Betis hit its best start in almost a decade

The almost simultaneous victory of Granada against Alavés, one more goal for the Nasrids in the locker room, prevents the best Betis de Primera in 9 years from being the leader. That is the time that the Verdiblancos had without adding two victories in the first two days, also unbeaten. Pellegrini has made a practical Betis, sometimes even minimalist, which he pressed at a brilliant start and then he knew how to defend effectively and temporize with the result before an avalanche of misfortunes from Valladolid. It all started with the silly and strange penalty by Óscar Plano and continued with up to two injured, Moyano and Joaquín, during the match.

Traditional coach, one of those who make a “standing ball” the day before games, Manuel Pellegrini is also conservative when it comes to respecting the proverb: “What works is not touched.” Betis had worked in Mendizorroza, there is no more rebuttable argument than victory, and the Chilean coach decided to draw the same eleven against Valladolid. The same as Sergio, although he had not won the Real. The Catalan repeated as much as he could, except the forced change in Roberto's goal for Masip, who is in quarantine due to coronavirus.

Roberto, who received two goals in the first two shots of the rival. The first in one of those hands within the area that the VAR era has converted into a penalty. Óscar Plano, who lived another unfortunate afternoon, tried to clear and the ball hit him in the arm. Jaime Latre whistled it after being notified from the Las Rozas and Fekir room (10 '). Valladolid did not get up from the blow, quite the opposite. Betis played near the area and Carvalho, who so often is asked for more offensive contribution, hooked a volley from the edge of the area that increased the distance on the scoreboard (2-0, 18 '). It is the first goal that the Portuguese has done with Betis since he arrived in the summer of 2018.

The 2-0 spurred something on Sergio's men, but not enough. He could not keep the ball and only approached timidly, with some inside pass that Sergi Guardiola did not reach and several shots from the front that always crashed in the green-and-white defenders. Betis played without excessive depth, he did not need it. Just before the break, after a corner, a header from Guido Rodríguez came close to making it 3-0.

Sergio revolutionized his lineup desperately to introduce Kike, Hervías and Weissman. The Israeli threatened to give some light to his team with a goal that was finally annulled by a clear offside. The offensive bet seemed to have given the Blanquivoletas something more mordant for a few minutes, but since that goal was illegal, it was hardly a mirage. It cost Valladolid a world to get closer to BravoOnly the Chilean Orellana put his compatriot in trouble. It was not Fabian's day, neither as a midfielder nor on the left and it was actually Betis who threatened the most seriously against him. JOaxaca, Sanabria and Juanmi faced Roberto, sterilely redeemed in the second half. Betis will host Real Madrid next Saturday, with morale through the roof.

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Sergio: “A bad afternoon, with doubts and disorganized”

The coach of Real Valladolid, Sergio González, has described as “a bad afternoon” the one spent by his team this Sunday at Benito Villamarín, where Betis has defeated a Castilian team (2-0) “with many doubts and quite disorganized, especially at the beginning.”

“We didn't look like Real Valladolid. The first half was very poor, the good thing has happened to us now. In the second part we have been more of us. But we can't go out like this, I don't know if it was an activation problem. It should serve as an example, “Sergio added.

The Catalan coach regretted that “The play of the 1-0 -a penalty by the hands of Óscar Plano- raises doubts, but it is not the trigger for the bad game” of his players and he prefers “not to hide behind the VAR, but in his own mistakes. There are no excuses” .

Sergio insisted that his team has made “the same activation as always”, despite which it has starred in a bad start and has suffered “two muscular injuries”, which indicates that “all the footballers are very in the limit. It is necessary to correct what is done badly to have the smaller number of injuries possible”, said.