Barca-Betis Preview

By: wan | September 23rd, 2008

It is rare to have a mid-week game to look forward to and even more so one that I will be able to watch live!

Coupled with the fact that news eminating from the Betis camp suggest that Edu is recovering well from his injury and should return in two weeks time and life cannot get any better.

Yes I know there will be people out there who are thinking, “What’s there to be happy about when you are probably going to get thrashed at Nou Camp?” Well the last time I checked the scoreboard, it read 0-0 and as the saying goes, the ball is round so anything can happen. And Barca fans please remind me - what were the scores of the games against Numancia and Racing?

That’s the best thing about being a fan - the sense of optimism and hope that will always imbue onself before every game; the belief that nothing is certain and that you could be witnessing a game that you will remember for a long time. Suppose Betis got thrashed tonight - So what? The whole world (including misguided websites out there) expect them to lose anyway.

But until that happens, our dreams are still alive and it is this process of eternal hope being generated that keeps a fan going week after week after week because the best thing about football is that there is always the next game to look forward to. And the next game always brings with it the same hope and the same anticipation.

With that in mind, let’s turn our attention to the game tonight. If it wasn’t for the fact that the game is played at Nou Camp, I would be fairly optimistic of a good result for Betis. Historically, this has been a lousy hunting ground for the Green-and-White, with us struggling to even put up a fight in recent seasons. I believe that things are not helped by the fact that we are matching up tactically in direct competition to Barca, employing our 4-3-3 against theirs. The key battles I believe will be fought along the flanks and in the heart of midfield. The Barca attacking machine relies a lot on Dani Alves and Abidal to move down the sides to stretch the field so that there will be room for the trio in midfield to move the ball and create chances.

What Betis needs to do would be to foster a tighter line between the full-backs and the wingers - having Nelson and Verga double teaming with Gonzalez and Garcia to pin the Barca defenders back. On occassions where Alves and Abidal move forward, there are plenty of space for Betis to counterattack and these opportunities must be taken.

In midfield, the key would be to man-mark Xavi and stop him from influencing the game. For Chaparro there are two choices -

(1) He can ask for Aurelio to patrol in front of the back four and to retreat into central defence to form a back three with Juanito and Melli to take on the Barca attackers (especially when the fullbacks move up to pressure the Barca flanks)

(2) He can use Aurelio and/or Arzu to man mark Xavi and to stop him from playing. However the second option would mean having Juanito and Melli taking on Messi and Eto’o 1-on-1 which is a daunting prospect.

One compromise would be to use Aurelio to protect the backline and to sweep up any loose ball while deploying Arzu to man mark Xavi. This limits the attacking potential but increases the security of keeping the score down.

And I have heard enough about how “weak” the Betis defence is - one goal conceded in three games is one less than what Barca has conceded and yet I don’t hear anyone saying they have a weak backline. Enough is enough - let the facts speak for themselves.

In attack, I believe the best option is to use Jose Mari as the spearhead in attack, using his physical strength and heading ability to keep the Barca defence at bay. His ability to hold the ball up also offers an outlet out of defence for Betis.

What I would then do would be to ask Gonzalez and Garcia to tuck in-field more than usual to see if they can pick up the loose balls or to capitalise on the knock-ons from Jose Mari to create goal scoring opportunities. The space on the flanks are covered because as I have mentioned earlier, Nelson and Verga should be pushing further up the field.

While this gameplan may or may not work, it offers a viable option for Betis to secure a good result. I am not asking for much from this game - as long as Betis shows the fighting spirit I know they possess and give Barca a good run for their money, I will be a happy man.

Unless of course Barca suddenly decides to play Thierry Henry… in that case, nothing less than a Betis victory will do