Poyet under fire as faceless Real Betis whimper into international break
As four of their squad’s full internationals break off to join up with their national teams, Real Betis find themselves in 14th place, at a time when domestically it may have been more beneficial for the whole squad to stay on the training ground together.
The Seville-based club could be easily forgiven for a false start in La Liga, after the fixture schedule dealt them a tough opening day visit to Camp Nou, leading to a confidence denting 6-2 defeat at the hands of reigning champions Barcelona - but since then, Gus Poyet’s men have not been able to take advantage of winnable games.
First, Betis drew 0-0 at the Villamarin against Deportivo, a side that required nine matchdays to score their first away goal in the top-flight this campaign, before scraping a narrow 3-2 win against a Valencia side which saw Pako Ayestaran sacked soon after. Granada then managed to secure one of their four points for the season away to Poyet’s side, before a tight 1-0 defeat against Sevilla in one of the country’s fiercest derbies went on to further frustrate fans.
Since late September, Betis have lost four of their last five top-flight games, with only a last-minute 2-1 victory against Osasuna temporarily appeasing fans, who have whistled and called for their coach’s head already. Early-season teething problems are fast turning into a situation that doesn’t look rectifiable for the Uruguayan.
A grand total of 11 signings were made during the summer, with an arguable five coming into the first-team picture almost immediately, but there have been few signs of any kind of philosophy, system or style being imposed by Poyet. Meanwhile, across the city, Jorge Sampaoli has imposed a feel-good factor and attacking style at Sevilla, with a whole host of summer signings making an immediate impact in both La Liga and the Champions League to rub salt into Betis’ wounds.
In tougher games, Poyet has been unafraid to deploy a five-man defensive line - to no success - and furthermore doesn’t appear to know his best midfield. Not only that, but whispers in the media suggest that bright young talents Charly Musonda and playmaker Dani Ceballos simply aren’t trusted by the ex-Sunderland coach, taking a big chunk of Betis’ creativity in the midfield third with them.
Up top, Betis do have a couple of proven goalscorers at this level in Antonio Sanabria and Ruben Castro, but in a desperate attempt to find the right formula, the latter has even found himself deployed as a more peripheral figure on the left-hand side of the attack at times. Alex Alegria managed to make the most of Betis’ slump in form to secure himself a new contract after scoring twice against Granada, but the 24-year-old isn’t going to be the difference-maker required for Betis to turn their form around.
Sanabria is currently 410 league minutes without a first goal for the club, with Ruben Castro leading Betis’ goalscoring charts with four. Veteran Joaquin has chipped in with three, while Felipe Gutierrez netted a vital last-gasp winner against Osasuna recently to open his account for the club following a summer move from FC Twente.
The aforementioned quartet should be key to Betis’ season, with the two strikers having the quality to reach double goalscoring figures before the close of the campaign, while Joaquin has the knack and ability of pulling something out of nowhere, with Felipe Gutierrez and Petros worth persevering with as central midfield options.
Musonda is deserving of a recall after he shakes off a niggling injury problem, as the Belgian youngster has chipped in with over one key pass and dribble per match in a struggling team, with Poyet needing to set a system in stone during the international break. Betis are currently a group of individuals, faceless as a collective, but on paper their squad has promise.
Without a firm foundation, and there has been no trace of one just yet, Betis will continue to lurch from one pro-active line-up to another, focusing more on their opponent than bedding their numerous new signings into their own constructed philosophy, where it would then become obvious week-upon-week what Poyet is asking for from his players rather than a constant guessing game.
Betis have won just one game at home all season, scoring just four goals in five outings at the Villamarin, with directionless and disjointed performances leading to their players often wandering over to give sheepish post-match interviews in which they admit that they aren’t sure why things haven’t gone their way.
“I think the team gives its all, but at home we seem to get nervous when things don’t go our way,” goalkeeper Antonio Adan explained to Cadena Ser recently, a situation which hasn’t been helped by Poyet criticising the fans in recent weeks.
The only man who has spoken with any definitive certainty over Poyet’s future has strangely been his touted successor, but Pepe Mel’s advice could come at a cost. “I’m certain that this year, Betis are not going to call me,” the ex-Betis and West Brom boss told Cadena Ser last week. “I would tell Poyet to keep on trying, to reinforce his ideas and to look ahead.”
The trouble is, even after 11 matchdays, it is tough to see what ‘ideas’ Poyet has tried to bring to the table. The future looks rather bleak for Betis after a summer that offered such optimism, with the question currently of how much time the Uruguayan boss can be afforded, rather than how much of a chance he has earned.
