Pellegrini: Anthony’s importance last season was one of the reasons why we insisted on returning him to the lineup

In this round of the Europa League, Betis will challenge Genk away from home. Before the game, Betis coach Pellegrini attended the press conference.

On maintaining the same momentum:

"It will be important to go into the game tomorrow with the confidence that results bring, but also with the belief that every game is different and if we want to get a positive result away from home, we have to do the same things as in the last few games and against a team that plays very well. Excellent team. We will show the aggression we need from the first minute and have the ambition to get another three points and get closer to our promotion goal. "

On what has changed since our last visit to Belgium:

"That's the way it is in football. If you think you will continue to lose, you cannot think that you will continue to win just because you won. There is a special preparation for each game and there is always a personal requirement to do your best, including the quality of the lineup, the status of the players and so on. Results vary in football due to many circumstances, which is why it is such a popular activity. Today we are in a good moment and I hope tomorrow we understand from the first minute that we have to fight for three more points as if we were playing the first game of the season. It was more difficult to qualify for that section last year, but we achieved our goal. "

Is Betis in an unknown moment?

"I don't know if I agree with what you said, what is happening now at Betis is the same as it has been for the past five seasons: we have won the Copa del Rey once, we have always played in Europe, last season we were in the UEFA Europa League final, we were fifth, as we are now. The team has acquired maturity and stability based on the demands and ambitions of the squad, based on always wanting to take another step, the desire to achieve more than what we have already had. I I think that in the previous seasons, we qualified for the European Cup and played an important role in the UEFA Champions League and the Europa League. Fortunately, the lineup is now very balanced and tacit. Not only the eleven starting players, but also all the players who make up the lineup are demanding themselves and strive to take another step forward. "

Regarding the requirements for away games in the European War:

"Like all European competitions, we are looking forward to a very special game. A difficult game, against an opponent who is better at creating than destroying, we have to maintain good intensity, try to keep the ball and be able to develop our football. You have to go in with the demands of playing on the road against a good team and with the style of play we have developed in the last few games we will have a better chance of winning. As things change, the results will become more difficult, but I hope that the eleven that plays tomorrow, which happens to be one of the important things this year, has a stable squad that allows us to rotate the team regardless of fatigue and the gap to the next game, we need a team that is at the same level as the previous games. "

On striving to enter the top eight:

"I am not thinking about the play-offs. The goal in my mind, like previous seasons, is to qualify. If it's the top eight, that's even better; if it's 24th, we There will be one more round of home and away games. If we remain in the league competition, we cannot ignore the league. This is the same path as previous years, and hopefully we can advance through points as early as possible, and the higher the ranking, the better, but the priority is the league, because points there cannot be redeemed, while points in Europe can. European competition allows us to rotate, but only if our squad remains at a high level. "

About Anthony:

"Anthony arrived last year and brought important changes to the team's operations. Alone he cannot do everything he does on the court. He is surrounded by players who allow him to perform, players who provide assists, and teammates who support him. His importance last season is one of the reasons why we insist on returning him to the lineup. The relationship between his goals and whether he starts is not important. He did not start the last Europa League game. He is a player who has lacked games before, and this is for What we gave him was more playing time, he didn't play from May to September and that's why he played more. It’s not just individual performance but also the collective functioning that supports those individual abilities that can make a difference. "

On Betis's excellent performance last time they visited Belgium:

"I think all games are different and you can't think about what we did in Belgium last year. We can't live by that outcome, and if we think that way, we're going to have a really hard time. We were facing a very technically gifted team, with a quality midfield, dangerous and fast forwards, and we knew full well that we had to be at our best if we were to get any points to come close to qualifying. We don't think about what happened last year and how it might have been a weak opponent, we think about maintaining individual and collective performances with the intensity, quality and mentality we strive to instill. "