The calendar that Real Betis had upon returning from the league break due to the commitments of the national teams last October raised many doubts among the fans. Due to the results that the Betic team achieved in the two previous games, the defeats with a bad image both in Warsaw in the debut in the league phase of the Conference League and in the derby against Sevilla in Nervión. And also because Giovani Lo Celso returned injured from that break. The Argentine, with five goals in his first six games of this his second stage as a green and white player, had established himself as the lighthouse and guide of the Heliopolitan squad, given that all the attacking football passed through his boots, beyond the goals achieved that meant points for the classification. Knowing the exact extent of the moderate-grade myotendinous injury in the rectus femoris of his right thigh that he suffered in training during the training camp with Argentina and that no longer allowed him to play in Argentina – Bolivia was a real bucket of cold water. The series of games was getting steeper for Betis, which came with a significant points deficit if one takes into account that the objective is once again to qualify for Europe for next season via LaLiga. Osasuna and Athletic Club far from Heliópolis and Atlético de Madrid and Celta in Villamarín were synonymous with complications, even more so with the already known long-term absences of Isco and William Carvalho and the lesser ones of Marc Roca – although the Catalan midfielder has already missed quite a few games -, Bellerín, who has already returned to be at Pellegrini’s disposal and played the first half against the Basque team, and now the last one for Aitor Ruibal. Well, nothing could be further from the truth. When the situation became most complicated in this stretch of matches, it was when Manuel Pellegrini and the group of healthy players that the Chilean coach has, have responded more and better so far this season on the different playing fields in those in which the green and white team has appeared. The seven out of nine achieved against Osasuna (which is now fifth with 21 points, two more than Betis), Atlético de Madrid (third, with 24 points) and Athletic (which is sixth with the same points as Betis, 19), makes the Heliopolitan team continue in the league fight for European positions. Without going any further, given that the Villarreal match was postponed by DANA in the Valencian Community, which at the moment seems to be the strongest team to compete for the fourth place that grants a Champions League position for next season, in the last match against to Ernesto Valverde’s team, between Fornals’ goal (minute 52) and Berenguer’s goal (minute 68), that is, for 16 minutes, Betis was momentarily fourth in LaLiga. And it is that, under the premise that the The Betic team never falls and always competes hand in hand with Pellegrini. The Santiago coach has managed to rebuild his team, despite the significant losses it has, and has managed to consolidate a game idea that is offering an improvement in the individual and collective performances of the group that have led to adding that seven out of nine so necessary in LaLiga. Also, some players have taken that step forward that was demanded. Rui Silva, the central couple formed by Diego Llorente (the best signing so far, apart from Lo Celso, of the season) and Bartra, Johnny Cardoso, Fornals and even Assane, who little by little is showing new green shoots in his performance They are giving Betis another way of facing the games, closer to victories and losing as few points as possible. Pellegrini’s variants This must be combined with the coup d’état that the coach has given in recent weeks. It started in El Sadar. Against Osasuna and with the loss of his most creative and most successful goal-scoring player in the days before the break, Pellegrini came out with two players in the attack, Vitor Roque and Bakambu, who were precisely the team’s first ‘defenders’ . Both followed the coach’s plan, with a lot of high pressure and also mobility so that the second line players, either Aitor or Fornals himself and also Abde, in addition to the pair of midfielders, also had a lot of prominence in the danger zones facing to the opposite frame. Exactly the same thing happened against Atlético de Madrid, this time with Chimy Ávila as Vitor Roque’s companion. The Betic coach completely dismantled Simeone’s plan, Cardoso, with the help of Altimira, literally ‘ate’ the red and white midfield formed by Koke, De Paul and Gallagher and had to win the game by more goals than the meager 1-0 final due to the clear chances that the Betic team had, especially in the first half. And in Bilbao, Pellegrini’s idea also went well. The Betics suffered during the first half. Athletic’s offensive flow, with the Williams brothers, especially Iñaki, giving the Green and White full-backs, mainly Bellerín, nightmares, was not reflected on the scoreboard. The great game by Bartra, Llorente and Rui Silva and the luck in the form of balls hitting the posts that on this occasion smiled at Betis, meant that the match was tied at zero at half-time. Then the Chilean appeared. Triple change at half-time and a better face for the team. Furthermore, two of those players who started the second half, Sabaly and Assane, were protagonists in the play that scored Fornals’ goal. The new plan is clear. Lo Celso has improved greatly from his injury and if he does not return to have some minutes against Celta he will already do so against Valencia on November 23. There we will have to see Pellegrini and the team again.
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