Over the years we have witnessed may dark horses in World Football. Some of them lasted for long while some were short-lived. So today we are discussing the team which ended Barcelona’s Unbeaten home run: Real Betis. They did what teams like Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Valencia or Sevilla could do for the past 26 months.
The star players
Without a doubt, Real Betis are a team that boasts huge potential. They have the likes of Marc Bartra, William Carvalho, Joaquin, Giovani Lo Celso, Christian Tello. Bringing in Carvalho and Lo Celso was an excellent piece of business by Real Betis. With the guidance of veteran players like Joaquin, Real Betis are formulating a great combination.
A major chunk of the credit is deserved by Quique Setién, their manager. He guided the team to a Europa League finish. The highest they managed to get for a long time.
How well are they doing this season?
Even though last season was a great one, this season they are going through some rough patches. In 12 games, they have accumulated 4 wins, 4 defeats and 4 draws and occupy the 12th spot in the table. Neither good nor bad.
Despite their league form Betis are doing pretty well in the Europa League. Their victory against AC Milan is a feather in the cap. They sit on top of their group, a group which contains AC Milan and Olympiacos. It remains to be seen how far will Betis go, but this far the showing is looking good.
What next?
Real Betis are a work in progress. In the past few windows, they have bought in some “big-team” rejects such as Bartra, Tello and Sergio Canales. Also, they have bought in Carvalho who was in the shopping list of many top European teams. Lo Celso arrived on a loan deal and it could be finalized by the end of the season. Coupling this huge potential along with the experience of Andres Guardado and Joaquin Real Betis could be up for something this time around.
