For Carlo Ancelotti, it was vital to win at Benito Villamarín. The three points meant an important boost of morale, as much as arriving at the European classic with a goal advantage.
But the white victory didn't come, and Real Madrid lost the top of LaLiga, leaving a very poor impression with their play and the attitude of their players.
Ancelotti spoke of "attitude and commitment" to the media, in a refined manner. He was harsher with the players in the locker room.
"This Match Must Be a Lesson"
The newspaper As reveals the account of the Italian coach: "All teams run, and we haven't known how to do it. This match must serve to wake us up. It's a lesson..." for the Champions League on Tuesday.
Ancelotti was fired up at the end of the match. More than on other occasions in similar situations. He had the data in hand provided by his son Davide.
Courtois saw how he was shot at 18 times. No one had ever shot at Real Madrid so much in LaLiga before.
All this happened without the pressure from Valverde and Bellingham up front. Betis arrived very freely and without marking. And the white team has 8 defeats in 44 matches, a figure that contrasts with the season: 2 defeats in 55 matches throughout the year.
Barça Pulls Away
Meanwhile, the direct consequence is that Barça pulls away in the standings by three points after cutting 10 points in the last 5 matches. The balance is produced by the defeats against Espanyol and Betis and the draws against Atlético de Madrid and Osasuna.
Ancelotti is aware that Real Madrid is playing for the season in the coming weeks. That's why he has been especially tough and demanding. The team can't fall apart at this moment of maximum demand in Spain and Europe.
The scolding was especially harsh for the four forwards, whom Ancelotti censured for their performance and attitude.
And he did it with data in hand. Among the four (Vinícius, Mbappé, Brahim, and Rodrygo), the sum meant the loss of 23% of the crosses they attempted.
Mbappé: 17 successes out of 25 attempts, Vinícius 22 out of 32, Brahim, 19 out of 24, and Rodrygo 35 out of 41.
No Shots, No Dribbles, No Recoveries
They were also uninspired in dribbling, as pointed out by the newspaper Sport. Vinícius missed 4 of his 11 dribble attempts, Rodrygo 4 of 8, Mbappé 3 of 6, and Brahim 0 of 0. Especially striking is the Moroccan's data, who started as a starter.
Mbappé and Rodrygo didn't manage to shoot on target.Vinícius shot once and Brahim another, which ended in the only Madrid goal. That is, only 2 shots in the entire match.
And helping at the back in solidarity missions, zero. Among Mbappé, Vinícius, Brahim, and Rodrygo, they were only able to recover one ball. The latter did it.
Ancelotti was angry and had his reasons. There are matches where the stars must roll up their sleeves. And against Betis, they didn't do it.