Antony Regains Form at Real Betis After Manchester United Struggles

Antony seems to have revitalized his confidence at Real Betis, turning the page on his challenging tenure at Manchester United to become an essential figure under Manuel Pellegrini.

A Challenging Summer for Antony

It was a rough off-season for Antony. Following a successful loan stint with Betis, he found himself training alone, part of Manchester United’s ‘bomb squad’ alongside fellow players like Alejandro Garnacho, Jadon Sancho, and Marcus Rashford.

Despite interest from various clubs across Europe and Saudi Arabia, Antony was determined to return to Betis. So, how is he performing?

Confidence Soars as Real Betis Climbs the La Liga Ranks

Real Betis has not historically been one of Spain’s dominant teams, with their sole La Liga title dating back to 1934-35 under Irish coach Patrick O’Connell. However, in the past five years, particularly under Pellegrini, Betis has consistently qualified for European competitions, even reaching the Europa Conference League final last season, where they lost 4-1 to Chelsea.

Currently, following a convincing 3-0 victory over Mallorca on November 1, Betis sits in fifth place in La Liga, just three points shy of Champions League qualification, setting their sights on competing for a spot in Europe’s premier club tournament by season’s end.

Antony has been pivotal in their strong start, scoring two goals in the Mallorca match and assisting Abdessamad Ezzalzouli for the team’s third. His resurgence in confidence is evident, as he expressed his disappointment for missing out on a hat-trick: “I’m very happy with the result, it’s very important… It’s a shame I didn’t get the third, but that’s part of the game.”

He narrowly missed that third goal when Mallorca’s goalkeeper, Lucas Bergström, made a phenomenal save. Reflecting on the opportunity, Antony noted, “The most important thing is the three points and to keep this up with confidence.”

Statistics Reflect His Improvement

After a difficult period at Manchester United, where he netted only 12 goals in 96 competitions over two and a half years, Antony has found his scoring touch at Betis, already accumulating 14 goals in just 35 appearances.

The pace and intensity of the Premier League posed challenges for Antony, who struggled against defenders despite his skills. At Betis, however, he’s a transformed player, demonstrating greater effectiveness in attacking situations with 13 chances created in seven La Liga games, seven successful crosses, and 28 touches in the opposition area.

Antony stands out as Betis’ leading attacker with four goals, averaging 3.8 shots per 90 minutes and boasting an expected assist (xA) per 90 of 0.23. Simply put, he is both creating scoring opportunities and finishing them.

Criticism regarding his defensive contributions during his Premier League days has dissipated, as Pellegrini has him pressing and working relentlessly. Antony has won the ball in the final third six times, racked up 37 recoveries, and made five interceptions. He has also engaged in ten tackles, winning 33 duels effectively.

Conclusion

It was evident that Antony had the potential to succeed, and his failure to display it during his time at Manchester United is unfortunate. His performance at Betis thus far illustrates that a supportive environment was all he needed to flourish.