Days before their matchup on Saturday, Real Betis manager Manuel Pellegrini has warned his team to be cautious of Real Valladolid after their management change.
The need to secure a “three-point” haul against a team that, in spite of its low league ranking, recently hired Argentine Diego Cocca as head coach in mid-December, replacing Uruguay’s Paulo Pezzolano, was stressed by Pellegrini.
Naturally, these three factors are essential if we want to maintain our competitiveness in Europe. At a news conference on Friday, the Chilean coach stated, “We hope to close the gap on the teams above us or those with the same points, as we are five points behind Mallorca, who have a game in hand,” according to Efe.
With 25 points from the first 18 games, Pellegrini stated that “these three points from the first half of the season are vital” if they want to reach the roughly 30 points required for European qualification. The average number required in prior seasons has remained more or less constant, he reiterated, but he also pointed out that there are still 57 points to be earned.
Given that his side has been drawing in their recent league games, he reaffirmed that a victory in Valladolid would result in “very important and necessary three points.” “Regardless of their position in the table, all teams are very challenging, especially when playing at home,” he emphasized.
Regarding Portuguese goalkeeper Rui Silva’s impending transfer to Sporting Lisbon, Pellegrini stated that Silva “is not selected for this match” and described his departure as “a significant loss” in light of Silva’s “very good performances” with Betis.
“Any future developments will be discussed when the time is right. The manager, who was born in Santiago, stated, “There are other goalkeepers available and as I say for all positions, a new name doesn’t necessarily equate to an improvement.”
He explained that “the evaluation will be done internally” and that they would determine “if there is an opportunity to bring in a new player and in what position” when talking about possible reinforcements in the winter transfer market. He went on to say that he doesn’t think “this is the right moment to mention names or positions” because these are issues that are discussed internally with the sporting management.
Additionally, Pellegrini announced that three players—midfielders Marc Roca and Pablo Fornals, as well as academy graduate Pablo García—would not play against Valladolid because of injury worries or recent recoveries.
Finally, he discussed his opinions on the latest draw for his team’s matchup with Barcelona in the Copa del Rey Round of 16. He said that “one must always believe in their possibility of winning” and that they had just defeated the blaugrana in “a very strong match.”
“We must confront them now. Since they have to travel and might be exhausted for Sunday’s Supercopa in Arabia, we would have preferred to host them rather than send them on the trip. “They will undoubtedly see a Betis team that will be seeking the victory to try and qualify for the next round,” he said, adding that the result might go either way.
