The first three places in the Spanish LaLiga have been reserved for many years for Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Barcelona. Valencia last violated this dominance in the 2011/12 season. It could be done again this year. One of the teams that is well on its way is Real Betis.
Los Verdiblancos, ie green and white, have had a very turbulent period. Between 2009 and 2020, the club qualified twice in the European League, but also relegated twice to the 2nd league.
The descent in 2009 even provoked a massive protest – at that time, over 60,000 fans went to the center of Seville to show their dissatisfaction to the president of the club, Loper.
The club also replaced a total of 12 managers in this time frame, so it is no wonder that it was a problem to find any consistency.
Now it looks like the situation is finally turning for the better. Real Betis was taken over by Manuel Pellegrini in the summer of 2020, to whom the Spanish environment is an incredible eye.
In the past, he worked in Villarreal, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time and reached the semifinals. He scored 96 points with Real Madrid, a club record at the time. He set the same record in Málaga, which he took 4th place with 58 points.
In addition, each of these teams is the best in terms of the percentage of matches won: 48% in Villarreal, 42% in Malaga and 82% in Madrid. And to make matters worse, he still holds the same primacy in Betis.
Although the beginning of his engagement in the club was not the best (7 losses out of 11 league matches), the management of the club remained patient this time. And it paid off.
Los Verdiblancos finished 15th of the season before his arrival, only 5 points from the relegation. But Pellegrini won 6th place in his first season and thus the European League.
And it looks even better this year. Pellegrini’s charges hold 3rd place in LaLiga, losing 5 points to their big city rival Seville. In addition, they present themselves with attractive and offensive football, only Real Madrid scored more goals this year (51) than Betis (47).
The European League is also well underway. Under Pellegrini’s leadership, Betis managed to make it to the elimination round, in the 16th final he dealt with Zenit St. Petersburg and is currently facing the German Frankfurt.
But that’s not all, the team from the south of Spain has a well-played and home cup. In Copa del Rey, he is one step away from the final – he won the first semifinal match at the Vallecana Stadium 2: 1 and will therefore have a better position in the industry.
On his way to the semifinals, he managed, for example, to break Real Sociedad 4-0, or to deal with Sevilla 2: 1 in a tense derby, which had to be interrupted due to fans. In the match, Nabil Fekir caught his attention from the corner.
The fact that this year’s Copa del Rey did not come out to the Spanish giants Real Madrid, Barcelona, and Atletica Madrid further increases Betis’ chances of winning its first trophy since the 2004/05 season. In case of advancement, one of the pair Valencia – Bilbao will be waiting for them in the final.
Although Pellegrini has a large share in the rise of Betis, it certainly makes his job easier that he has a great staff. The club manages to attract interesting players on the transfer market and the team benefits from it.
Management is not afraid to show confidence to players who have trouble reaching their potential or have failed engagements. And players pay for that trust on the pitch.
William Jose tried unsuccessfully to catch up in Wolverhampton, Betis allowed him to return to the LaLiga before this season, and the striker has scored 9 goals so far.
Sergio Canales suffered injuries during her career, he had to undergo 3 knee surgeries. He now shines in Betis and has developed into one of the best midfielders of the Spanish league.
For Guido Rodríguez, another midfielder of the team, the club’s engagement is the first in Europe, but he adapted very quickly and, thanks to his good performances, he also made it to the Argentine national team.
Héctor Bellerín also quickly settled in Betis, where he is a guest from Arsenal, and enjoys the club environment, also because his family Los Verdiblancos is a fan.
Veteran Joaquín, who continues his career at the age of 40 and is still a valid member of the team, is also worth mentioning.
But there can be no doubt about the main star of the cadre. Nabil Fekir was to move from Lyon to Liverpool in 2018 for £ 50 million. But the transfer fell and Fekira won Betis a year later for £ 16.5 million.
The football community was surprised by this transfer, many fans feared that it was a step backwards for Fekir. At Betis, however, he shows great performances and shows his full potential. This season he has 9 goals and 7 assists.
Thanks to his performances, he had offers for a transfer, and the interest of Barcelona was also speculated. However, the 28-year-old Frenchman is satisfied with the club and last month signed a new contract until 2026.
The club has also been selling well in recent years. Dani Ceballos went to Madrid, Fabian Ruiz to Naples, Giovanni Lo Celso to Tottenham, Emerson to Barcelona. The club earned almost £ 100 million on these departures.
A quality and experienced coach who has a lot of success to his credit and whose management has given him time, and a great staff with a stellar Fekir at the head is a combination that works fantastically.
Real Betis has a well-played league, European League and home cup and is well on its way to winning the trophy for the first time since 2005. The team’s good performances can also be appreciated by fans who created a great atmosphere at the Estadio Benito Villamarín.
However, the end of the season is still a long way off and Los Verdiblancos now have a series of key matches ahead of them – the league has a derby with Seville and a tough match with Atlétic, while the retaliation of the Copa del Rey semi-final with Vallecan. Then comes the eighth finals of the European League against Frankfurt.
A difficult test that will largely determine how successful this season will be in the end. However, Real Betis fans can now rest easy. After years of instability and fluctuating performances, their club is probably finally on the right track.
Resources: The Athletic, Transfermarkt
