So it has come down to this…

Is it just me or did Betis really have a change of coach? The resemblence is uncanny and it goes beyond the way in which both men like to clench their fists as an expression of determination.

After three weeks of upheavals and swings of emotion, there seems to be a little daylight now between Betis and the dreaded relegation trapdoor. And the hard-earned victory under new boss Jose Maria Nogues (a 3-2 triump over Racing) seemed to have breathed new life into what was turning out to be yet another disaster of a season.

All the doom and gloom ironically came on top of news that suggested that Betis was the next club that was going to be snapped up by a wealthy oligarch, with the debate being whether the club would turn into the next Manchester City or Chelsea and also speculation on who are the stars that would be jumping on this new bandwagon when the takeover finally happens. I promise to wade into these two topics and give my views as a Betis fan but first let us deal with events on the pitch.

The event that really broke the camel’s back for Chaparro was the 3-3 draw with Numancia. As a football fan for more than 25 years of my life, I must say that I have yet to see a match as farcical and yet captivating as this one. It was literally like watching road-kill happen in slow-mo before your very eyes. Allow me to do a summary:

(1-0) Betis drew first blood when Sergio Garcia scored after just 10mins…but INJURED himself during his goal celebrations!!! (hurting his ligaments while sliding on the pitch) – how he did that I will never know

(1-1) Numancia then equalised against the run of play 5mins before halftime

(1-2) At 75mins, Numancia suddenly took the lead from a penalty that saw Nelson sent-off – Betis down to 10 men…

(2-2) Then with 5mins left, Capi scored to draw the teams level…

(3-2) and Betis took the lead when Oliveria scored from the penatly spot in the 90th minute with Numancia now also down to 10 men…

(3-3) Only for Numancia to equalise 5minutes into INJURY TIME from the penalty spot and with Ricardo sent-off!!!

So let’s recap: there were 6 goals with 4 scored in the last 15mins, 3 penalties, 3 red-cards, one stupid injury and a whole rollercoaster ride of emotional swings. Crazy??? you tell me.

Suffice to say that if ever there was a game that symbolised Chaparro’s reign, it would be this game. As I have mentioned countless times, Betis under Chaparro are one of the most entertaining teams in the world, with proven firepower in the Garcia and Oliveria partnership but they only know how to play in one gear (all-out), have no defensive discipline (see yellow and red cards totals), and usually collapses towards the end of the game. How many leads have Betis thrown away this season? Too many to count. And I have mentioned as many times in this blog that he should vary his tactics to bolster his midfield to no avail.

And so the man has paid the ultimate price for sticking to his belief.

The joke on me is that things under new boss Nogues do not seem to have changed!!! The team still plays with a 4-3-3 (or 4-2-1-3 if you want to be particular) system, with an emphasis on all-out attacking play, scoring goals and also letting them in with increasing regularity. The patterns of behaviour are really uncanny – even without Garcia and Oliveria, Betis still scored three goals (with Emana and Edu (yes!!!!) picking up the slack) and let in 2, hanging on for the win at the end.

It is unrealistic to expect changes because I believe Nogues is a disciple of Chaparro, and he has been getting the reserves to play in the same way as well. What this means is that we are in for more thrills and spills in the coming weeks. I just hope that I am not left crying at the end.

In some way, I believe that the pressure to sack Chaparro is linked in some ways to the rumoured takeover of the club by Sheikh Humaid bin Rashid Al-Nuaimi from the UAE. Talks are apparently scheduled for the middle of April (right about now) and it seems like the takeover could be closed for €90 million. However, even if these rumours are to be true, I believe there would be a clause inserted whereby any deal would be off should Betis get relegated.

No one, least of all a new owner in the search for a new toy, would be willing to invest the time and effort to the fight to get back to the top flight. Therefore I believe that the pressure to secure results, points and subsequently top flight status were the main motivations behind the sacking of Chaparro. If the deal is to happen, Betis has to survive and Chaparro has to be sacrificed.

With regards to the dreams of Betis becoming a footballing juggernaut (rumours have it that the club will have €600 million available for transfers next season), I reserve my judgement. However should the takeover really materialises, there are two models that Betis can choose to follow: the Chelsea/Man City model or the Hoffenheim model.

The former means plenty of star names and big splashes in the transfer market, wth the glamour of the club magnified by their presence. However there is no guarantee that performances on the pitch will justify the outlay – the Galacticos are a good example.

The Hoffenheim model on the other hand sees the club investing in quality young players who are available for affordable prices, and building the team around the established core stalwarts who will be able to provide leadership and guidance. Glamour may be short, and success may not be forthcoming but the team will be allowed to grow together into a unified force.

To that end, if we are really looking into reinforcements, I see the following needs: a central defender, a winger and a playmaker. And the names I have to offer are: Ezequiel Garay, David Silva and Fernando Gago. Now that would be a team to strike fear into the opponents…

Category: Real Betis Team News

Tags: Real Betis Team News

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