeating Celtic in a thrilling match 4-3 just three days later on their European return.
That consistency is what Betis have craved throughout its existence. And thanks to Manuel Pellegrini, he has engineered, so to speak, a remarkable turnaround in Betis’ fortunes in terms of forging a winning mentality. Up until November, Real Betis were the most in-form team of Europe’s top five leagues in this calendar year with just four defeats in 42 matches, ahead of the likes of Bayern Münich and Inter Milan.
The club climbed slowly but surely up the league table as the season unfolded with a thumping 4-1 victory over Valencia as Betis and their supporters slept that night in a Champions League position.
But the season has not been without its road bumps. A 2-0 defeat against Villarreal before the October international break brought Betis back down to earth with a bump. A dose of reality of where the club was at. A month later, there would be further suffering with a week to forget, starting with a chastising defeat against Atlético de Madrid 3-0 followed by further heavy defeats against Bayer Leverkusen (4-0) and most hurtful against Sevilla in the derby (0-2).
Yet after an international break, Betis have shown that bounce back ability each time they have hit a problem. It is credit to this squad that they have reacted positively to adversity whereas in the past the team may have lurched from one defeat to another. Betis recorded five straight wins, including a deserving win at the Camp Nou against Barcelona. Midfielder Andrés Guardado said post match the team had been threatening a statement victory like that but for all the consistency and good results just could not get a win against a main player of the league. Well now they did. And the following week they did it again, thrashing Real Sociedad 4-0 with the Green and Whites running riot as Christmas came early at the Benito Villamarín. There was also a beautiful moment at half time as teddy bears were thrown onto the pitch by supporters, which are to be given to disadvantaged children. It is a wonderful experience to see, giving the effect that it is snowing. It is an annual tradition which rightly gets the plaudits.
There are many reasons why Betis have continued that great form of last season. The manager has galvanised a team where every player feels valued, hungry and motivated. There is not a set starting 11 with all the squad playing important minutes which is why the juggling of the competitions has gone so well. Arguably the players coming off the bench have been more important than those of the starting XI. Pellegrini has a happy knack of reading the game and making decisive substitutions which have favourably changed a game.
Delving deeper, there have been some big performances from notable players. The forever young Claudio Bravo continues to shine between the sticks at the sprightly age of 39. The improvement in Álex Moreno has been notable, improving and sharpening his defensive game with more consistency. Marc Bartra has returned to the level when he signed with notable interventions. Guido Rodriguez continues to be the axis and defensive shield this team has longed for. Even William Carvalho has begun to show his confident and fluid form when he plays for Portugal. Across midfield is where Betis have shone with Sergio Canales again being a pivotal player, even when not fully at his fittest and bright best. He fully deserves his recent contract extension through to 2026. The magician will continue to weave his magic.
A surprise success has been Juanmi Jiménez. The striker has finally got over his wretched injuries to produce a purple patch like no other with 11 goals in 16 La Liga games, making him the top Spanish goal scorer. His hot streak included a hat trick against Levante and the match winner in Barcelona. He has scored in his last five matches with seven goals in his dizzying spell. Betis supporters have even dedicated a new song to their new idol “Oh Juan Miguel, oh Juan Miguel, todos queremos que marque Juan Miguel.” (“Oh Juan Miguel, oh Juan Miguel, everyone wants Juan Miguel to score.”) Betis’ new Santa Claus giving out his presents with goals aplenty.
But the true fulcrum of the team has been Nabil Fekir. The Frenchmen has risen to the challenge of becoming the team's undisputed main man. He has wowed supporters with his skills, determination and numerous goals assists. He is one of La Liga’s most fouled players, which says a lot about his tenacity and trickery. In the past, he has been consistently inconsistent but the player has applied himself accordingly to work harder for himself and most importantly now, the team. Due to this, Fekir is the benchmark for this Betis. His top performances have meant the club are actively looking to extend his contract and lock in the prime years of his career at the Benito Villamarín.
Up front, the duo of Borja Iglesias and Willian José have equally spurred on each other to provide crucial goals with 13 goals and six assists between the dynamic duo.
Betis are clearly a well organised unit, demonstrating strong team performances which are the fruit of a clear pattern of play implemented from last season.
The younger players have also stepped up accordingly too. Defender Edgar has returned from his loan spell at Real Oviedo a more rounded and experienced player. Hs has gone from fourth choice option to Betis’ most reliable defensive choice. Rodri has come into his own this season with some sterling displays, the standout performance being his sumptuous goal against Granada giving Betis their first win of the season. Juan Miranda has continued to grow in light of his highly successful first season. Rober has continued his footballing journey with further minutes and entering the Spanish U21 squad alongside Rodri and Miranda. Although he has had less game time, the club will possibly study a loan move for the second half of the season to continue his progression and repeat his positive spell in Las Palmas with eight goals in 30 games last season.
So what can supporters expect from the second half of the season? More drama, in short. As we know with Betis, the club does not do things the easy way. Why go on a long straight road through green traffic lights when you can do various detours, go round multiple roundabouts and hit several red lights. There will be the ups and the downs – they go hand in hand with Betis. But nowadays with Pellegrini at the helm, the squad are more prepared than ever to confront those setbacks head on. And setbacks pave the way for comebacks.
With Betis competing in the Copa del Rey and the return of Europa League football in February, Betis will once again have to juggle competitions and shuffle the decks accordingly to get every player in optimum shape possible.
This latter end of the season will see a storied career come to an end with the final footballing chapter played out of the clubs emblematic captain, Joaquín. At the ripe old age of 40, the midfield maestro has reached the end of his highly successful road and will look to enjoy his final performance for his beloved Betis. Don’t be sad when it is over, be thankful it happened.
The captain and his team will face stiff opposition as the club enter the crucial stage of the season. Here are the key fixtures to come:
January:
Rayo Vallecano vs Real Betis
February:
Real Betis vs Villarreal
Sevilla vs Real Betis
March:
Real Betis vs Atlético de Madrid
April:
Real Sociedad vs Real Betis
May:
Real Betis vs Barcelona
Valencia vs Real Betis
Real Madrid vs Real Betis
Some tasty tussles on the horizon. Get your popcorn ready, you will not want to miss this thrilling finale.