Quique Setién’s bold plan paid off
Prior to the game, Real Betis manager Quique Setién insisted that his team would not water down their style of play for their clash with league leaders Barcelona. “We’re going to try but I don’t know if we’ll be able to do it. Barcelona have been doing this for 25 years and Betis only a year and half,” Setién admitted.
“The reality isn’t always the same. We want to have the ball so we are able to pressure further up the pitch. That’s what we’ll try to do: play our style of football however we can and try to steal the ball from them.”
And it worked.
Lionel Messi’s return from injury was not enough to frighten Betis, who emerged 4-3 victors after a tense, tight affair on a rainy afternoon.
It was the first time Barcelona had lost at home in LaLiga since their defeat to Alaves in September 2016, 793 days ago. It was Betis’ first victory against Barcelona at the Camp Nou since 1998. The victory also awarded Setién the accolade of being the only coach to have won at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Camp Nou in the past ten years.
Betis managed 15 shots, five fewer than Barça, but eight of them were on target, compared to the hosts’ tally of five.
Possession was largely even, but Betis’ ruthlessness on the break proved the difference, as they completed the shock of the weekend.
Junior Firpo opened the scoring for the visitors in the 20th minute before the 37-year-old Joaquín doubled their lead in the 34th minute.
Giovani Lo Celso, helped by an uncharacteristic mistake from Ter-Stegen, and Sergio Canales also got on the scoresheet, meaning that a brace from Messi and another from Arturo Vidal wasn’t enough to earn Barcelona a point.
Defensive fragility has been a concurrent theme for Barça this season, and today’s result will have done nothing to settle Ernesto Valverde’s concerns about his back line.
| GOAL! |
Real Betis go Barcelona-esque with a beautiful team goal! 👏
The pass from William Carvalho and the finish from Firpo Junior = 👌 pic.twitter.com/Z8q6Z07DHC
— ELEVEN Football (@ElevenSportsFB) November 11, 2018
| GOAL! |
Real Betis are 3-1 up at the Camp Nou!
That is a howler from Marc-Andre ter Stegen. Game over? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/SBRkUolIJE
— ELEVEN Football (@ElevenSportsFB) November 11, 2018
