“We have a good squad. 14 players left, some very important, and others of quality came. The season depends on their performance,” proclaimed Manuel Pellegrini yesterday, the most reliable protagonist in the history of Betis in the last four years. A period where the club has chained four consecutive qualifications to play in Europe and has won a title, the 2022 Cup. Betis has met the objectives set by the club’s leaders and Pellegrini is synonymous with reliability.
Betis opens the fifth round today against Leganés (21.00, Movistar LaLiga) with only two points, although they have played one game less. A hesitant start that, however, does not worry the club’s directors too much. The duo of Ángel Haro as president and José Miguel López Catalán as vice-president have a winning wild card on the bench. And that is despite Pellegrini having to field a squad in which there have been up to 14 absences.
Betis have lost two world champions with Argentina (Pezzella and Guido); a world champion with France (Fekir); a Eurocup winner with Spain like Ayoze; a gold medallist at the last Olympic Games in Paris like Juan Miranda and footballers of the calibre of Willian José (10 goals last season); Borja Iglesias, Rodri (outside the transfer window) and the veteran goalkeeper Claudio Bravo. In addition, Chadi, Juan Cruz and Abner have left, and Sokratis has retired.
Betis have sold for a value of 48 million euros and bought for 28. Of the eleven that will win the Cup in 2022, only Bellerín, Carvalho, Bartra and Juanmi remain (none of them are undisputed starters). Under the auspices of the new sporting management led by Manu Fajardo and with Joaquín as an advisor, Betis will try to rebuild with two young Brazilians on loan, Natan (Naples) and Vitor Roque (Barcelona). Along with them, veterans such as goalkeeper Adrián or Ricardo Rodríguez, who arrived at zero cost, while investment was made in the arrivals of Lo Celso, Diego Llorente, Perraud and the young Iker Losada, from Racing de Ferrol. A squad full of unknowns, to which was added the unfortunate loss of Isco, who had to undergo another operation. The best player of last season will not be available until 2025.
“If Pellegrini is capable of making this team compete at the level of previous years, it is worth giving them the Giralda,” say some sources at the club, aware of the challenge and also of the aura that surrounds their coach. Without Bravo, Pezzella, Álex Moreno, Guardado, Joaquín, Willian José, Luis Felipe, Canales, Tello, Fekir or Borja Iglesias, Betis is embarking on a course of obvious sporting reconversion.
For this journey, the club has undertaken a capital increase of 43 million which, together with the sales, has allowed it to have an acceptable salary limit of 108 million, improved with respect to the previous year. A Betis where Joaquín has taken an important role in the structure (thanks to him Vitor Roque arrived) and where important names have been lost. But with Pellegrini again in the dugout and a better economic situation than in previous seasons.
