Real Betis caretaker boss Alexis Trujillo has explained his side were ‘very anxious’ in their victory over Espanyol on Thursday.
A headed goal from Marc Bartra was enough to secure a first win for Betis since the resumption of La Liga earlier this month in the first match since the dismissal of coach Rubi.
It was a nervy victory for the hosts – who had won just two of their previous 14 matches in the division – with basement side Espanyol spurning several late opportunities to equalise, with striker Wu Lei denied at point-blank range by Betis goalkeeper Joel Robles.
Trujillo is the club’s sporting director and has temporarily filled the managerial hotseat at the club, with this victory lifting them 11 points clear of the relegation zone and virtually assuring their safety.
“It was essential to break the negative dynamics of the results,” Alexis explained to reporters, as cited by Diario de Sevilla.
“The team was very anxious and it is not easy to play with that pressure. We tried to make the team more compact with the three central defenders and the midfielders gave the team the necessary balance.
“There are seven games left and we are not thinking about next season already, but about going game by game, although we are far from where we want to be.”
Trujillo is likely to remain in place for the remainder of the season before the club appoint a permanent successor to Rubi – Marcelino Garcia Toral, Javi Gracia and Manuel Pellegrini have been among the names linked to the vacancy.
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