Even the backroom uncertainties (the situation with Emana for example) and the usual antics of Lopera (his treatment of Lima is a joke) could not disguise the fact that Real Betis are proving themselves to be the class of the Segunda Division.

For any Betis fan, this has to be the best news so far and it is all credit to Tapia that he has managed to forge a close-knit side that refuses to allow things happening off the field to affect things taking place on it. For a while, it looked like Betis was going to fall into the Frankensteinian trap they faced last season – one where their attacking proficiency could not make up for their disjointed defensive weaknesses. Despite the efforts of some fans to defend the state of the team’s defence, it was becoming all too familiar. There is no excuse for not being able to defend properly – unlike flair and talent, this is something that can be achieved through organisation, hard work and just pure concentration.

Thus kudos have to be given to the coach for the subtle changes that he has made that has allowed for the team’s play to flourish. As I have mentioned previously, one of Betis’s biggest weakness was that the flanks were often left too exposed when both the wingers and the full backs bomb forward.

To solve this, Tapia has chosen to sacrifice style for substance, introducing Nacho and Juanma with the instructions for them to tuck in closer to the middle. This strengthens the midfield (almost to the point of having a flat four strung across the field) and gives space for the full backs to attack knowing that there is defensive cover should the attack break down. To do this well, the two wingers would need to be more disciplined and backtrack constantly – and in this area, Juanma and Nacho are stronger than Caffa and Odonkor.

Even at full back, a subtle change of Daima for Nelson on the right has worked out perfectly for Tapia. Nelson is obviously the more talented player but Daima offers greater size and strength plus a less adventurous streak moving forward. Added together, this has given the whole team a more solid base from which to base their attacking play.

The other change that Tapia has done is to deploy Garcia in the hole behind Pavone and he has blossomed into that role. With a mobile big man now as the decoy and occupying the attention of defenders, Garcia has been able to exploit the space and time he has been given to great effect, with his vision and creativity coming to the fore. This has also allowed him to drift in more a deeper position to catch defenders off-guard. To date, this partnership has accounted for 7 of the 11 goals that Betis have scored (Garcia 4, Pavone 3). The 11 also makes Betis the highest scoring team in the Segunda by far.

Even the injury to Garcia in the last game against Albacete may have a silver lining to it…while I have made my stand on Emana clear, there are no doubts that he is a good player when put in the right position and asked to do just what he is good at. By playing him in a semi-attacking role, he can put his attacking instincts to good use while Tapia can exploit his goalscoring abilities. This way his lack of discipline and unwillingness to play defense will not become a liability as there are more than enough players covering behind him.

Truly, Tapia’s 4-2-3-1 (or more accurately 4-2-2-1-1) seems very differnt from the 4-2-3-1 that Chaparro used last season (which was more like a 4-3-3). The evolution does not seem to have cost the team attacking-wise and this can only bode well for the coming months ahead.

Viva Betis!!!

Finally! After weeks of speculations, and in general a spate of bad news, the focus has finally returned to purely what happens on the field and in that regards, Betis’s 3-0 win over Cordoba is as resounding as it can be under the prevailing circumstances.

Not to put down what was an accomplished and, as it turns out, confident display but a win against a side whose main focus is to remain in Segunda really isn’t that much to crow about. Thus I would reserve judgement on what can be drawn from just a single match.

What can be said though is that Antonio Tapia is the perfect coach for Betis – I never thought I would be saying this – but his clam demeanour and even-tempered personality coupled with an insistence on distancing himself from issues such as transfer speculations and backroom politics mean that he has thus far been able to rise above the dark clouds that have been surrounding the club.

Another great thing that he has done has been to up the fitness level of the players and his determination to get back to the basics of team building is starting to pay off. Betis was nervous to start off during this game but once the first goal went in, they started to play like what many have already annointed them to be – the favourites for the Segunda title.

This was the line-up that started the game: Goitia; Damia, Carlos Garcia, Melli, Fernando Vega; Juande, Sunny; Juanma, Sergio Garcia, Odonkor and Pavone. Both Juanma and Pavone were complete departures from their own pale selves last season, combining to score the first with Pavone involved in all three goals. (The others were scored by substitute Caffa and Sergio Garcia).  Both Juande and Sunny were full of running, dominating the middle of the field while Tapia pulled off a masterstroke by playing Sergio Garcia as the defacto attacking midfielder/cum playmaker of the team.

In my last post, I discussed about the frustrating situation of Betis being a team without a conventional playmaker and wondered if that could have been the source of all their troubles. Based on this one match (and I must admit that this is only one game), it seems that Garcia may be the answer to all the troubles. Looking like a class act throughout the game, Garcia seems happier to have left behind the confined spaces of the penalty box and the physical battles with the defenders. Liberted with space and time, he was able to link between midfield and attack, as well as use his vision to maximum effect. While it seems premature, if Garcia can be convinced to stay, I dare say Betis looks certs for promotion back to La Liga next season.

Which brings me to my most important point – with two days still to go before the end of the transfer window and knowing how Betis functions – there may still be more movements before an accurate analysis can be made of the squad and its potential.

And again in this we can see the genius of Tapia at work – knowing the players who have been attracting the most speculation and interest, the coach has wisely chose to build and rely on players that he can be fairly certain who will be staying with the club (even during friendlies). This has allowed for some form of understanding and momentum to be built. Like I mentioned, the only question mark revolves around the future of Garcia.

In my opinion, I fully expect Emana (Bolton), Arzu (Zaragoza), and Ricardo (unknown) to leave the club meaning that at least half of last season’s first team has already been sold. (Edu, Gonzalez, Oliviera and Juanito are the rest). Thus this is going to be a brand-new team and hopefully they will have a brand new attitude and work ethic instilled by Tapia.

Having said that, class as the saying goes is permanent, and if Garcia leaves then we are truly heading for the unknown – I for one will not be so optimistic to believe that promotion is automatic. Ironical as it seems, Betis’s season hinges on what happens when it strikes 12 on 2 Sept. Let’s keep our fingers crossed and hope for the best…

One of the main problems that Betis faced last season was the fact that the team was one dimensional and probably lacked a real playmaker who can control the tempo of the game as well as direct his teammates on the field. So has the problem been solved now for the start of the Segunda season? Let’s examine.

The plans that were planned for Betis all went up in smoke last season when they struggled and ultimately failed to beat the drop. One of the problems identified was that the team lacked a playmaker; in fact I would argue that the team had NO playmaker last season. Not since the days of Asuncao has Betis had a player that was capable of controlling and influencing the play of the team.

For many years, it can be argued that the main channels for Betis’s attacking play came from the wings rather than through the middle and when you have players like Joaquim, that was a sound strategy. However when there is a drop in quality and when your key wingers are plauged by injuries like those that happened to Mark Gonzalez and Odonkor, then you are in a world of trouble.

I suspect Chaparro last year made a tactical error when he tried to shoehorn strikers like Oliveira and Garcia to fill the role on the right hand side instead of using a real out-and-out winger. This made the team lopsided and tactically things began to go awary when Nelson had to fill this role from his rightback position, thus leaving the defense vulnerable.

To give Chaparro his due, I think his intention last season was really to use Mehmet Auerlio as the playmaker from just in front of the defence, just like how he did for Turkey and how Marcos Senna similarly does for Spain. However a loss of form and inability to adapt, plus major injuries rendered Auerlio totally ineffective and thus the plan had to be shelved.

Now in the new season, it appears that Tapia has had a different viewpoint – he intends to employ two players instead of one in front of the defence to use as a base to launch offensive manoeuvres. But with the current set up of the squad, I feel that Tapia may be better off using these two players as his playmakers instead just like the way Iniesta and Xavi operate for Barcelona. Iriney was obviously brought in for that job with his range of passing abilities and if Auerlio can finally find his form, then we may have two players who are capable of controlling the game.

Moreover, Odonkor has been in sparkling form during the preseason and his attacking play could prove to be Betis’s strongest attacking weapon come the new season. And with reinforcements seemingly coming in (e.g. Nacho), the left flank could be covered as well. This will give the team balance and hopefully make it stronger.

I never thought I would arrive at this conclusion but it appears that Betis’s season could lay in the hands of the holy trinity of Iriney, Mehmet Auerlio and David Odonkor.

It has been a trying few weeks as a Betis fan with all the backroom shenanigans that have been taking place completely overshadowing what happens on the playing field. The worst would be the fact that even until today, there is still no certainty as to who are the players that are going to make up the squad for this season. From last season’s team, Juanito (A Madrid), Edu (Internacional), Lima (Flamengo), Mark Gonzalez (CSKA Moscow), Oliveira (Al Jazira) have all gone while the status of Emana, Sergio Garcia and Arzu remains unresolved.

It is no wonder that coach Antonio Tapia has not been able to fashion a compact team and warned that it will only be in December that the team will finally come together as a unit. We can only hope that the gap from the top will not be too far for Betis to chase and that the amount of natural talents remaining in the squad is enough to get by for the first few matches.

It truly is a joke that Tapia has not been given the players that he has asked for with only 4 new arrivals that don’t really improve on what he has already inherited. As one of the prominent dailies have explained, the current composition of the team with three goalkeepers and only two forwards, four right backs and one left-back, countless defensive midfielders and one playmaker, it’s a joke to expect Tapia to do miracles.

Interestingly one other major daily has gone on to do an analysis of the squad, which I feel would be worthwhile to examine. The views expressed below are a combination of my own opinions plus those from the column.

Goalkeeper: It was obvious with the signing of Goitia that he would be the first choice keeper come opening day and that Ricardo would be surplus to requirements. So it was with considerable surprise that Lopera decided to bring him back after he looked like joining Las Palmas. Now Betis has the most overpaid third choice keeper in the whole division. Add to that the fact that Casto has been in excellent form in the friendlies and we now have a potential player conflict on our hand.

Defense: This is the weakest department in the whole team and the problems that plagued Betis last season remains evident. There has only been one new arrival (Carlos Garcia) with one departure (Lima), while other redundant players like Ilic still remains. Nelson has been plagued with injury problems while the likes of Rivas, Nano and Oscar Lopez have not been playing regularly for the last two seasons. Melli and Fernando Vega offer continuity but the former has been largely ineffective while there is no real substitute for the latter. Nacho looks like coming in before the transfer window closes and will provide the cover that Tapia desperately needs. Another option could be to move players like Arzu and Damia to the back and also to throw in loyal foot soldiers like Alex Ortiz and Toni but question marks remain whether the solution would work.

Midfield: The standout player this season could be Arzu who has demonstrated some versatility in shifting between defence and midfield. New signings like Iriney and Sunny only strengthens what already is a crowded defensive midfield zone. It seems that with Tapia’s preference for the 4-2-3-1 formation that the likes of Juande and Capi will have to fight for a place in the attacking unit.

Attack: Another area of the team made complicated by transfer rumours. It is no secret that Sergio Garcia and Pavone have both asked to leave in the past but it looks like they will both start the season in Andalucia. Tapia had not expected to count on Xisco and Odonkor but the German has been a real standout during the friendlies and appears to have played himself back into the team. There is no real threat on the left since Gonzalez left, with only Xisco and Caffa being left-sided players but ultimately Nacho could be the answer to Tapia’s problems. Juanma has gone off the boil in recent seasons but looks in much better shape during the pre-season matches and could be a factor as well.

Oliveira was Tapia’s favourite player and the person that he wanted to lead the line but with him gone, the whole attack could hinge on the form of Garcia. The problem with Garcia is that his cerebral qualities are most effective playing off with a centre forward and that means Tapia would be forced into playing Pavone in attack, with Garcia just behind him. Whether this is the ideal tactic for his formation remains to be seen but it looks like this pairing will be the striking duo expected to fire Betis back to the La Liga come opening day.

That is a picture of the Betis team decked out in the latest away strip…it grows on you actually but that is about the only thing shining in Betis recently…

You may have already read about this or found out on the grapevine but the Spanish Football League (LFP) have backed Xerez’s rights to compete in the Primera Liga this season. The charges that the club had engaged in irregular financial practices have been deemed as ‘inadmissable’ and ‘without value’ and so the reality is that Betis will be stuck in the Segunda Division at least for the next year or so. Not that I had expected any miracles to happen…while there have been many Betis fans who felt that if we had made our way back that it would have been gloriously unfair and unjust, I beg to differ.

What really gets me angry are the fans who wish for nothing less than the total destruction of the club so as to force Manuel Lopera out of his ownership and feel that if it means playing in the Segunda or worse, then that is the way to do it. To me, that’s like throwing the baby out with the bath water.

As despicable as Lopera is and has been and probably will be, Betis is still my beloved club and it boggles my mind to think that there are those who would wish it every disaster. Probably they are thinking of the examples of clubs in Italy, notably Fiorentina, Napoli and Genoa who had chairmen who were as bad if not worse than Lopera and who had fell through the lower divisions before new owners came in to catalyse a phoenix-like recovery back to the big time. Yet there are also other examples like Leeds and SNotthingham Forest, big teams who had to suffer falls down the lower divisions and have never recovered, even until today.

These fans must realise that in today’s context and environment, clubs are essentially ruled not by sporting values but by economic principles and every fall down the levels effectively curtail the amount of revenue and cashflow generated. Each tightening of the financial arteries forces “heartattacks” on the club as players, administrators and coaches leave for greener pastures. What then would we be left with? A shell of a patient that we can call our own? If these fans really want to preserve the purity of their Betis, perhaps they should take the example of Wimbledon or FC United, clubs run by fans for fans but with no hope of ever breaking it into the big time.

Am I a Lopera supporter? Not at all; I wish the man would just go away and leave Betis alone. But do I think a total anniliation is the only way out? Definitely not!! In fact I wish for Betis to bounce back immediately into La Liga once again and hope one day that we can finally make our return to the Champions League…

Talking about change, it has been confirmed in recent weeks that more players are leaving the club – Mark Gonzalez’s move to CSKA Moscow was followed by the release of Ricardo as more big names look to follow Oliveria out the door. Emana for one has been acting like the petulant child – describing at one time that he was too good for the Segunda Division and that he would like to move to Valencia if possible.

This has left a bad taste in my mouth as Emana was one of the few shining lights in Betis last season but an interesting assessment of the club’s attackers have left me convinced that he might have been the cause of the team’s tactical unbalance last year.

The problem with Emana was that he was neither a striker nor a real midfielder in that while he has shown the ability to get forward and score goals like Lampard and Gerrard, unlike the English pair, Emana does not have the tactical discipline nor the willingness to defend against the opposition. And because his passing ability is poor and he cannot link up effectively with his teammates, deploying him as a striker is also a problem. In other words, though he was our top scorer, you run the risk of playing 10 against 11 for long periods in games.

While it pains me to say this, I feel that he should be sold if a good price can be received for him. Antonio Tapia seems set on his departure, having deployed the team in a 4-2-3-1 formation recently in friendlies and he has since also gone on record on numerous occassions to the media and to reporters about the same thing.

What this mean for Betis is that likely Pavone will once again be used as the spearhead, his power and built now utilised in the right manner while Sergio Garcia will be asked to operate just behind him in the ‘hole’. While his mobility and stamina are major minus points, Garcia is a cerebral footballer and arguably he was Betis’s best last season. He is at his best playing off the shoulder of a target man and his tactic should suit him just fine. With the promise of Manu Gavilan also in the mix, Betis should be able to find the net regularly in the new campaign.

I do believe that there will be more departures in the coming days and weeks as the deadline draws near so expect the likes of Arzu and Aurelio to join Emana and Ricardo on the way out. I can’t really make a fair assessment until I know who is coming and leaving but I do believe the spine of the team is more or less fixed and the likes of Carlos Garcia, Iriney, Garcia, Pavone and hopefully Odonkor will be around to herald in a new dawn for the Pride of Andalucia.

Stay tune for a preview of the Segunda Division and as well as a preview of Betis’s prospects in the coming weeks.  

I for one was glad to gleam the following points:

- Tapia is first and foremost a defensive minded coach

- He is open to using young players (spelling hope for Diego Segura and Manu Gavillan)

- He is not afraid to make substitutions when needed

- He is a man manager rather than one who is enslaved to a particular system

Read more here

“Just when I think I’m out, they pull me back in” – The Godfather III

So in the end it was a storm in a teacup…the latest news on the Xerez financial irregularities saga is that it probably will not cost them their place in La Liga. The President of the Liga de Professional Futbol (LFP), Jose Luis Astiazaran has claimed that the issue will not result in Xerez’s demotion and that things will remain as they are for the new season. Betis, and to a certain extent Alaves, have refused to accept his verdict and has said that they will continue to bring their case to the Council Superior of Desportes, which is technically a higher authority. However any prospect of us seeing Betis back in the big time is proving very very bleak.

In a way, that is understandable. The whole event looked like a very desperate attempt by Betis to regain their place in the top division through the courts as an excuse for their incompetence on the field. However I have my own doubts as to how the LFP arrived at their conclusion.

For one, the President acknowledged that there was certain irregularities in the accounts of Xerez; but his own take was that it happened in 2002 and since then 7 years have passed to render the “crime” largely irrelevant. His take that it is very difficult to enforce any retrospective punishment as there is no saying where the point of reference should be. My own take is that the LFP realises just what a minefield they are getting into legally; plus the fact that they would have to reorganise the calendar as well as other administrative procedures meant that it is just easier to let things be and to keep the staus quo. As mentioned, as a Betis fan, I would rather us earn our right to play at the highest level but the excuses and shirking of responsibility leaves a very bad taste in my mouth.

Let’s get back to what’s happening on the field instead. Lost in the hoopla over the whole matter was the fact that Betis played two friendlies during the course of the week, beating UD Rotenda 5-0 (with Juanma, Sergio Garcia 2, Carlos Garcia and a Maudragon own goal being the scorers) and drew 0-0 with CD San Roque de Lepe.

We can draw some insights into the Betis team from these matches even though they are obviously friendlies and Antonio Tapia is still fine tuning his line-up and tactics. What is heartening from the games is the fact that Tapia has shown a willingness to switch from the 4-2-3-1 to the 4-4-2 with Sergio Garcia and Pavone being his main strikers. What is very clear is that Garcia cannot function as the spearhead of the attack; he is most effective playing off a more physical forward where his skills and predatory instincts can be put to good use. He will never be a threat to win the Pichichi but is a threat if allowed the time and space to operate.

Odonkor continues his good form in all these matches (which makes it a wonder why Betis is reportedly trying to sell him to Westbromwich Albion) but his bad habit of not dropping back to help out defensively often leaves Ilic isolated. This was apparent in the second game when Betis’s right flank was constantly exploited.

What is more worrying is that the engine room is still malfunctioning; Juande and Sunny are not developing an understanding and seemed at lost as to what to do. They are often left stranded by the play, and were not effective in shielding the Betis defence. The Nigerian especially has a lot more room to improve if he is to live up to his promise as the solution to Betis’s problems in the middle. Perhaps it may be time to see if Mehmet Aurelio can be resurrected to perform the task.

It looks as if Tapia has a lot of work to do before he can shape Betis into the cohesive and compact unit that he envisioned. Looking at the last few games, the problems from last season seem to still exist – a disjointed midfield especially defensively, lack of coordination between the backs and the flank players as well as an inability to fashion goal scoring chances from the middle.

If there is any consolation, it is that the Betis attack is still relatively strong and it appears that the defensive weaknesses from last season have been dealt with to a degree. It seems the fullbacks are being tasked to be less adventurous and to hold the line to ensure that the backline is not so easily breached.

Lastly, here is a very nice calendar of all the dates and games for Betis in 2009-10 …………

in the Segunda Division.

Just when I was getting used to life in the Segunda Division, there are now rumours coming out of Spain that there is a chance that Real Betis may be reinstated into La Liga this season!!

Imagine my shock when I first came across this piece of information over the weekend. One full season of being a Betis fan has taught me not to count the chickens before they are hatched (and even after they are hatched, better check and make sure they are really chickens!) but this has been the first piece of “good” news to have filtered through since May this year.

For those not in the know, the news coming out is that Xerez one the sides promoted this season may be denied a place in La Liga due to financial irregularities. Marca is reporting that the Sports Council in Spain have received an official complaint that alleges a possible irregularity in the club’s recent financial dealings. The transaction in question relates to a capital increase received by the club in 2002 that was not officially registered, an offence that led to Compostela being demoted from the top division in 2002-03

Obviously as with all such cases, Xerez have denied everything, saying, “The information released today is completely false, and malicious…Xerez wishes to convey a feeling of calm to all of our supporters and our legal team are working to submit all relevant documentation to confirm the falseness of the allegations.”

If the allegations are proven, it appears that Xerez will be demoted to Segunda B with Alaves moved up to Segunda while Betis will take their place in La Liga. It seems that Lopera’s men have already been at work, saying that they are ready to “take the necessary steps” to make their return to the Primera Division. It seems the case will now be transferred to the Professional Football League, who will investigate the issue further and report back with their findings within the week.

Now before anyone gets ahead of themselves to think that this is something that is already happening, the reports remain unsubstantiated at this point.

If this proves to be true and we get back into La Liga, it will truly be one of the most amazing things that have happened to me as a football fan. Truth be told, my sympathies are with the Xerez fans whose emotions are ironically hanging on the same pendulum as myself but only on the opposite end. It would be cruel to deny them their day in the sun but if it means Betis once again being back in the big time, my selfish genes are going to take over – completely.

Lest people conspire that such things do not happen, history (especially in Serie A with Genoa) shows otherwise and the possibility is not an illusion. Let’s be honest, such irregularities happen all the time at most clubs even if most of these never see the light of day so it is not beyond the realm of reality that Xerez actually committed the offense. If anything, the only “wrong” they did was to be found out. Any club with a chairman like Maneul Lopera will know this only too well.

But let’s look on the positive side. If we do get reinstated, being back means we don’t need to sell our stars, it means the chance for a clean start and it means 2 more opportunities to inflict more pain on our Seville neighbours. But most of all, it means hope and optimism have returned to Betis and it represents an opportunity to finally put the club back on the right path, in doing the right things.

Okay perhaps the last wish is too much to ask but at this moment, I don’t really care…if there is way for Betis to make their way back to La Liga this season, I don’t care about anything else really…to once again be able to watch them, to support and to suffer at the highest level – isn’t that the wish of every single football fan?

There are some who claim that humans are motivated more by scents than by sights and in a way, I tend to agree with them. Just like how the smell of freshly baked bread reminds me of the start of a brand new day, so too will freshly cut grass remind me of the new season.

And for Real Betis, the start of pre-season training and friendly games signal a new beginning and hopefully one that erases the pain and black stains of the previous season. Of course the impact of relegation is still hanging over the club – for example, the team was missing some players through injuries while Emana was absent without permission seemingly in an effort to force a move to a bigger club. However even taking into account these distractions, once the referee blows the whistle, nothing else matters but the game on the field.

This game against Atletico Sanluqueno wasn’t supposed to do much other than provide the players with a good run out but there were still positives that could be drawn from this friendly. Tapia started the game with a seemingly 4-5-1 formation with two defensive midfielders shielding the defense and the two players on the wings breaking forward to support the main striker. The line-up for those interested was as follows: Goitia; Ilic, Melli, Rivas, Vega; Arzu, Sunny; Odonkor, Rodri, Xisco; Pavone – with Odonkor and Xisco given the task to move up alongside Pavone to add more attacking threat when the team has the ball.

Betis took the lead through Pavone and predictably in a friendly, Tapia made wholesale changes to his side in the second half, sending out the likes of Adrain; Oscar Lopez, Carlos Garcia, Nano, Ruben Cruz; Lima, Juande; Juanma, Sergio Garcia, Damian; Manu Gavilan in the same formation. Further goals from Damian and Manu Gavilan in the second half allowed Betis to run out comfortable 3-0 winners.

It is really to early to read anything into this performance but in particular there were several standout performances. Odonkor surprisingly was the most impressive, often threatening the opposition with his running and effort. Sergio Garcia showed his class as well but the most heartening sight could be the blossoming of Manu Gavilan. Once a target of Liverpool, Gavilan showed composure and class in a limited performance that was crowned with a debut goal.

A lot is expected of him and if Tapia really drafts him into this first team squad, we can expect more fireworks from a talented player who has the potential to become the next Betis idol, following in the footsteps of Gordillo and Joaquim.

Stay tuned for more pre-season reports and impressions…

Looking on the brighter side of things, here are the new players for this new season decked out in the latest jerseys…

From Left: Sunny, Inaki Goitia, Carlos Garcia and Iriney…