Celta Vigo 0-0 Real Betis
Real Betis returned emotionally battered and bruised following their last gasp Europa League exit in Frankfurt, but will take some solace in the fact they didn’t allow matters to get worse against Celta Vigo.
For their part, the hosts showed more ambition than their rivals but in the act of finding a balance between being responsible and attacking, their approach ended up weighted towards the former.
The first half played out as a slightly less exaggerated version of the second, with Betis doing their best to keep the clamps on Celta. A midfield three of Guido Rodriguez, William Carvalho and Paul Akouokou signalled their intentions. The suspended Nabil Fekir was conspicuous by his absence as Betis missed his link to chain attacks together.
Celta created a series of half-chances in the first half, most notably through Santi Mina. That continued in the second half, but Chacho Coudet’s side had to contend with the added difficulty of Betis defending gradually deeper as time ticked on.
The clearest chance of the match fell to Celta captain Hugo Mallo at the far post, who was unable to turn it home. That was the biggest oversight made by the Betis defence and the game eventually ground to a halt.
Manuel Pellegrini clearly wanted the point in this match and did manage to get, yet neither did you get the impression that Betis would be going home feeling happy.
Chacho Coudet will be feeling his Celta side competed well but still fell short of their potential. The fans probably left this match hungry, feeling they had room for more.
Betis needs a big upgrade in the back four. Find players who have the skill set to bring the ball up the field from the back instead of always just kicking to the other team.