Merit point (1-1) the one who has reaped the Real Betis in San Mamés, where he faced a clash in which Athletic besieged the Betic area for several moments. However, those of Manuel Pellegrini They managed to get a draw on this twelfth matchday of LaLiga, despite the fact that the local team was more deserving of it, as the Verdiblanco coach himself recognized. «We had a first half where Athletic was much superior and they had many scoring opportunities. We didn’t find the ball nor did we have the chance to hurt them on defense. Without looking for reasons, but I always say that Thursday games take their toll. We came from playing the Copa del Rey, we arrived on Friday at three in the morning and we only had one day to prepare for the game and come here, against an Athletic team that had had all week to prepare for this game. Without a doubt, the physical intensity was different. In the second half we fixed it, we improved a lot and we took the lead on the scoreboard. We had some more scoring chances, they also had goals. It has been a game that I have had to see on the other side many timesespecially this season in the first games, in which we had countless chances and, in the end, we lost or tied. So it’s a very valuable point for getting it against a great team. It is a stadium that will always be very difficult,” the coach initially commented from the San Mamés press room.
Asked about Athletic’s performance, Pellegrini commented that “like all teams, they have better and worse moments. It’s not my turn to analyze what Athletic does. It has always been a very difficult team, which has unbalanced players. Furthermore, this has always been a complicated place, due to all the support they have. Last year it was our turn, winning 0-2, they turned the game around. I think that, as I say, today too They had a very considerable advantage in terms of preparation for the match.. I’m very happy that the team was able to at least equalize it a little in the second half.”
The coach also referred to the terrible events that are happening in the Valencian Community due to DANA, which made Fornals get emotional when celebrating his goal and dedicating it to his land: «We are all very affected by what is happening. They are unfortunate and sad images of people who are going through very complicated times, with a number of dead and missing people. Even more so Pablo, who is from that area and knows a lot of people. I think it is time for everyone to try to help in different ways to be able, if not to overcome the situation, at least to relieve people who are going through such bad times. Pablo, of course, is very affected, but I think we should all be, not just the people in the area«.
Likewise, with respect to Betis, which lost 4-2 at San Mamés last year, Pellegrini considered that this season’s is “a team with different characteristics. If we build a midfield with William Carvalho, Isco and Guido Rodríguez, they are players with more control of the ball. Today, in the first half, we lost a lot of balls, especially the first ten or fifteen minutes, which gave more impetus to Athletic. Today they are harder-working players, going back and forth; perhaps with less technique, but more power. Furthermore, with five or six important casualties, we try to ensure that the team can compete. In the second half we competed and we have done so throughout this League. So they are different characteristics and we have to know how to adapt them. In the second half I think we controlled a little more and had more finish.”
Finally, the Chilean coach concluded his appearance by alluding to the fact that Athletic and Betis will be two teams involved in the fight for Europe, despite the wear and tear that comes with playing during the week: «On Thursdays, much more playing away, it gives you a disadvantage in LaLiga. You have to know how to balance the three competitions with great balance.. You have to have a balanced squad, try to make rotations. I believe, and hope, that Betis is involved in that area“, as it has been all these years, with Real Sociedad, with Athletic Bilbao, with Osasuna, with Villarreal…. Fighting for those places in Europe.”
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