Real Betis Balompié have given their fans a spectacular season for what a team with their budget can do, including competing in the Europa League until the last minute, fighting for those top spots in LaLiga and playing some tactically impressive games.
Let’s go through their season and look at some of their more impressive achievements this year. We will even venture into predicting what’s next for the Sevillian club.
Light at the end of the tunnel
Betis has been playing in the top flight of Spanish football for 6 consecutive seasons now. Though this is a great achievement, Betis has never really been a top of the table team, but rather a mid-table team. Last season, Manuel Pellegrini was hired as their new coach. Under his management, Betis managed to get up to 6th position in LaLiga, granting them a spot in the Europa League after a two-year absence.
With Pellegrini’s arrival, Betis started playing a different type of football that certainly has proved to be effective, since they are in 5th place on the LaLiga table and are in clear contention for a Champions League spot.
Champions league on sight
The Champions League is the ultimate competition for European football clubs. Every team desires to be in it, play with the best, and not to mention, win it! This year, the classic top dogs of LaLiga have not been playing their best football. This has opened a clear window to other clubs like Betis, who by playing an aggressive football, has been able to climb the ladder and see that desired Champions League spot within reaching distance. In fact, Betis looked ready to fight for the Spanish title a couple decades ago, but they slacked a little and Barcelona became the dominant force in Spanish football.
Team effort
Truth be said, this season Pellegrini has managed to incorporate a style of football in which all can take part. The explosivity of young players like Borja Iglesias or Sergio Canales mixed with the experience of legendary players like Hector Bellerin and Joaquín, the latter of which is one of the team’s biggest talents. Former Barcelona centre-back Marc Bartra is enjoying a good season, too. Offensively, the name that stands out is their striker, Fekir, who has scored 10 goals for the Verdiblancos. An interesting fact to mention about Betis is that, unlike the top 5 teams in LaLiga, most of their players are Spanish, with very few international players. This contrasts with their neighbours and eternal rivals Sevilla, which has a higher number of international players.
Pellegrini´s style of play consists of playing from behind, having the possession of the ball, long passes and of course being as vertical as possible, which allows for creating spaces to have as many goal opportunities as possible. Another notable characteristic of his playing style at Betis is always maintaining a high pressure on the ball, making it as arduous as possible for the opponent to play the ball properly.
Europa League
This season, Betis played in the Europa League as they finished 6th last year. They finished in second place in the group stage and knocked out Zenit St. Petersburg in the Round of 16. They transmitted an impression of a solid team with real possibilities to win the title. That being said, they slipped in the first leg against Eintracht Frankfurt; a good team, but not at Betis’s level this year. After losing the first leg, Betis came ready for the second match. The game had everything and it was an absolute rollercoaster. The ride lasted literally until the last second, because it was in the final minute of the match that Eintracht scored the decisive goal to eclipse the incredible match Betis had put forth and deny them a more than deserved pass to the quarter-finals.
A Copa del Rey fairy-tale
If there is one event that can perfectly explain the success that Betis has been enjoying this season is their presence in the Copa del Rey Final, the second most important Spanish competition. They will face Valencia, so excitement is guaranteed for that game. They have been playing extremely good football, knocking out teams that have also had excellent seasons like Rayo Vallecano in the semi-finals. The last time Betis did so well in the Copa del Rey was in the 2004/05 season, when not only did they reach the final, but they also managed to bring the trophy to Sevilla. Winning the Copa del Rey would be an amazing achievement for Betis, the cherry on top of an incredible season. If this happens, Sevilla surely won’t sleep for at least a week.
‘Manque pierda’
Real Betis is one of the most followed teams in Spain. It is a team full of charisma and a very loyal and fun fanbase, known for shouting ‘Viva el Betis manque pierda’, which is slang for ‘Long live Betis even if they lose.’ Additionally, some Betis legends like Joaquin, are very active on social media and on the social scene of Spain, consequently creating attention towards Betis.
After reading this blog, I´m sure the only thing on your mind is to book the first ticket to go and watch Betis live, in the Benito Villamarin, one of the most modern stadiums in Europe. It’s the perfect excuse to see the stunning city of Sevilla, which won’t disappoint you.
Book the trip with us, go and enjoy a football match of Real Betis!