Joaquín’s last impulse

Joaquín wants more in this final stretch of the season at the gates of a withdrawal that he has already left on the table on several occasions. The man from Porto faces this key moment of the course with Betis with the desire to have a place in Manuel Pellegrini’s scheme. He puts everything on his side in each training session and is one more for his coach after not playing since mid-December. The winger has played 656 minutes so far this season, although almost all of his prominence was reflected in the Europa League, with six starts and with a view to also being important in next February’s match against Zenit Saint Petersburg.

The Verdiblanco captain hinted that this is his last season as a footballer given the increasing difficulty of finding playing time and intends to help his team as much as possible, both on the pitch and from outside, in this second stretch of the season. There are a handful of illusions on the table, such as next Thursday’s Copa del Rey tie or that European tie that can lead the Verdiblanco team to take another step in their intention to make a qualitative leap at a sporting level. And Joaquín hopes to be a relevant letter in that rotation plan that Pellegrini executed throughout the entire campaign.

Joaquín waits for his moment knowing that the great moment of some of his competitors slows his chance of entering the starting eleven. He is also aware that his ballots will multiply when Europe returns to the scene and the duels demand more from the Verdiblanco squad. In this context, he has responded so far to give air to fixed pieces such as Canales, Fekir or Juanmi. The player from Porto also acts as captain without intervening on the pitch and that is an incentive for Pellegrini, who always insists on the importance of his figure and his desire to earn a place on the pitch. Joaquín wants one last push, the one that puts the finishing touch to a career full of brilliance.