Levante vs Sporting Gijon 27-11-2011

Levante’s proverbial gingerbread house was blown down weeks ago (or however that story’s supposed to go), but today at least the Valencian outfit was able to restore moral and keep it’s floundering fairly tale campaign alive, for now at least. After three defeats on the trot, today Nacho Martínez’s side recorded it’s biggest victory of the season so far, by spanking Sporting Gijon 4-0 at home.

Manuel Preciado, who is fondly remembered in the Ciutat de València stadium for securing promotion back to la Primera for Levante in 2004, was given no favourable treatment by his old club today, as his Sporting’s recent impressive run of form came crashing to an end after an uninspired performance.

Barkero celebrates after scoring the opening goal

Levante started the brighter of the two but some wasteful play early on by Javi Barkero gave the impression that it was going to be one of those days for the home side: first in the 10^th minute when his touch let him down after a well placed Javi Venta pass picked him out running in behind the Sporting back line, and again, in the 16^th, after a deftly cushioned pass from Juanlu left the former Real Sociedad man to wriggle past Botía only to sky his shot well over the bar.

The Basque redeemed himself on 20 minutes when Koné, after bearing down on Canillas on the right, intercepted the left-full and bee lined towards the Sporting goal only to unselfishly square it across to Barkero, who side footed it home. One nil Levante.

The first half played out with Levante the stronger side, but that’s not to say Sporting didn’t have their chances. A David Barral header which, luckily for Ballesteros went wide of the mark, should have seen the visitors level the score in the 34^th minute. Miguel Ángel de as Cuevas was also culpable of some poor finishing soon after when a corner from the right fell to him on the back post, but instead of finding the net he blasted the ball into the ground for Munúa to easily gather it up.

The second half had barely started when Levante extended their lead. This time Juanlu, who was a thorn in the visitors’ right side all afternoon, dangerously fired the ball towards goal which Alberto Lora blocked only for the equally dangerous Valdo to slot it in from the back stick.

Gustavo Munua made a vital reflex save moments later from a close range Barral header to prevent a fight back from the come-from-behind specialists (Sporting having already come back to win against Mallorca and Getafe this season). The move culminated in Koné steaming through the middle, with Ivan Hernandez only able to chase the Ivorian’s shadow, before the Levante striker rounded Juan Pablo and put his own name on the score sheet.

The game was over very early into the restart but Levante made absolutely sure of it with half an hour to go. This time a beautifully taken Asier Del Horno free kick, which Juan Pablo got his finger tips to, bounced off the woodwork only to be met by the insatiable Koné who notched his second of the afternoon with a simple tap in.

The comprehensive opening 15 minutes of the second half sunk Sporting and with a four goal cushion Levante’s veterans were able to take their foot off the gas for the last third of the game and see out the tie with a clean sheet, having never really being troubled.

Levante’s real acid test comes next week when they face Barcelona in the Camp Nou. Whether they can get their impossible dream season back on track or get punished by the recently wounded European Champions remains to be seen but today’s result will keep everyone’s favourite underdogs in fighting mood. Meanwhile, Preciado’s men will have to dust themselves off quickly for the impending visit of league leaders, Real Madrid next week.

Full Time: Levante 4 Sporting Gijon 0 (Barkero 20, Valdo 46, Koné 51, 61)

Barcelona-centric Rosell's 16 team vision

A few weeks back, during a meeting of the European Club Association (ECA), the president of FC Barcelona, Sandro Rosell proposed a reduction in the number of teams competing in la Primera Liga from 20 to 16, on the grounds that it would protect the integrity of Europe’s second most popular league. His attempts to convince the other members that a more streamline league would be for the greater good were immediately shot down as being utterly disingenuous, with chief executive of the English Premier League, Richard Scudamore labelling his plans as “Barcelona-centric”.

In press mode

His argument for cutting the amount of clubs was twofold. Firstly, a decreased number of teams would ease fixture congestion and could even allow for big European clashes to take place on the weekend rather than during the week, as is now the case. And secondly, (according to him) such a move would increase competitiveness within the Spanish top flight, away from the current duopoly enjoyed by his Catalan charges and their fierce rivals, Real Madrid.

To see where Jon Cryer’s long lost brother was coming from, it’s worth taking a look at his true intentions.

To begin with, player fatigue is clearly a real concern for his club: not including international matches, for which the azulgrana tree is particularly fruit bearing (the Spanish national team alone consists of eight from it’s ranks), Barca played 62 competitive matches last season in all competitions, including the league, the Champions League, the Copa del Rey, the domestic Supercopa and the UEFA Super Cup. This season, depending on how far they progress through these contests (quite far I’d imagine), that figure could be surpassed as they also have the extra “burden” of the World Club Cup next month in Japan.

Lionel Messi, while togging out for his native Argentina against Colombia last week, raised his own concerns about how the relentless schedule has been sapping him of energy. And in fairness to la pulga, the degree to which he is used by both club and country is bound to take it’s toll: since 2 July he has only had a 63 minute breather from play for either side, when he started as a sub against Real Sociedad in September. In other words, out of the last 27 games he has played 2,397 minutes, an average of 88.77 minutes per game. Although he somewhat discredited the notion of being overexerted last Saturday, by effortlessly running riot at home against Zaragoza in a routine league win, one expects that the exhaustingly high demands being placed upon Barca’s relatively small squad will eventually catch up with the Spanish and European champions.

Rosell, well aware of his players’ physical constraints, is politically savvy enough to know that getting your way involves an element of cloaking your true intentions.

For one, it is more likely that he was gunning for a more realistic reduction to 18 teams rather than 16, but in classic negotiating style suggested the more dramatic cut in the hope of coming to a “compromised” agreement.

Messi feeling the effects while on international duty

Also, in a measure to butter up the La Liga clubs outside the top two with his plan, the 47 year old astutely appealed to their most basic of sensibilities: money. Arguing for more stringent financial controls to curtail, among other things, the arrival of more foreign owners (a la Racing Santander and Malaga) the Barca president claimed that a move to a more manageable number of teams would swing the balance of power back towards the clubs and away from other parties, “FIFA, UEFA and national federations are reaping more and more, agents and players are earning more, but the clubs lose out annually. There’s something wrong with this equation”.

Self protectionism is a natural instinct, one which Rosell is not immune to, so coming out with Marxist statements like the one above seems a bit rich, especially given how his club enjoys roughly 22.5% of the current TV rights money. It doesn’t need explaining that the distribution of wealth between the 20 La Liga clubs significantly favours the big two, making the Spanish league completely uncompetitive.

A new agreement in which TV revenues will be shared out more evenly is being hammered now, to begin at the start of the 2015/16 season. However, this new deal will still preserve Barcelona and Real Madrid’s dominance, as although their slice of the pie would drop to 17% each, the next highest earners, Atlético Madrid and Valencia, would only gain a mere 5.5% each in comparison.

With this in mind, Rosell’s request to concentrate the league is more likely him trying to ensure that the value of this 17% rises, thereby guaranteeing that the gulf between Spain’s have’s and have not’s continues to grow.

Rosell’s manoeuvrings to keep the existing status quo are fantastic from a Barcelona point of view, but ultimately his is a very short-sighted vision of the future. If things carry on like this La Liga is in real danger of becoming (dare I say it?) worse than the SPL.

Sevilla v Athletic Bilbao: 21-11-2011

Athletic Bilbao extended their great run of form tonight with a 2-1 win away to Sevilla. Marcelo Bielsa’s team has now gone eight consecutive league games without losing. The Argentine coach, who has revolutionised the playing style of the Basque club, got his tactics right yet again, this time gambling on Javi Martinez in defence.

The game started quite frantically from both sides and the first two goals came early as a result. The first came in the fifth minute when Iroala from just outside the box tucked the ball into the bottom left hand corner of Javi Varas’ net with pinpoint precision after a woeful headed clearance from the returning Negredo.

Sevilla didn’t take long to even matters though, when a salmon like leap from Kanouté nodded the ball to recent Spanish call up, Jesus Navas, who fired the ball across the Athletic goal and out of Iraizoz’s reach.

Jesús Navas and Javi Martínez fight it out for possession

With the scoreboard reading one all Athletic slowly began to control the game, playing some beautiful stuff in spells. Iker Muniain in particular shined in midfield and continued to show why he is being touted as one of La Liga and Spain’s brightest young prospects. Sevilla’s only chance after equalising in the first half came when Negredo hopefully struck from distance, without really troubling the keeper.

Marcelino’s men came out for the restart more determined and with more physical intent: hassling and pressuring their visitors far more effectively than they had done. The Athletic back line was tested on a number of occasions as ball after ball was played in behind them in search of danger man Negredo.

The more Sevilla attacked though, the more menacing Athletic seemed, as Fernando Llorente and Ander Herrera both threatened the home team’s goal mouth on the break.

The winner came with 20 minutes to go, when Emir Spahic made a haymes of a pass, with the ball ending up at Muniain’s feet. The on fire 19 year old took full advantage of the mistake, finding De Marcos running in behind the back line who managed to poke the ball under the on rushing Javi Varas and run on to finish the move with the simplest of tap ins.

Sevilla attempted to get back into the game by playing a very high line for the remainder but Athletic were defended solidly and were able to see out the game as winners.

Athletic’s transition from it’s long held “British approach” of long-ball physicality to the more dynamic and thoughtful style of Bielsa took a while to get going but seems to be well and truly embedded now, as was shown two weeks ago against Barcalona and again tonight in the Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán.

Sevilla 1 Atheltic Bilboa 2: Iroala (5), Navas (14), De Marcos (70)

Hector Cúper: Fighting Fires on all Fronts

Travelling has never been a problem for current Racing Santander coach, Héctor Cuper. Since starting his managerial career in his native Argentina, with Club Atlético Huracán, the 53 year old has clocked up plenty of air miles moving from one bench to the next: Lanús, Mallorca, Valencia, Inter Milan, Real Betis, Parma, the Georgia national team and Greek outfit Aris FC are all crammed into his CV (probably with the help of a small font).

This upcoming Monday he is set to embark on yet another journey. This time making his way down to Madrid, where the challenge facing him is not a football matter but rather a judicial one. There he is set to play the role of defendant as Italian anticorruption prosecutors question him about his alleged involvement with the match fixing capers of certain Napolese mafioso types from the Camorra family. The allegations being mounted against him are in connection to his time in charge of Mallorca in 2006, when he is thought to have provided information to the infamous D’Alessandro clan relating to four league games: two Spanish and two Argentine. Of course he and his lawyer, Vicente Montes, irrefutably deny any wrongdoing or knowledge of such activities.

However tough going his sticky legal situation may be, it’s not the only thing affecting his blood pressure. Performances on the field have left a lot to be desired so far this season, and the club sits perilously close to rock bottom with a meagre tally of just nine points.

It’s sure to be a very long day, as he not only appears before the law, but also in front of the Racinguista faithful straight afterwards (if he’s permitted to leave Madrid of course), when his team hosts “money bags” Malaga in the first league game back after the two week international break.

These are dismal times for anyone associated with the Cantabrian club, not just the manager. And as is usually the case in Spain when problems begin to arise on the pitch, the cause for los Verdiblancos current difficulties can be found off it.

Club owner and majority shareholder (98.89%), Ahsan Ali Syed can probably sympathise with Cuper more than most people. His dubious financial dealings, via his company Deccan Chronicle, have caught up with him to such an extent that a disappearing act was the only way out, seeing as jail time is not a viable option for a “respectable” Indian mogul.

After being turned down by Blackburn Rovers, the tycoon set his sights on Spain and bought Racing instead. Club president, Francisco Pernía, welcomed Syed with open arms, feeling no need to question who this (up until now) mystery man was. And why would he? After all, as he said himself, “I’ve looked into his eyes, and I can see that Ali is a trustworthy man”.

Presumably Rovers were, unlike their Iberian counterparts, too meek to lock eyes with this strange man and opted to do their looking through Google instead, where a quick search would have dug up enough dirt on Syed for the Lancashire outfit decline his offer. Pernía soon found out that foregoing this most rudimentary method of investigation into a potential suitor was a poor move, as Syed went AWOL when Interpol came knocking.

Last month, with the rot well and truly sunk in, the club’s board (including Pernía) unanimously decided to resign. However, they are legally obliged to see out their duties until a new director is found, which will probably be in December when a shareholders’ meeting is scheduled. Until then Pernía is taking a leaf out of Syed’s book and keeping well clear of El Sardinero for fear of any retribution from any disgruntled fans.

By no means are the supporters wet behind the ears in terms of their club’s monetary constraints. However, where previously they could rely on a local government bailout to keep creditors at bay, now the current economic climate in Spain won’t allow for such assistance.

Should things go wrong for Cuper’s team on Monday, he is sure to feel like the captain of a sinking ship as he peers up to the director’s box and sees that the rats have already scarpered off.

Throughout his journeyman career as a coach he has famously lost every cup final his teams have partaken in, he faces his own ultimatum on Monday and must be praying that his luck finally changes. Unfortunately for him though, unbearable as his current personal problems may be, they just so happen to coincide with his club’s most nerve wrecking situation in recent years.

A Truce through the City

With Del Bosque’s men losing out to a fortuitous yet impressive English side on Saturday, the Spanish public needed some respite, or at least an adequate distraction, from the continued difficulties la selección seems to be having where friendlies are concerned. As the international break had left football fans with a whole Sunday to fill by themselves, other interests outside the sport had to be pursued.

In Madrid, sports rag Marca was on hand to provide disoriented aficionados with a wholesome activity to take part in during this match deprived day. ‘La Carrera Marca’ (The Marca Race), which started in 2010, is an annual event organised by said paper which brings both sides of the capital city’s major footballing divide together: Real and Atlético. Supporters of either club (and even the odd gate crashing Getafe or Rayo Vallecano fan) tog out in their team’s colours and compete to finish a 10km circuit through the city on foot in the fastest time possible-with the Rojiblancos claiming the bragging rights last year.

As a budding journalist and a man with scarce all else to do, I decided to join the estimated 7,999 other runners at the Santiago Bernabeú to embark on this clever marketing ploy.

However, cynicism about marketing aside, this was a fantastically well-organised event and the camaraderie between both sets of supporters, los Merengues and los Cocheneros, was a wonderful thing to behold; with countless groups of friends showing up wearing opposing colours to each other. The only bad blood I was aware of was that racing through my own veins, as the side effects of a somewhat masochistic Friday night lingered on within me.

I foolishly decided that watching my beloved Ireland beat a nine man Estonia should be celebrated with the thirst quenching assistance of an overly-priced pint of Murphy’s Red or two, followed by a few more which in turn were washed down with several more for good luck. This did my already abject fitness no favours, but promises had been made and I was damned if I was going to let fellow signees (my friend Paul and cousin Conor) do it without me and grab all the attention. So I soldiered on, scrapping myself out of bed on the crisp Sunday morning and self pityingly making my way to the starting line, where Paul met me in similar condition. Conor in a confused state thought the number 9 was in fact the number 7 on his alarm clock and had to be rudely awoken by me thirty minutes before the starting gun to ensure his participation-a panicky taxi journey through the empty Madrid streets got him to the back of the queue just in time, but we wouldn’t see him until the other side.

Fortunately for us though, the organisers were a far less sadistic bunch than our subconscious minds, which was evidenced by the down hill nature of the course so reaching the finish line was an attainable goal even for leaden footed imposters like us.

The route took us from Real’s sacred ground, down the wide, pulsating artery that is the Paseo de Castellana, past los blancos cherished fountain in Plaza de Cibeles, then past los Indio’s own revered water feature, Neptuno, up through the heart of the city, Puerta del Sol for good measure, before finishing up at Atleti’s riverside arena, the Vicente Caldéron.

Although the first three finishers wore red and white, the overall outcome of the race saw the Real contingent bag the ‘Fastest Fans’ title. Despite my choice to kit out in red and white (I just thought it was a nicer t-shirt), I would like to clarify that my performance, while not breaking any records, did not negatively impact on the Rojiblanco median time: finishing with a respectable time of 42:40.

After the podiums had been cleared and the complementary bottles of powerade had been knocked back and tossed to the ground, the competitors began to hobble off in their separate directions, all united under the same feeling of accomplishment and good will for what was an enjoyable day out.

In under a fortnight’s time both two sets of supporters will gather once again at the mythical Bernabeú. However, this will be under far less harmonious circumstances, as the “real” Derbi Madrileño is contested.

Whereas the head to head in the fun run stakes is evenly matched, the footballing accolades significantly favour los Madridistas over the course of the last few years: in their last eight league encounters Real has managed seven wins and a draw over its lowly neighbour. And going on existing form this trend looks likely to repeat itself a week from Saturday, as Mourniho’s side’s seemingly unstoppable form shows no sign of waning, especially at home where not a single point has been dropped so far this season.

This doesn’t bode well for the already under fire Gregorio Manzano, who has not exactly had the rosiest of receptions at Atleti since his appointment from Sevilla back in June. On the back of a shockingly poor 3-2 lose at the hands of a ten men Getafe, the atmosphere within the decrepit walls of the Calderon must be bleak at the moment.

Before the acrimonious reuniting of this Sunday’s Carrera athletes, both clubs have “warm up” league games this weekend, with Real away to Valencia and Atletico at home to Levante.

Before then, blisters should have fully heeled, stiffness should have eased and muscle fatigue should be a thing of the past, but one thing remains certain, the temporary amnesty of the old city rivalry will be well and truly over.

Real Betis v Malaga

A collective sigh of relief was audible from the stands of the Benito Villamarín at full time this Saturday, as Real Betis and Málaga played out a scoreless draw. By no means was the relief to do with the home team being second best, and scraping a point on the night, but rather to the fact that it meant an end to their run of six defeats on the trot.

Pepe Mel characteristically stuck to his purist approach, starting with an attacking formation and experimentally pushing Pozuelo further up the pitch than usual to partner Jorge Molina up front, in the absence of the still injured Roque Santa Cruz. The refusal to resort to more defensive tactics, although not resulting in any goals, paid off for los Béticos.

Meanwhile Manuel Pelligrini was forced to change his starting 11 from last week’s victory against Espanyol, with Isco coming in for the injured Apoño. However, with Ruud Van Nistelrooy and ‘The Beast’ Baptista still carrying knocks, the Chilean stuck with José Salomón Rondon alone up front.

The first half was quite flat from both sides, with Betis edging it in terms of chances created. Understandably the crisis of confidence Betis has suffered of late affected their play in front of goal, but during the first 45 minutes Mels’s men dominated in midfield and looked like a side on top of it’s game, with Beñat standing out in particular.

The second half offered little in the way of action but Betis held on, and at last, luck seemed to be on their side: Rondon should have got on the score sheet when Monreal swung in a perfect cross from the left, which the Venezuelan headed straight at Casto. Not to say the hosts didn’t create anything themselves: Pozuelo coming close on 66 minutes, but steered his shot wide.

Prodigal son Joaquín Sánchez returned to his old hunting ground, but did not receive the messiah like reception he has previously come to expect from his beloved old club: previous visits by Betis’ last real idol have seen the midfielder being applauded by his adoring fans, including when he put them out of the Copa del Rey with Valencia in 2008 with two goals. Tonight though, los Heliopolitanos were especially hostile to their former hero’s homecoming, probably due to bitterness of his ability to remain in Spain’s top flight while they had to slog it out in the second division.

This harsh reception surely frustrated El Rayo (as he was affectionately known in Seville) but it wasn’t to be his or Malaga’s night. La Liga’s ‘new money’ failed once again to show any signs of understanding each other on the road: having only recorded one away win to date this season.

This gelling period that Malaga seems intent on prolonging must be frustrating los Malaguistas, but this will be of no concern to Betis tonight, as they finally see the well earned fruits of their labour.

Atleti's unsuspecting hero: Adrían

The inevitable departure of Kun Agüero from the Vicente Calderón this summer, followed by Diego Forlán’s decision to move on soon after, must have sent shivers down the spine of many an Atlético Madrid fan, as they wondered where the goals would come from in the upcoming season. Well, the arrival of Falcao in august was precisely the rebound they needed to get over their heartbreak and move on.

However, El Tigre’s dream start was not to continue indefinitely, and since dazzling the Atleti faithful by scoring six times in his first four games, his marksmanship has deteriorated somewhat. Opposition defenders had started to identify him as the target man, and thus the team’s mini crisis began. The goals had dried up and there didn’t seem to be any remedy for it-who else but the overly depended upon Falcao could convert for los Colchoneros? Adrián López, of course.

Adrián was, until Falcoa’s entrance, Atlético’s trophy acquisition of the summer. Not exactly receiving the welcome his soon-to-be strike partner did (about 10,000 fans greeted the former Colombian star), the Asturian didn’t really hit the ground running.

Even prior to joining the Madrid outfit from Deportivo, many fans had their reservations about the striker. Not renowned for his prowess in front of goal, some saw him as a panic signing, not capable of solving their goal-scoring conundrum. And with cause too: the 23 year old was held partially culpable by many Dépor aficionados for the Galician club’s descent to La Segunda back in May, sighting his lacklustre firing ability up front as one of the reasons for being relegated: 38 starts and nine run outs as a substitute were repaid with a modest eight goal return.

However, an eye for goal has not eluded the player at international level, where he has always managed to shine, albeit at under age level. He started his Spanish career brightly at the 2007 Under-20 World Cup in Canada. This was back when La Roja didn’t expect to win major tournaments (like they and everyone else does now), and this time was to be no different as they went out to the Czech Republic on penalties. Nonetheless, Adrián bagged five goals during the competition and the received the Silver boot as a result-curiously being pipped to the gold by the man he would later replace, Agüero.

During the European Under-21 Championship earlier this year (yes, I know he was 23 then, but apparently you’re allowed have two older boys in the squad, probably to act as chaperones), he not only lifted the trophy but, this time round, managed to secure the Golden Boot award also: again finding the net five times.

The unrest he caused opposition defenders on the way to Spain’s coronation as champions caught the eye of Gregorio Manzano, the man chosen to replace Quique Sánchez at Atlético. The miner’s son was lured down to the Spanish capital in June, as process of rebuilding began.

Up until recently Alteti’s season had been dogged with problems on and off the field. The aforementioned reliance on Falcao, a very public bust-up between Manzano and Reyes, due to the latters dissatisfaction at not featuring regularly enough, and a general lack of cohesion between the players in the squad had done nothing to boost moral for Atleti. Not to mention the chants from certain sections of the support to sack the manager not just before Christmas, but Halloween!

Good thing then that the head coach is commonly referred to as El Profesor in the Spanish press, because of his hard headedness and man management skills . Reyes aside, at least the players seem to be on the manager’s side, as was witnessed in their post match reaction to the 3-0 drubbing they received at the hands of Bielsa’s Athletic Bilboa. Instead of shirking from their responsibilities and allowing the gaffer to take the flack, the team held up their hands individually on what was a woeful display.

That thrashing in San Mamés was just over a week ago but, just as a week is a long time in politics, so too is it in football. Since then Atleti has decisively beaten Zaragoza in the league and Udinese in the Europa League. And Adrián was on hand on both occasions to provide the goods, scoring braces in both games and generally showing all the promise he displayed during the Under-21 tournament.

So what happened to the supposedly goal shy forward to take the focus off his manager, Falcoa, and the rest of his teammates for that matter? Well, it’s quite simple really: now Manzano is employing a 4-4-2 or 4-3-1-2 formation, with Falcao and Adrían up top. Sitting behind them are players like Arda, Diego Costa, Gabi and Mario Suárez, who like to have the ball at their feet rather than running into channels.

By pushing Adrían further up the field, Manzano is now giving the number 7 more freedom to use his blistering pace to create opportunities, which Atlético has been craving for a while. Sitting off Falcao, the Asturian is acting as the missing link between midfield and the front line. While Falcao remains the target man, Adrían can use this to his advantage, as his tireless work rate will undoubtedly cause a great deal of defensive headaches.

The next test is away to Getafe in a local derby this Sunday. Only pulling off a draw in the same fixture last year, Atlético should be looking to take all three points from the Coliseum this time of asking, as El Geta finds itself dead bottom of the table.

Regardless of who the opponents are one thing is for sure, with Adrían working the flanks and running at the back four supported by the quality of Falcao, Atleti are going to be a menace.

Pepe Mel: The Thinking Man's Manager

The influence football has over Spanish life is as apparent as the correlation between MC Hammer’s shuffle-heavy choreography and the sudden boom in the sale of parachute pants in the early 1990’s. Despite the tight grip futbol has on one of Europe’s most historically rich and intensely traditional countries, the beautiful game is hardly held aloft as a bastion of cultural brilliance. The sad truth is that very little culture exists within the game itself.

Players are not a typically well read bunch, and for the most part live quite shallow and vacuous lives away from the pitch, while fine art is hardly a common topic of conversation among the stalls at your average ground either: It’s hard to imagine David Villa and Sergio Busquets passionately discussing the finer points of Alexandre Dumas’ works for example, or to envision the likes of Florentino Pérez and José Mourinho debating over what relevance the poetry of WB Yeats holds nowadays. Enlightenment, it seems, holds no significance in the sport.

Well fortunately there are some sophisticated minds dwelling within this barbarous and boorish world. Among this small group of broad-minded individuals is Pepe Mel.

The current head coach at Real Betis and the man responsible for bringing the club back to the promised land of La Primera Liga is not only a revered coach, having gained promotion for both Betis (Seville’s “other team”) and Rayo Vallecano, but since last month is also a published author-and not in the sense that “David Beckham: My Side” makes Golden Balls one. Mel has written an actual novel. Using his brain!

“The Liar” (El Mentiroso) tells the tale of Cail, a downtrodden, bored-with-life millionaire who has a penchant for collecting antiques. Our hero comes across some very valuable manuscripts which cause him all sorts of problems, including getting on the Vatican’s bad side.

While my intermediate Spanish limits me to reading at a dyslexic snail’s pace, my immersion into the novel so far has left me quite impressed with the literary prowess of the erstwhile Real Madrid and Betis striker. The story doesn’t dilly dally around, taking off at a blistering pace, much like Betis’ start to this season: winning its first four matches in its return to the top flight.

Hopefully though, “The Liar” is able to sustain its high-octane, adrenaline fuelled start: unlike the Andaluz outfit, which now finds itself starring down the barrel of a six game losing streak-the worst run of form in the division.

So what has happened to los Béticos? While the Seville club doesn’t expect to be knocking either of the Gran Clásico teams off their perches at the summit of the table any time soon, worry is no doubt setting in on this young squad of players as they see themselves slip perilously closer and closer to the drop zone.

Maybe naivety is to blame. Just as winning can become a habit, so too can losing, and this relatively inexperienced group of players might have let their heads drop on the back of a few defeats. However, this is the same team that lost five matches on the bounce last season only to go on and win the league, so a shortage of mental strength is unlikely to be the cause of their current blight.

What’s more, Mel’s men did something unusual in their ascendancy from La Segunda: played well. The reality is that Betis has stuck to its guns and adhered to the manager’s philosophy of playing silky, attack-minded football but, for whatever reason, the results don’t seem to be coming of late.

Last Sunday against Santander for example, los Verdiblancos completely dominated away from home but couldn’t find the back of Toño’s net. They controlled the game in terms of possession and shots on goal but, as the old cliché goes, were to be punished for not taking their chances. The luck was to be with Racing when they were awarded a penalty during the second half, after a reckless challenge by José Isidoro. Christain Stuani converted the resulting spot kick, and Betis went home empty handed. Again.

This week rallying calls from within the Benito Villamarín by Mel and some players defiantly pointed to the misfortune the club has suffered results wise. In a press conference on Wednesday novelist Mel admitted to some of the team’s failings in the last half a dozen games, but overall highlighted it’s miserable luck, “We didn’t play well in the Bernabéu, in the first half against Getafe or against Espanyol, but we did in Santander, in the second half against Getafe and against Rayo and Levante. In the last six games we haven’t been inferior to anyone”.

This Saturday Betis takes on Málaga at home, hoping to finally end this rotten vein of form. It won’t be easy as Pelligrini’s side is itself just coming out of its own slump and will be eager to keep the momentum going, having beaten Espanyol last week.

Here’s hoping Mel can turn the page on this dreadful chapter in Betis’ season.