Following an injury-interrupted start to his first season back in Spanish football, former Leeds United midfielder Marc Roca needed a night like this.
Because to say things hadn’t really worked out for him in the green and white stripes of Real Betis would be an understatement in line with saying something like; ‘Huh, that Dan James is pretty nippy isn’t he?’.
Marc Roca missed three months of La Liga action due to a long-standing ankle injury from October to Jauary. Upon his return to the starting XI, the one-time Bayern Munich midfielder was hauled off at half-time following an underwhelming display against Real Mallorca.
And even on one of his better days – Roca provided a first assist in Betis colours last weekend – Manuel Pellegrini’s talented but underachieving side still managed to throw away a 2-0 lead while losing at Celta Vigo.
After suffering relegation with Leeds United during his one and only season as an Elland Road regular, Real Betis are now glancing nervously over the shoulder at the drop zone themselves. The gap between Los Verdiblancos and 18th-place Valencia stands at just seven points.
So a return to European commitments provided a welcome escape from that harsh domestic reality.
And following a commanding 3-0 win away at KAA Gent in the first-leg of their Europa Conference League play-off, Pellegrini and co will be praying that this can be a turning point in a hugely disappointing campaign.
Both for Real Betis as a whole, and their £4 million summer signing from West Yorkshire.
Marc Roca’s best game yet since leaving Leeds United for Real Betis
Playing over 80 minutes for the first time since September, this was arguably Roca’s most influential performance yet. While overshadowed by another who struggled in the North of England – Manchester United misfit Antony curled home a trademark opener in Belgium – Roca won the most tackles of any Betis player while providing the platform for the more attack-minded Giovanni Lo Celso to pull the strings in the final third.
A tireless, tenacious display which, as Spanish publication El Mira put it, belies the fact that this is a player only recently back from months on the sidelines.
“[Marc Roca] continues to perform above expectations after returning from injury,” they write after Betis moved to within touching distance of the Conference League last-16. “He was important in supporting Lo Celso and keeping the team from breaking up.
“He acted as a link between defence and attack, preventing Betis from losing control in the middle. Good performance from the Catalan.”
Roca key to unlocking Isco and Giovanni Lo Celso partnership
Ex-Tottenham playmaker Lo Celso was fielded in a deeper role alongside Roca, with Isco, Abde Ezzalzouli and Antony lining up behind lone striker Cedric Bakambu.
That Lo Celso was still able to exert his usual influence from a creative standpoint owed much to the aggression and security Roca provided at his side.
Pellegrini insisted after the game that ‘two good players will always be able to play together’. But, until the introduction of Roca, the idea of a free-flowing Isco – Lo Celso partnership felt easier said than done.
“I feel better. I feel good,” Roca said in the pre-match build-up, keen to put that injury absence behind him and make up for lost time. “The manager has already given me minutes and I feel ready for 90 minutes and whatever the manager needs. I want to help the team.
“I can play as a solo pivot and in the double. Whatever the manager asks of me, I will do it to the best of my ability and I will contribute everything I have.
“We are demanding of ourselves because it is true that there is a lot to improve.”
A thumping 3-0 win away from home in Europe might not be the tonic for all that ails Real Betis, but it at least provides a spoonful of sugar as Pellegrini searches for the medicine his team needs.
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