Following a demoralizing win at home against Dynamo Kiev, Koeman will want to get results, but even more than that, good play is needed. It’s been three games that Barcelona has not won in La Liga, and it is starting to become worrying. The sight alone of seeing Barcelona deep in the table is already a headache. Previous matches with Betis have always ended with lots of goals, and Barcelona will hope that it will go in the favour. Moreover, it had been Griezmann’s first La Liga goal, a season ago. A repeat for the French superstar?
Current form
Barcelona’s last five matches: WLWDW
Barcelona-Ferencvaros: 5-1
Barcelona-R.Madrid: 1-3
Juventus-Barcelona: 0-2
D.Alavés-Barcelona: 1-1
Barcelona-D.Kiev: 2-1
We haven’t been in our best situation, lately. The last convincing win was against Ferenckvaros and a weaker Juventus. Results may suggest that the team is doing well, but the reality is very different. There’s no identity, and even worse, there’s no regularity. Fans don’t know what to expect, whether to see Barcelona doing well – which hasn’t happened in a while – or a team struggling to control and dominate the game – coupled with goalscoring issues, whereas Griezmann’s & Messi’s lack of goals has penalised the team.
Real Betis’ last fives matches: LWLLW
Getafe-R.Betis: 3-0
Valencia-R.Betis: 0-2
R.Betis-R.Sociedad: 0-3
Atlético Madrid-R.Betis: 2-0
R.Betis-Elche: 3-1
Under Pellegrini, Real Betis has done fairly well. A magnificent Tello and a shining Canales have been very important to Betis. They tend to either play in a 4-2-3-1 or in a 4-3-3, using Fekir’s expertise and Tello’s goal scoring form. Betis are currently seventh, and while their form hasn’t been the best lately, they remain above Barcelona, sitting on the seventh position. To Betis, attacking football matters. And that’s a brand of football Pellegrini has been working on, doing well only after a few months. Historically, Betis haven’t done well at Betis, often getting trashed in the process. However, fans know that they can expect lots of goals and a series of attacking sequences from both sides.
Positional play expressed through all phases of play, a football fan that fell in love with the Beautiful Game over 10 years ago. Occasionally writes about FC Barcelona for Barca_Buzz, on tactics and attempts to explain the game to the casual eye.
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