Pellegrini: "It's not easy to get a place in the Champions League, but we're going to try"

   MADRID, 28 Sep. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Betis coach, Manuel Pellegrini, acknowledged this Wednesday that "it is not easy to get a place in the Champions League", although he stressed that the team will try, relying on their "illusion and ambition", although they are two attitudes that must "demonstrate " with results on the pitch.

"It is not easy to get a place in the Champions League, there are teams with much higher budgets, but we are going to try. We must play the football that has made us last two seasons and get quite high. We are going to see this season if we can keep up in the avant-garde places, we have started quite well", analyzed the present and future of the Verdiblancos after receiving the Miguel Muñoz Award for best coach of the 2021-2022 season at the Marca Awards Gala held at the Goya Theater in Madrid.

The 'Engineer' insisted that the philosophy of Real Betis must be to go "match by match", to try to "overcome" what was achieved last year, when they lifted the Copa del Rey. "That doesn't mean that we don't have the illusion and ambition, which must be backed up with work and effort, we must demonstrate it on the pitch and with results," warned Pellegrini, who has his team third in LaLiga Santander, just three leader points.

In addition, the Chilean valued the debut of his striker Borja Iglesias with the Spanish team last Saturday against Switzerland. "I'm very happy for Borja, first because he was among those selected for these games, we'll see on the final list, which will depend on performance. He's a striker who associates well with his teammates, he had few minutes, but the ones he did have he did well ", he clapped his hands.

However, he lamented the absence of Sergio Canales, Betis captain, a player "of high level and for a long time." "The national coach is the one in charge of giving the list. Canales deserves to be in any selection, but Luis Enrique has the authority to make a list that is very difficult, because there are many players," he explained before entering the gala against the media.

"It was important and difficult for Spain to qualify for the final of the tournament, there are a few months left for the World Cup and football is very changeable, but it is a team that is going to have an important participation", he predicted for the national team in the tournament that It will be played in Qatar from November 20.

Finally, Pellegrini addressed the rivalry between Betis and Sevilla, for which they are not "concerned". "That rivalry with Sevilla is good for football, but it always has to be in the sporting field, each institution does it in the best way. We don't have the economic reality to fight, but we do have the sporting reality," he settled in words during the gala.