Defeated at Torrelavega, the Real Betis Basketball You already carry less weight in the backpack of responsibility. He lost his undefeated status and this, far from making him wrinkle or generating doubts, should free him mentally in this 34-day marathon that began in San Sebastián with the unavoidable objective of promotion. Of course, it would have been much better to beat Grupo Alega Cantabria while keeping zero in the defeat box, but since that didn’t happen, the green and white team would do well to digest that setback as soon as possible, forgetting it after making the appropriate corrections, sealing the cracks that rival exploded, and face this Saturday’s duel in the San Pablo pavilion against the Palencia Basketballa recently relegated player who is a direct rival.
What happened in Torrelavega is history, it’s already over. It is advisable to assimilate it as a wake-up call, in the key of an accident, without dwelling on what could have been and was not. After all, it was the first defeat in seven official matches. If that unexpected setback was enough to understand that not all the mountain is oregano and that the category is full of traps and also matches that can be choked, welcome. The bottom of the table beat the second, so Betis already has the lesson learned: it cannot let its guard down, nor think that it will take advantage of every game with bursts of talent. A little more consistency is needed.
In Torrelavega he lost for a multitude of reasons, although statistically the most striking was the rebound. There was a difference of ten sacks between one team and the other. Betis allowed many second options to their rivals, who grew up in the second half, and because of that fissure they ended up bleeding. And this is reprehensible. Because Rebounding is a matter of attention and desire, a union effort in which all players must get involved. If there is not a man specialized in that task in the green and white squad, and it is true that there is not, it is time to distribute the efforts both on one’s own board and on that of others. Only through altruistic collaboration thinking about the collective good can deficiencies be hidden. And Betis Baloncesto, like all the teams on the planet, has them.
Against the Alega Group, they missed Ruben Lopeza secondary but essential player in the rotation because of what he was contributing to the team, essentially energy, physical ability and offensive rebound. Many things. Gonzalo García, green and white coach, covered that loss with Domènech and Radoncic as replacements for the starting power forward, Álex Suárez, but the first only played in the first half and the second went off in the second after an excellent start.
Betis went from more to less, comfortable until the break and denatured after the break, overwhelmed in intensity at times and unhinged by a refereeing of a very discreet level in which there is no room to take refuge as an excuse. Simply, the Betis Basketball It was worse because their defensive performance, portrayed in the rebound, dropped several notches compared to the first three days. It is necessary to correct this core aspect of the game although the training week has not been the best possible, as the Verdiblanco coach, Gonzalo García, pointed out in the preview, due to the physical problems of some players.
The defensive factor
It may be surprising that so much emphasis is placed on defense taking into account the plethora of resources that the team has in terms of scoring, but One thing is the Excel sheet and another is the reality of the matches.. And in this opening of the season, Betis has distinguished itself more for its defensive traction than for its offensive production, with the exception of the demolition victory (95-76) against Tizona. The only league match, by the way, that he has played in front of his audience.
Forced to have a double day at home due to the occupation of the facility by the Santander Sevilla Master of A1 Pádel, Betis returns home. And at the club they have chosen to open the doors of San Pablo to anyone who comes wearing the team’s shirt, as the president already announced, Pedro Fernandezlast week. By only meeting that requirement, access will be free. The hand is opened in order to fill the pavilion and generate the most favorable atmosphere possible to give it that extra push that all teams need from their fans.
It will surely be a foul for Betis Baloncesto because the event is very demanding, very demanding. Palencia arrives, with 2-2 in the win-loss balance and after announcing this week a new title-sponsor: Súper Agropal. It is not just any rival that appears in Seville but a former ACB with a coach from Seville (and from the Spanish national team’s coaching staff) at the helm, Luis Giland two players on the roster with a green and white past: Tobias Borgwho was promoted with Betis in 2019; and Cameron KrutwigJavi Carrasco’s personal bet that the Mexican group dispensed with at the first opportunity in a flagrant error, since the North American center emerged as the best player in his position last season to the point of being one of the leaders of the Força Lleida that achieved promotion. He plays with a lot of intelligence, game vision and quality.
In addition, Palencia has in the direction of the game Wintering, former Estudiantes which has already caused some damage in Seville; already a versatile Argentine for the three and four with ACB stripes called Juampi Vauletwho also has plenty of talent. Oroz, Kamba, Kunkel and Chema González complete the apparently solid skeleton of this Palencia that uses alternative defenses (be careful with this) and is tested against another direct rival after failing the two previous tests (against San Pablo Burgos and Movistar Estudiantes). If Betis loads with pressure, what can we say about its rival, also designed to promote.
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Real Betis Baloncesto: Renfroe (1,91, 32); Benite (1,94, 8); Radoncic (2,02, 88); Suárez (2,06, 93); Kasibabu (2,03, 13) -possible quinteto inicial-; Hughes(1,93,3); Cvetkovic (1,88, 4); Pablo Marín (1,90, 6); Domènech (2,08, 12); DeBisschop (2,06, 22); Jelinek (1,94, 25).
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Super Agropal Palencia: Wintering (1,80, 2); Borg(1,83,6); Kamba(1,96,9); Value(1,99,22); Krutwig (2,06, 25) -possible quinteto inicial-; Kunkel(1,93,5); Oroz (1,94, 7); Manu Rodríguez (1,92, 11); Chema Gonzalez (2,07, 15); Pablo Hernandez (2,01, 21); Dimitrov (2,03, 34); Mballa (2,01, 35).
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Referees: Rial Barreiro, Ávila Zurita, Arresa Quintero.
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Time and TV: 7:00 p.m. (LaLiga Plus app).
crush stone
Before the game, the most striking difference between the two is located in the defense: against the 69 points on average that Betis concedes to its rivals, Palencia’s permissiveness skyrockets to 82. Hence the importance of locking down the bolts and turning the area around one’s own basket into a minefield. This Betis Baloncesto has already shown that it can do it. The land, for those who work it. You have to break stone. And in the First FEB there is no big game without suffering. Against rivals of similar size like this Palencia, perhaps the differentiating element is the defensive engine. Get going again.
