Gustavo Poyet Failing To Push Real Betis In A Different Direction
Real Betis gave light to an ambitious, inspiring project over the summer but the results haven't been forthcoming this season.
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By David Cartlidge (@davidjaca)
It hasn’t been easy being Real Betis in recent years.
For one, they share a city with Sevilla. Their great rivals have been riding high in Spain and Europe over the past few season - a treble of Europa League successes have been hard to ignore.
Sevilla's also become a model club in the process, pinned up by Sporting Director Monchi’s astute work in the transfer market. In contrast, Betis have been an example of how not to work as a football club. They won't admit it, but there's some envy there.
Betis have yo-yo’d between divisions, flip-flopped with a series of managers, traded Sporting Directors and lacked the general consistency to create a foundation at the club. Any attempt to lift the club has been in vain, an ultimate disaster. The only constant has been the support at the club which has never wavered. If it’s one thing Sevilla don’t have over their green and white neighbors, it’s pure support. Betis are, historically and statistically, the number one club in the city. The fans have been there through thick and thin too; relegation, administration, promotion, another relegation and so on.
Betis, perhaps like Valencia fans, grew accustomed to a certain amount of privilege. European nights, flashy players, bouncing stadiums. Now however, both languish in a state of flux, and well, desperation. A craving for the days of old, not just on the pitch, but off it too. For instance, very bad owners have been replaced by mediocre owners.
2016-2017 was meant to be better, and the start of a new Betis. Unfortunately, it has been more of the same. The hiring of Miguel Toricella from Celta Vigo, a revered figure in Sporting Director circles over the years, was the major decision Betis made over the summer. He was appointed to work the transfer market like he’d done so well at Celta, culminating in his final year with their European qualification. In Gustavo Poyet, he hoped he’d found another Luis Enrique, or more recently Toto Berizzo.
However, Toricella’s pick this time, at his new club, hasn’t been so inspiring. Nor have his transfer dealings, which are coming under increasing scrutiny. There is a hope amongst Betis fans that this time the club got only one thing wrong, and not them all - as they have done in recent years. And that's the coach.
Poyet’s start to the season was slow, but there has been little progression since. Patience was suggested, but change hasn’t been forthcoming and any wins have come fortuitously. Betis haven’t conceded 22 goals in the first 11 games since 1965, and Poyet’s 6 losses in the same time is the second worst record in the club’s entire history.
Betis are at odds with each other on and off the field, with Poyet’s plan failing to resonate. If there is one at all. But even all that has been overshadowed by the Uruguayan’s personality clashes within the club - a facet common with the Poyet throughout his managerial career. At both Brighton and Sunderland, he managed to rub up people the wrong way. It was maybe expected in Spain, in a culture he was more familiar with, he’d come across better. That hasn’t been the case. Reports come thick and fast of Poyet falling out with players, and not just any, but key figures.
Dani Ceballos, a gifted, young talent who admittedly needs guidance, has been ostracized. Poyet's not put an arm around him, instead he's put him at arms length. Charly Musonda, arguably the surprise star of last season, has barely featured in between his injuries. Then there is Ruben Castro. The greatest striker in the history of the club - probably one of the greatest players too. He’s been ditched over recent weeks, resigned to bench duty in two of the last three games. Now talk is that the striker, along with Ceballos, are looking to leave the club for as long as Poyet is around. Toricella meanwhile, the man who picked him, is reluctant to get rid of him for that very reason.
The great Joaquin is 35 now and can't be expected to perform miracles - he even admitted he sits in a fridge for a few days after playing twice in a week. Antonio Adán, as underrated as he may be, cannot save Betis every week. Then there are the new signings, none of which have truly flourished. They're good players too so it inevitably falls back on Poyet, blessed with an impressive squad assembled for a hefty 22m, who has failed to create any semblance of positivity.
Betis may well stick with Poyet through the International break in the hope of turning things around. The double edged sword of the break however, is it would give a new man time to integrate and freshen things up should there be a change.
The season, despite being in a relatively early stage, is already on a knife edge. For all the changes Betis have made, things seem very much the same.