Phillip Cocu among the favourites to take over as Real Betis coach
The Dutchman heads the shortlist of candidates at the Villamarin
Quique Setien left his role as Real Betis coach after the weekend's win over Real Madrid and the club want to appoint a replacement as soon as possible. Many names have been linked with the job and the majority have something in common: a Barcelona past.
Among the names mentioned are Abelardo, Lopetegui and Cocu. All three, as well as playing for Barcelona during their careers, are all out of work, so would be easy to appoint. Of the three, Lopetegui's the least likely to get the job due to his financial demands. Abelardo has not been ruled out but is not the favourite among those tasked with hiring at the club.
The favourite is the third name in question: Phillip Cocu. The Dutch coach is liked by the club. Despite struggling at Fenerbahçe, they appreciate his work at PSV, who he helped win three leagues over Ajax in Holland.
Cocu's valued because his teams play with the famous Barça DNA, but they are also balanced and compacy, which Barça feel has been lacking over the last 12 months. His teams have played good football but have also excelled in defence. That's not been the case for Betis: the 52 goals concedeed was more than 14 other teams in La Liga last season despite the fact they finished 10th.
Betis also like that Cocu has knowledge of Spain and La Liga. He spent six yeears with Barça, played more than 200 games and speaks Spanish. We will have to see what happens in the coming days, but Cocu's in the running.
