The Ready-Made Aïssa Mandi Replacement That Real Betis Should Be Pursuing
Despite the extraordinary job Manuel Pellegrini has done this year to turn Real Betis into a European contender in LaLiga, it’s unlikely that the Chilean will be granted any semblance of a “war chest” to reinforce his squad in the summer.
Multiple key departures are expected, most notably that of star right-back Emerson and first-choice centre-back Aïssa Mandi, Sporting Director Antonio Cordón will likely look to the free-agent market once again in search of bargain deals to fill out his squad.
But Betis won’t have to look too far to find a suitable replacement for Mandi. The Algerian’s likely departure leaves a large gap in the heart of Pellegrini’s much-improved back line but that’s a gap that could, and should be, filled by Vélez Sarsfield’s Peruvian international Luis Abram, whose contract with the Argentine Primera outfit is due to expire in the summer. It also helps that Abram holds an Italian passport to ease the transfer and visa process should Betis decide to move for him.
Managed by former Barcelona and Valencia defender Mauricio Pellegrino, winner of 4 LaLiga titles during his time in Spain, Abram boasts a similar skill profile to that of Mandi and would fill an area of real need for Betis.
The Peruvian is a left-footed centre-back most comfortable playing on the left-side of a two-man partnership, both for club and country, so his suitability alongside Marc Bartra is another step in the right direction.
Abram is smart in his positioning. He likes to maintain constant pressure on the opposition attack and minimise the risk of them taking possession and catching him on the turn. He’s quite comfortable in wider areas of the pitch as well. His subtle pace and agility off the ball allow him to effectively stick with the attacking players, even when he is pulled out of his central position and his ability to adjust his body when vying for possession means he can halt the pace of a dangerous run well before it moves into a key area in front of goal.
The stat comparison between the two shows that Mandi holds a significant advantage in possession-adjusted slide tackles at 1.12 per game over Abram, but their successful slide tackle % to an almost even 52% for Mandi and 50% for Abram.
Despite his size disadvantage, Abram competes in more aerial duels per90 than Mandi but, given the stylistic differences between the incredibly technical ground-based LaLiga and the Argentinan Primera, the aerial duels won % may be a more relevant statistic. That metric is a fairly similar 62% for the Algerian and 66% for the Peruvian.
One of the biggest advantages that Abram would bring as a potential replacement for Mandi is his passing ability. Real Betis often look to play out from the back, as do his current club, and his 90% pass accuracy and ambidexterity suggest that he should be able to bring the ball up the pitch and play it out wide to one of the wing-backs or track the movement of Guido Rodríguez in the holding position to progress the ball forward through the middle.
The players occupy very similar areas on opposing sides of the pitch. Mandi, given Betis’ defensive frailties last season, naturally spent a lot more time inside his own box but when in possession had the license to roam under Rubi. Abram once again possesses a comparable freedom to move higher up the pitch given Vélez’s focus on utilising the defenders to start the attack from deep.
One area that would be an adjustment for Luis Abram coming into this Betis team is the defensive schemes used by Manuel Pellegrini.
Betis, following an unorganised and mistake-ridden first half of the season, now hunt in a collective pack. The back-line has been readjusted and the inclusion of Juan Miranda means the centre-backs are often less exposed and susceptible to one on one scenarios.
Vélez play a more individual man-to-man defending style, which relies on Abram and his centre back partner maintaining close proximity to the opposition attackers to suffocate the space and reduce the amount of time they have to make a pass.
The loss of Aïssa Mandi is sure to hit Betis hard in the summer. The Algerian hasn’t completely ruled out the possibility of extending his contract, and the prospect of European football further strengthens the club’s position to negotiate, but the most likely scenario is that he pursues his dream of playing in the English Premier League by joining one of the suitors reportedly interested.
Víctor Ruiz is also set to become a free agent in the summer but the rumblings around the Benito Villamarín point to the Catalan agreeing a new 2-year contract at the end of the season.
Regardless of what happens with Betis’ current starting defensive duo in the summer, the club would be wise to plan ahead early and widening their net to foreign markets like Argentina may just allow them to sneak under the radar and discover a hidden gem or two that isn’t going to stretch an already tight financial budget.