The Weekly Take, Issue 377: Already Behind in the Chase for the Top Four

Following a strong finish to the 2024-25 La Liga season which saw them climb from outside the top 10 into sixth place and thus obtain qualification for this season's Europa League, Real Betis were undoubtedly regarded as a club headed in the right direction at the beginning of this season. Adding to the raised expectations at Estadio de La Cartuja was the fact that Betis brought in several notable signings over the off-season - including, more than likely, turning loan signing Antony into a full-time player after the Brazilian winger had emerged as arguably the club's best player over the second half of last season.

However, so far things haven't gone the way Betis would've hoped for as after losing 2-1 to Athletic Bilbao, the Andalusian club are now eighth in the league with just five points to their name. Following a goalless first half, Betis centre-back Marc Bartra's own goal in the 60th minute put Bilbao a goal ahead. With just over five minutes left in regulation time, Aitor Paredes' header all but sealed Bilbao's victory.

Deep into stoppage time, Betis substitute Cédric Bakambu gave Betis at least a slight chance of avoiding defeat after heading in Junior Firpo's cross. To make things even more interesting, shortly after that Bilbao's substitute goalkeeper Álex Padilla controversially received a red card despite not even entering play after Isidro Díaz de Mera Escuderos took exception to the Mexican's act of tossing the ball back onto the field in a supposedly unsportsmanlike manner. However, no further goals would be scored as the final whistle was blown soon after that.

Of course, it has to be mentioned that two of Betis' best players have been absent from the squad up until now. Midfielder Isco suffered a fibula fracture in a pre-season match against Málaga and is expected to be out of action until November. As for Antony, Betis are reportedly working on his official signing from Manchester United - the club from which he spent an extremely successful half-season on loan as he served as Betis' primary driving force behind their climb up the league table.

That being said, the question has to be asked: is this team one which will genuinely be able to challenge for a top-four spot and thus Champions League qualification? The two clubs that finished ahead of Betis last season were Bilbao and Villarreal. It's possible that Bilbao's victory over Betis could end up being an outlier; this is because the club barely made any moves at all during the transfer window. The Basque club spent just €12.3 million on a total of three players; not only that, €12 million of that was on just one signing: Osasuna defender Jesús Areso.

More than likely, it's Villarreal that Betis will have to be more concerned about. Having sold several players for significant transfer fees, the club have been putting this transfer revenue to work, landing several notable signings including Santiago Mouriño, Renato Veiga, and Tajon Buchanan. Of course, once Isco returns and Antony officially returns to the club, things should start to turn for the better - but even then, Betis will probably need a strong mid-season transfer window to seriously push for a top-four spot.

Betis have been recently linked with players such as Dani Ceballos, Guido Rodríguez, and Facundo Bernal. Unfortunately, none of those players would really do all that much to move the needle. It's more than likely that if Betis are to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in 21 years, they'll need to make at least one major signing once January comes around.

Considering the fact that right now, Betis most struggle with one-on-one defending as well as keeping possession for extended periods, it would likely be advisable for them to invest in a defensive or a central midfielder in the coming transfer window. In addition, Isco will be coming off a fairly severe injury and at his age, there's no certainty that he'll be back the same as he was before. For that reason, Betis should probably bring in an attacking midfielder as well.

There's still a realistic path to Champions League qualification for Real Betis after having been in contention but never actually getting there for several years now. However, unless things change in mid-season, the chances of this aren't all too likely.

The Weekly Take, Issue 355: The Hottest Streak Gets Even Hotter

The latest iteration of the Seville derby saw two clubs in completely different runs of form facing off. Real Betis entered the match on a streak of five consecutive wins in La Liga; seemingly out of nowhere, they’d flipped the switch in mid-February and have since been in molten-hot form, taking win after win—including one against Real Madrid. With this recent surge, Betis had forced their way into contention for a top-four spot and a berth in next season’s Champions League.

Sevilla, on the other hand, could barely have been further away as far as pre-match form was concerned. Over their prior eight matches, Sevilla had won just two, collecting just eight points out of a possible 24 along the way. However, in many cases the results of derby matches have nothing to do with the teams’ form heading into the match—the one thing Sevilla had going for them, however scant it may have been.

Sevilla scored the opening goal against the run of play in the 17th minute. Swiss winger Rubén Vargas put Sevilla a goal ahead after having been set up by Dodi Lukébakio. This, however, didn’t last as just eight minutes later, Betis scored the equalizer via Johnny Cardoso’s volley.

Betis would go on to take the lead during first-half stoppage time when Cucho Hernández put the ball past Sevilla goalkeeper Ørjan Nyland after having been set-up for a one-on-one chance by veteran midfielder Isco. Neither side would add to the scoresheet in the second half, ensuring Betis would claim their sixth league win in a row and their first derby victory since a 5-3 victory back in 2018.

Over the past month and a half, Betis have been through a stunning turnaround. After four consecutive seasons of finishing between fifth and seventh in La Liga, the 2024-25 campaign had been shaping up to represent a significant step backwards for Betis; they were in 11th place prior to this six-match win streak. At this point, however, Betis are now in sixth place and have a puncher’s chance of overhauling Athletic Bilbao who are currently fourth.

So how did this happen? Well, for one thing, Betis’ hot streak highlights the importance of the mid-season transfer window. It’s no coincidence that their recent surge began in mid-February after the end of the transfer window. Despite bringing just two players to Estadio Benito Villamarín, both have been highly impactful acquisitions. Over the past month and a half, Hernández - signed from Major League Soccer club Columbus Crew for €13 million - and Antony who was brought in on loan from Manchester United have been arguably the club’s two best players. Both have added another layer to Betis’ play which the club simply didn’t have earlier on in the season; the results since then are clear evidence of this.

Prior to this season, the aforementioned four straight seasons in the top seven coincided with the hiring of Manuel Pellegrini in the off-season heading into the 2020-21 season. The Chilean has since proven that he is one of the most underrated coaches in world football today; this has been most obvious this season as Pellegrini has played a major role in taking Betis from being mired in mid-table and facing a throwaway season to the chase for a Champions League spot - and in their current form, they might just pull it off.

The late-career revival of Isco has to be mentioned as well. After a difficult last season at Real, Isco signed for Sevilla in August 2022 but was cut a little over four months later. After remaining unsigned for the rest of the season, Betis signed him in the 2023 off-season. Since arriving at Betis, Isco looks more like the player who played a major role in Real’s four Champions League title runs over his nine years at the Santiago Bernabéu - something not many might have expected when Betis first signed him.

At this point, Real Betis would be written off at one’s peril; in their current form, they might just qualify for the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. This would have seemed all but impossible just two months ago. While it’s certainly not a lock by any means, right now the only thing that can be realistically said of Betis is “why not them”?

The Weekly Take, Issue 270: A Strong Start in the Top Four Chase

One of the key fixtures in La Liga's opening matchday of the 2023-24 season saw Villarreal host Real Betis - a match which saw both of Spain's Europa League representatives this season facing off. Betis took the lead after 20 minutes through Ayoze Pérez. After the halftime break, Jorge Cuenca scored Villarreal's equalizer, a header off a free kick from Álex Baena. Just when it seemed as though the match would finish in a draw, substitute Willian José scored Betis' winning goal in the fifth minute of stoppage time to secure the three points for the Andalusian club.

Betis have been on the fringes of the top-four race in each of the past three seasons, having finished fifth or sixth in the league in all three. Los Verdiblancos have not cracked the top four since their 2004-05 season.

During the recent off-season, Betis spent just €2 million new signings. A total of five players including Héctor Bellerín from Sporting CP, Marc Bartra from Trabzonspor, and free agent Isco, best-known for his nine-year stint at Real Madrid, were added to the roster. While these players are not necessarily scrubs, none of them even come close to moving the needle as far as Betis' pursuit of a top-four spot and qualification for next season's Champions League is ; concerned. On the other hand, Villarreal signed Ben Brereton Díaz from Blackburn Rovers and Alexander Sørloth from RB Leipzig. Brereton Díaz is tremendously underrated and has merited a spot at a better club for quite some time now, while Sørloth is fresh off a breakout season on loan at Real Sociedad.

The ongoing transfer window is active until September 2, giving Betis further opportunities to strengthen their squad in key areas. Betis have been linked with Barcelona defender Eric García as well as two players who have had previous stints at the Estadio Benito Villamarín: Real Madrid midfielder Dani Ceballos and Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Giovani Lo Celso. Of the aforementioned players, Ceballos is by far the most intriguing possibility. Despite never having been a regular starter during his four seasons at the Santiago Bernabéu, Ceballos would easily be one if he were to return to Betis. While central midfield is not particularly a position of need for Betis at the moment, Ceballos would nevertheless be a clear upgrade at the position and slot in nicely alongside Guido Rodríguez.

If Betis are to make a serious push for a top-four spot, it would likely be in their best interest to add another proven goalscorer. Last season, Betis scored just 46 league goals; even more worryingly, 15 of them came via just one player: Borja Iglesias. A similar goalscoring output will simply not get it done as far as Champions League qualification is concerned. While transfer rumours have connected Barça winger Abde Ezzalzouli to Betis, even his acquisition would likely not make a major impact on Betis' goalscoring tally. Last season, the Moroccan scored just four league goals during a loan spell at Osasuna. Although Betis have not been linked with anyone who could be claimed to even be a somewhat prolific goalscorer, they could realistically make an attempt to sign someone like Enes Ünal, Marvin Ducksch, or Elye Wahi - any of whom would give Betis some additional punch up front.

That being said, if Betis' match against Villarreal is anything to go by, the signs so far appear encouraging. Despite having far less possession than their opponents, Betis absorbed the pressure that Villarreal launched at them and made full use of the chances that came their way. While Betis are not the favourites to finish in the top four by any means, more performances like this - especially against direct rivals also pursuing that fourth Champions League berth - will greatly boost their chances of doing so.

This season, if Real Betis are to break their drought of 18 years, a lot has to go right. They could certainly do with one or two more key signings. Betis might also need a sudden hot streak somewhere during the season or a slump from one or both of Real Sociedad and Villarreal. Despite a down year last season, the threat posed by cross-town rivals Sevilla can't be underestimated either. Betis have started off on the right path - but can they keep it going all season long?