UEFA Conference League Tactical Analysis: How Real Betis beat Fiorentina
Friday, May 2, 2025
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UEFA Technical Observer Dušan Fitzel highlights the importance of Fiorentina's 3-5-2 shape and Real Betis' reaction to it – using depth and transitions – to propel the Spanish side to a 2-1 first-leg win in their UEFA Conference League semi-final.
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Betis have a narrow advantage ahead of the UEFA Conference League semi-final second leg in Italy, with Abdessamad Ezzalzouli and Antony scoring their goals against Fiorentina, who replied though Luca Ranieri.
"We created quite a lot of chances against a team who defend well and we gave away very few opportunities to a team who attack a lot," said a satisfied Betis head coach in Manuel Pellegrini after the match.
In this article, UEFA Technical Observer Dušan Fitzel – working together with UEFA's analysis unit – examines Fiorentina's use of wing-backs, Betis using depth to penetrate their visitors' defensive line, and their transitional moments to create chances.
How Fiorentina unlocked their wing-backs
Fiorentina may have fallen behind in the sixth minute, but head coach Raffaele Palladino refused to deviate from his 3-5-2 system – and as the game wore on it was plain to see why.
"Fiorentina had two strikers with the support of two midfielders – Nicolò Fagioli and Rolando Mandragora," Fitsel explained, further unpacking the Viola's line-up. "Betis' defence had to stay narrow because of these two midfielders, which gave Fiorentina's wing-backs more space… and they were very mobile with good timing."
The first video illustrates this point. Minutes after Robin Gosens had headed a gilt-edged chance narrowly wide following a cross from the left, the danger came from the opposite flank, with Fabiano Parisi's cross for Yacine Adli ultimately being cleared by the Betis defence.
"With almost every action, Fiorentina were ready to play the final pass from the wing," said Fitsel. "They repeatedly used the opposite free side. The wing-backs were important, using the advantage of the 3-5-2 shape with great wing play and using many players in central areas to create overloads."
As well as Gosens' header wide, there was a switch of play at the end of the first half which Betis goalkeeper Fran Vieites had to be on his toes to collect, and Fiorentina's goal in the 73rd minute came from another switch of play – this time for Gosens, who controlled well and cut back for Ranieri to convert, keeping the tie alive.
"The two midfielders (Fagioli and Mandragora) playing on the shoulders of the Betis midfielders forced the full-backs to stay narrow and not move to the wing," said Fitsel. "Fiorentina's wing-backs were free most of the time."
Betis penetrating through direct play
Betis had of course taken the lead early on where space behind Fiorentina's wing-backs, and indeed their whole midfield, had been capitalised upon. Cédric Bakambu latched on to a long ball down the flank from Aitor Ruibal, held off Pietro Comuzzo and squared to Ezzalzouli, the Moroccan's effort going in off the bar.
This is illustrated clearly in the video. Betis' key tactic was to drop their midfielders towards the ball, which then left space in behind Fiorentina to penetrate. In the first half they had significant success with this before moving, as we will see, to more transitional moments in the second.
"It was a great counterattack," Fitsel said of Ezzalzouli's opener. "Penetrating balls for players with good movement was their main tactic (in the first half). Betis caused a few problems for Fiorentina with the ball over the back line, creating chances in behind their defence."
Fitsel also picked out long-time Real Madrid star Isco, now captain of Betis, as key to this tactic.
"You can see the quality he has, also from dead-ball situations," he said. "Isco is a key player, even if he is not running so much." Ultimately, his distribution for others to run on to was more important.
Betis targeting transitional moments
As well as Isco's technical ability, the introduction of Giovani Lo Celso for Ezzalzouli on 63 minutes helped Betis wrest more ball possession and control of the game from Fiorentina, who had boasted more than 50 per cent of the former by the hour mark.
Lo Celso won back possession for the second Betis goal on 64 minutes, moments after coming on, drove forward and then spread the play to Antony, who thundered his effort home from the edge of the box on his weaker right foot, after the initial effort on his left had been blocked. The transition leading to the goal is clear to see from the video, which also shows another chance that Pablo Fornals fired straight at David de Gea in the Fiorentina goal.
"These were two really clear examples of Betis' ability on the ball, movement off the ball and desire to break into the box and score" said Fitsel. "There was transition on both sides, from attack to defence, and vice versa, it was perfect. They could use any possible situation (to their advantage).
"I expected more of a possession game from them but they preferred playing on transition with penetrating passes in behind the defensive line."
Coaching discussion
"They are very important," Fiorentina head coach Palladino said of his wing-backs Gosens and Parisi. "They are the ones who in the phase of play give us success from the outside coming in. They help us attack the area – as with the goal we scored when we got in behind with Gosens."
"The transitions today were very important," concluded his opposite number Manuel Pellegrini. "There were one or two moves – one which led to a Pablo Fornals shot which unfortunately went into the hands of the goalkeeper – and the movement, the transitions and technique, they were all done very quickly. We created quite a lot of chances against a team who defend well and we gave away very few opportunities to a team who attack a lot."
From Fitsel's perspective, the standout tactical components of this game were dependent on "training with the ball and in-game situations". And for the transitions that ultimately decided the game, he said: "Creating space is about rotation and perfect movement in proper timing. This is very high quality which requires a lot of skill."
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