La Liga 2020/21: Alavés vs Real Betis

Among the new managerial appointments in La Liga this season were Pablo Machín and Manuel Pellegrini, who joined Alavés and Real Betis respectively. They clashed on the opening day but it was the visiting coach, Pellegrini, who would come out on top in a hardfought tie which looked set to finish goalless for much of the tie until Cristian Tello converted deep into injury time.

The former Barcelona man scored from the edge of the box after a quick corner caught out Alavés, who defended well throughout and actually had greater xG, 1.15 compared to 0.92. However, it was Real Betis, who twice hit the woodwork before scoring, who would take home the three points.

This tactical analysis will provide an in-depth analysis of the tactics of both teams in this La Liga clash. Without Real Madrid or Barcelona in action, this clash of two newly-appointed coaches provided an intriguing opportunity to consider the tactics of two sides bound to have plenty to say in the outcome of La Liga this season.

Line-ups

Alavés coach Machín stuck to his system of three central defenders. The only real changes from last season were the inclusion of debutant Rodrigo Battaglia in holding midfield and the return of Tomás Pina after injury.

Manuel Pellegrini took a similar approach, with the only change of personnel coming in the form of Claudio Bravo making his Betis debut in goal. Intriguingly, Joaquín was selected for the central attacking midfield role in a 4-2-3-1 shape.