Manuel Pellegrini, coach of Real Betis, evaluated the green and white victory in Chisinau against Petrocub. «The most important thing was the three points. The team had the maturity throughout the game not to be surprised on any counterattacks and to keep a clean sheet, something we had not achieved for several games. That was important. In the second half we had a greater offensive volume and in the first half it cost us a lot. “With 0-1, unconsciously, you tend to defend but with the exception of the disallowed goal, we defended well.”
«Winning 0-1 we had a couple of chances to close. We didn’t do it and the last minutes are always more tense and you tend to take refuge. I highlight the zero goal. They scored balls, but had no opportunities to convert except for that offside goal. Defensively we were attentive to maintain the score, which had to be achieved,” stated the Chilean coach.
Now it remains for Betis to complete the classification against HJK Helsinki next week at home: «We have three more points and we will see how we are when the whole day is over. The ideal would be to finish between 9th and 16th, to have the return home, because by the eighth I think it won’t happen. The important thing is to qualify, look for the three points at home with HJK and stay current, which is very difficult with seven or eight fewer players because Thursdays take their toll before Sunday and we have to rotate so that the squad feels important and we continue current in the three competitions.
Before taking stock of Europe, Pellegrini pointed out that “first we have to qualify. I always said, from the beginning, that the first objective was to qualify. At the media level, we were almost champions before playing it, but being in three competitions with eight or nine fewer players is very difficult and the fact of being current in the two shortest ones is an important achievement. I am not satisfied with the game or the result of the previous rounds, but it is not easy. For the press, we were absolute favorites and it is difficult when you play Thursday and Sunday, you have to rotate and there are injuries. With the classification, for me it is widely approved without being happy with the game of this competition. In LaLiga, everything is even and good games have been played.
Regarding the bad first half, Pellegrini saw it like this: «We went out to press high, we played the entire game in the opposite field, although within that there was little creation because we have five creative midfielders injured. And we have to play more direct football, but in the second half we maintained the intensity and improved in the number of chances and finishes.” And he clarified that Jesús Rodríguez’s change to rest was because “he suffered a blow to the eye at the beginning, it bothered him, it swelled and we thought it was better to take it out.”
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