Leeds United loanee Marc Roca has been criticised for his performance in Real Betis’ 1-0 defeat at Sparta Prague.
Betis missed the chance to secure their qualification for the knockout stages on Thursday night, with Roca again being played at centre-back, as he has done throughout their European campaign.
Roca has won praise for his performances for Betis this season, including at centre-back, but according to player ratings from Estadio Deportivo, he had a tough evening in Prague.
The 26-year-old is likely to be joining Betis on a permanent deal either in January or next summer, with his performances having put him on the verge of the Spain squad.
However, while he has managed to get by at centre-back in a couple of matches, yesterday’s game sounded like a much tougher one for Roca.
Roca centre-back experiment a strange one
Roca was handed a rating of 4/10 for his performance against Sparta after he made several mistakes defensively, while also struggling on the ball.
“Roca – 4. He has settled in Europe as a left-handed centre and threw in anticipation, but he made several mistakes, especially one that allowed Laçi to serve a ball that Zeleny almost turns into the second. He tried to pull forward without much success.”
The experiment of Roca at centre-back really is a strange one as there was no evidence during his time at Leeds to suggest he could ever play there.
Despite the defeat, it is looking likely that Betis will qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League, with Glen Kamara’s former Rangers side to come at home in their final group game.
Hopefully Roca’s performance last night does not deter Betis from signing him permanently, with the Spanish side also said to be keen on Junior Firpo.
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