Happy Days are here again

By: wan | November 25th, 2008

A month away without any updates due to commitments and services to the country but now I’m back as a citizen of my first alligence – the nation of Betis. And things could not be any better right now…

For those who where wondering, Betis has achieved 4 victories on the trot both in the league and in the cup (4-2 vs Numancia, 3-1 vs Racing, 2-1 vs Gjion and 2-0 vs Castellon) and the line-up of the team in each of these games was quite consistent, the only change being Monzon coming in for Vega in the last game. I believe that it is this consistency that has brought about a real upturn in the team’s fortunes and performances. For those keeping count, we are 7 points behind Seville and currently in eighth position. If this continues, a battle for a UEFA Cup place is more than realistic.

I think at this stage, it is timely to do a review of the team’s performances so far as well as to look into the tactical nuances that have resulted in this good run of results. Let us first take a look at Chapparo’s deployment strategies.

After following the team for a few months, it is fair to say that the line-up shown in the diagram is the one that Chapparo favours and it is also one that I feel is the strongest available for Betis. I attribute the success the team has enjoyed recently to a tactical adjustment that was made by Chapparo and it is a sign of a good coach that he is flexible enough to make changes that could be seen as an admission of his failures.

Chapparo started the season using a 4-3-3 formation (modelled after Jose Mourinho’s at Chelsea) which I had covered in an earlier post but that system failed because it needed mobile and versatile forwards that were neither wingers nor centre forwards which Betis lacked. As a result, there was a misjoint in the attack.

However in recent weeks due to injuries to Mark Gonzalez and Edu as well as the lack of form of Jose Mari and Pavone, Chapparo has changed the team’s line-up to a 4-2-3-1 instead with Aurelio and Capi anchoring the midfield and with Emana pushed up. The injury to the aforementioned duo saw Juanma and Daima being drafted in to play the flanks and all of a sudden the team looked a lot more solid.

What has happened is that the team now plays more as a unit. Both Juanma and Daima will fall back into midfield when Betis loses the ball, ensuring that there will be numbers in midfield while Emana has been given the license to move forward at every opportunity to support Sergio Garcia in attack and his recent performances call to mind a certain Michael Ballack – his goal record definitely bears the comparison. And now that Garcia is installed as the pivot in attack, it allows him plenty of options whenever he gets the ball – he can hold it up and wait for support or turn and take on the defenders with his dribbling skills. His ability to set his teammates up were seen in great effect in the last two games.

And because of Juanma and Daima’s more well-rounded qualities, both fullbacks have been encouraged to move forward in support of the attack at every opportunity. Their movement means that at any given time, there could be 5-6 players moving into the opponent’s defensive half, creating a lot of pressure and space for others to exploit.

If there is one weakness still in the Betis team, it would be that they still lacked a playmaker in the team, one who can control the tempo of the game. Even then, Aurelio has risen to the challenge in recent games, able to use his skills to bring the ball out of defence and even contributing to the attack through long-range shots.

So as we enter the end of 2008, the most impressive performers for Betis have been Emana, Garcia and Aurelio and a look at the goalcharts reflect this reality very clearly. These three players are the leading goalscorers for the team and their output is just rewards for their endevours. So while it is still early days yet, the signs are good and the team is developing well. If there is to be any additions during the Jan transfer window, it would be to bring in a defender-cum-defensive midfielder, or a playmaker who can double up as a striker (in case Garcia is injured or suspended).

Watch out Seville, Betis is on the march and we will catch you very soon!