Real Betis took a step backwards this season. After finishing sixth in 2017/18, they came 10th in 2018/19.
The style of football played by Quique Setien was the main talking point surrounding Real Betis all season. They had a possession-based approach and posted the second-best possession numbers in the league after Barcelona, but this style became predictable and there was too often no end product.
It didn’t help that Real Betis’ squad lacked a proven goalscorer, but Setien’s reluctance to compromise his approach led to tension between the team and the fans and that’s partly why Setien was sacked at the end of the campaign.
There were some positives, such as beating Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in LaLiga, qualifying out of a Europa League group containing AC Milan and Olympiacos before a last 32 exit and reaching the Copa del Rey semi-finals.
But Real Betis’ season was defined by their struggles against the smaller teams, the teams that would set up with a deep-lying block. They didn’t have an answer for this and this explains why they finished in mid-table.
Overall, the squad is really good and the pick-ups of players such as Sergio Canales and Giovani Lo Celso have been smart, but there is a need to sign a proven striker and also to hire a coach who can be a little more flexible.
