The return of Germán Pezzella to Betis after his departure four years ago to Fiorentina it could be said that it produced more surprise than illusion. However, the numbers indicate that the Argentine central defender has played more minutes this year than the previous four in Italy, this season, since his arrival in Europe, being the second of his career in which he has been on the pitch the most.
Pezzella has played 3,155 minutes in 35 games this season. Not all of them went with the Betis shirt, since the central defender returned to Benito Villamarín after he had already played a full match with Fiorentina. In his four years in Florence, he twice fell below 3,000 minutes and twice, he exceeded them, but he never reached this year’s figures.
To find a season with more minutes for Pezzella in Europe, you have to go back to 2016/17, his last year as a Betis player before his return. At that time Pezzella played one game more than this season and reached 3,193 minutes, only 38 more than now.
After joining Pellegrini’s rotations and missing several games due to injury, Pezzella finished the season as Betis’ starting central defender alongside Bartra. He was a starter in the final of the Copa del Rey that the club raised and also in ten of the last eleven days of the League.