Álvaro Valles fuels Betis’ best start under Pellegrini

Real Betis, coached by Manuel Pellegrini, are off to their best start in seven matchdays: 16 points from 21 in LaLiga and a run that has already tied the club’s historic benchmark in a three-points-for-a-win era, as reported by MARCA.

The goalkeeper’s impact

The standout is Álvaro Valles (Betis). He has four clean sheets in seven league games, is the goalkeeper with the most saves across Europe’s five top leagues, and has been especially effective against shots from inside the box. He also saved a penalty from Mbappé, delivering a crucial three points.

The main blot is their trip to Ciudad de Valencia: after drawing 2-2, Betis were beaten 5-2.

Scoring plenty, defending less

On offense, Betis have fired 122 shots in seven games, third in LaLiga for total production behind Barcelona and Real Madrid. What they still need is more accuracy in front of goal. Defensively, they must improve on defending set pieces like corners and side free-kicks, where several of their conceded goals have come from.