The Swiss defender Ricardo Rodriguez He grabbed many headlines against Sant Andreu due to the striking bet that Pellegrini made in that second round of the Copa del Rey in Barcelona. The Chilean coach wanted to apply the condition in the middle in which the full-back usually plays in the Swiss national team, always in a further back position as a central defender, and put Ricardo in the center of the field who did not have his best day like other teammates against the Second Federation team, paying dearly for that performance despite the fact that the classification later got back on track.
Pellegrini did not hesitate for a moment when stating that he would start Ricardo again if necessary, as he stated in the previous press conference against Barcelona: «It was an easy decision to make in that game.. There was no other. Altimira had a contracture. Mateo is more of a back and forth medium. We played with two midfielders like Losada and Lo Celso, they are more forwards than markers. We reinforced the defense and tested Ricardo who had played there. I wanted to see him there. Then you analyze with them. And one sees a theoretical match. It’s as easy as seeing variants. If I had to do it again I would do it. Nobody was there. Sergi has had a lot of minutes for a season and was not in condition. The individual analysis? Then I talk to them,” he explained.
Questioned by Iker LosadaPellegrini stated that “it is settling into a higher category; Altimira had to do it too. Advance it as much as possible in the future. Let him contribute during the year and he will improve his level, demonstrating why he is there. He already recovered. Now to determine the eleven. We are going to play nine games in 27 days. High load, each game is important points and we will determine it tomorrow,” he continued, also mentioning other names such as Bartra and Abde: “Regardless of who plays, we will be motivated to win,” he pointed out.
Pellegrini also wanted to talk about penalty missed by Vitor Roque in Sant Andreu: «These are circumstances that happen in matches. To get a penalty you have to kick it. He took responsibility. I see him wanting to show what he is capable of giving, young man, and he will make mistakes and successes, hopefully the fact of playing against Barcelona will be an additional motivation but it is important that he is comfortable and feels that he is a contribution to the team.” , he emphasized. Finally, in reference to Jesus RodriguezPellegrini did not want to personalize with the Alcala native: «Not only Jesus, but all the players depend on performance. We are lucky to be in all three competitions. It’s what we all want, to play in Europe and continue in the Cup. In that number of games everyone has a chance. Jesús has played two good games. Maybe he felt the rhythm of a different division but he is young and we will see how he goes in the next games,” he detailed.
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