The coach of Real Betis, Manuel Pellegrini, was “very happy” to get through to the Copa del Rey final and stated that they should “celebrate this great achievement” after eliminating Rayo Vallecano (3-2, on aggregate). ) because in addition to the cup title they will also fight in the next edition of the Spanish Super Cup.
“I am very happy for today, for the fans who deserved it, and being a Cup finalist is an achievement that allows us to play the Spanish Super Cup, and of course that final that we will try to win from the first minute against Valencia , who is a great rival. We are in all the competitions and it is a great merit of the squad. Thanks to their good performance we have been able to keep the team in the three competitions”, indicated the Chilean.
“First I had the feeling of seeing a very mature team, we took the initiative from the beginning except for that great free kick that nailed it in the corner and we had four or five approaches, they took one down the line and when we conceded we didn’t despair. The team is growing and now we have to celebrate this great achievement and tomorrow we have to focus on the League because we want to continue fighting for a place in the ‘Champions’ until the end”, added Pellegrini.
Insisting on the match, the Betis coach said that “the determining factor was that they were always” “convinced” of what they were doing on the pitch. “They scored with a free kick that is very difficult to repeat, they found a goal and in those minutes they could have scored the second, but we also had the option of playing 30 more minutes here in our field, but it was not necessary”, he analyzed. .
“It makes me very happy how we played the game from the beginning to the end, Rayo never opened up and Bravo did not have any intervention during the 90 minutes. Then his goal came and we remained organized and believed that we could put together a play with precision in those eight minutes and so we did it. This is a team that is used through maturity not to play with the score in the head, “he added.
“17 years without a final? I don’t think about the years, we only think about this season, about being in three competitions, 17 years is a long time without having something for a fan as passionate and as massive as that of Betis. Now we will continue thinking about tomorrow, but the season is not over despite this achievement. Tomorrow we will get rid of this achievement because we still have 12 league games and the round of 16 in the Europa League”, he recalled.
In relation to his next commitment, against Atlético this Sunday (9:00 p.m.), Pellegrini assured that “it is very difficult, playing on Thursdays wears out a lot for the League, tomorrow is Friday and we are on top of the game, Atlético has had another way to prepare for that match. “We have to rest because the emotional wear is greater than the physical wear,” he said.
“The demand is getting greater, the higher you go, the more ambitious it becomes. Both in the club and in the fans, who are number one and we dedicate it to them. But it is clear that the more you advance, the more difficult it is”, he stressed before acknowledging that they will find “both physical and mental motivation between now and Sunday”.
About Joaquín, who started the play of the Betis goal, his coach said that “his retirement has no date, he demonstrates his physical capacity and quality at a high level”. “And if he’s fit enough, he has to prolong it as long as possible. You have to continue enjoying yourself, and especially him because of the love they have for him not only at Betis, but throughout Spain. But above all because of his quality,” he concluded.