It is amazing the difference a few months make in the world of professional football.
At the beginning of January, La Liga club Real Betis were fifth in the league and pushing for a place in the Champions League.
Since January 5th, when La Liga resumed after their winter break, Real Betis have lost 11 of 19 matches. Just five of those fixtures ended in victories as the Lobos hit a rut they just cannot get out of.
Prior to the winter break, manager Quique Setien was one of the top candidates to take over Barcelona for Ernesto Valverde. Setien’s attacking style of play had created league wide approval from fans and commentators.
Valverde signed a contract extension with many onlookers believing Setien could get the job down the line.
Now, with 11 losses in their last 19 games, supporters are calling for Setien to be sacked at Real Betis. To blame Setien for Real Betis’ poor form would be foolish, but it cannot be ignored that he looks to have lost the dressing room.
If Setien isn’t the issue, then why are Real Betis so bad? The answer lies in three areas. The first is the most obvious and that is January’s player signings.
Real Betis sent Antonio Sanabria to Genoa where he has scored three goals in 12 games. Sanabria had scored six times before departing for Italy.
It is the player that was brought in to replace Sanabria that has been a major disappointment. Former Real Madrid man Jese joined from Paris Saint-Germain on loan, and has since scored just one goal in 12 La Liga matches.
Fellow January signing Diego Lainez has tallied a mere assist since joining although the 18-year-old was a signing for the future.
The turnover prior to the season starting cannot have helped either as eight players were signed on free or paid transfers.
The second reason for Real Betis’ domestic form is the Europa League. The club were eliminated by Rennes in the round of 32 after putting together an outstanding group stage.
Real Betis won three and drew three games in the group stage before being humbled by Rennes 64 on aggregate. Fatigue of those big fixtures has set into the players.
Their European adventure took a lot out of them, but it wasn’t as crushing a blow as the third reason for failure.
Real Betis were eliminated from the Copa del Rey in the semifinal just seven days after their Europa League demise. Valencia topped them 3-2 on aggregate in what was an exciting two-legged tie.
Things turned even worse for Real Betis after their cup elimination and just two wins have been tallied since then. Real Betis are currently winless in their last five games with four ending in losses.
The humiliation of the second half of the season continued on Sunday with a 1-0 loss to Eibar.
Since the winter break, Real Betis have dropped from fifth to 13th, and though relegation is not a worry right now, it could be next term if a losing mentality is carried over.
Surprisingly, Real Betis have still scored goals during their losing run. Just four times have they been held scoreless in their 11 losses.
With two games to play, Setien truly needs to overturn Real Betis’ fortune to keep his job for next season. Even if Real Betis beat already relegated Huesca and get a result against Real Madrid, Setien’s future may be sealed for next season.