Marc Bartra has heaped praise on Real Betis boss Quique Setien for enabling him to be in the best form of his career this year.
Bartra joined the Andalusians from Borussia Dortmund in January 2018, having previously made over 59 league appearances for Barcelona, where he came through the ranks, and feels he may still have an opportunity to go to Russia for the World Cup this summer.
“Setien for me is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had,” maintained Bartra in an exclusive interview with The Mirror.
“He doesn’t leave anything to chance. We know what to do on matchday, in training, with the ball and what we do in the game. This is really important for the players to feel confident.
“I can only say that today I am feeling in my best form, both physically and mentally. I wanted to have more minutes and to enjoy football, also to have a real chance of getting to the World Cup.”
Bartra is expecting Saturday’s derby clash with Sevilla to be an exciting contest, whilst he also says he is loving life in Southern Spain.
“Betis against Sevilla is a very attractive game for the level it’s at, between two teams fighting for European places, and this makes it even more beautiful than it already is,” he added.
“Derbies are the type of games that are not only played with the head but the heart, where you know that every good moment from the team is making thousands of people happy.
“For many Sevilla is one of the best cities in Spain. It’s a city with lots of charm and you adapt quickly to good things. I feel as if I’ve been living here lots of years.
“I’m really comfortable with this city, and with my teammates. You can always adapt to good things quickly, can’t you?”
