Expert La Liga predictions from Mark Langdon: Back Betis to maintain ace form

There was a programme on Channel 4 this week called Breastfeeding My Boyfriend, which was followed by a poor bloke making a bit of a tit of himself in what has become a legendary documentary: Graham Taylor - The Impossible Job.

Some might say being the England manager is bound to be an impossible job if you pick Carlton Palmer in midfield or Gary Pallister as a third centre-back away to Norway, but by the end of the show it is impossible to have anything but empathy for the late Taylor all over again.

Vilified by the press, slaughtered by the fans, Taylor remained dignified until the bitter end of what should have been his dream job and it does make you realise that football managers are human beings first.

There are not many other industries where your job security is spoken about so openly and Manchester United's 5-0 defeat to Liverpool saw Ole Gunnar Solskjaer totally humiliated in front of the watching millions before a brutal media review of his credentials.

He doesn't look up to the task of taking United back to the top of English football and I pondered whether he would resign in the immediate aftermath to spare the club having to make the difficult decision of binning someone so revered at Old Trafford.

Instead, a reported intervention from Sir Alex Ferguson means Ole remains at the wheel, and the 79-year-old Scot showed his support for his former player and coach by turning up at the training ground on Tuesday.

I was on Talksport on Tuesday to speak about Jadon Sancho's troubles and as well as arguing that the youngster needed time to adapt I also blurted out: "He'll be better when they get a proper manager in."

That was a clumsy comment, particularly as it came 24 hours after I had watched the Taylor documentary for the 162nd time, but it also got me thinking about Ferguson's legacy. He will forever be remembered as one of the greatest managers in history but maybe that doesn't extend to a tutor of budding bosses.

Hardly any of the 30-odd United players under Ferguson who have since gone on to manage have been really successful. Perhaps Wayne Rooney could change that, or will it be left to Coventry manager Mark Robins to once again save Ferguson's bacon?

None of the others appears to have developed a defined style or philosophy, in the way that disciples of Marcelo Bielsa carry on his work, so the magic of what made Ferguson so brilliant is even more of a mystery now.

Financial Times journalist Simon Kuper reviewed Ferguson's autobiography and noted: "Perhaps managerial greatness always arises from an unrepeatable combination of person, place, moment and luck, and therefore cannot be taught by a book. Other managers can’t simply decide to be like Ferguson."

Maybe United should therefore stop trying, and instead bite the bullet and bring in Antonio Conte.

Atletico Madrid have won only one game this season by more than a goal so visiting Real Betis have a decent chance on the Asian handicap in receipt of a one-goal start on Sunday.

Betis, with two defeats all season, have let themselves down only in a 2-0 loss at Villarreal. All of their other performances, including a 1-0 reverse at Real Madrid, suggest they are playing at a level pretty similar to Atletico.

Best bet

Betis +1 Asian handicap 3.15pm Sunday
1pt 87-100 bet365

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