Manuel Pellegrini has done sterling work at Real Betis. The veteran Chilean coach took over at the Benito Villamarin in the summer of 2020 and led Los Verdiblancos to a sixth-placed finish in La Liga in his first season, earning a spot in the Europa League.
This season has been even better. Betis are currently third in La Liga, meaning that if the season ended today they’d be competing in the Champions League next year.
They’re four points clear of fourth-placed Atletico Madrid – the defending champions – and five clear of the mighty Barcelona. Sevilla, their city rivals, are six points ahead of them in second while Real Madrid, the league leaders, are ten clear of them.
What’s more, Betis are alive in both the Copa del Rey and the Europa League. They face Real Sociedad in the quarter-final of the former this Thursday in San Sebastian and can look forward to playing Zenit St. Petersburg in the latter later this month.
“Betis is another challenge” Pellegrini said to ESPN Argentina in comments carried by Mundo Deportivo. “We started working and the group came up with an idea that they liked. We made it to Europe, which wasn’t an aspiration of the club but rather an obligation to myself. Because, except at West Ham, I’ve always been able to make it to Europe.
“Now we’re in our second season, fighting for the Copa del Rey and the Europa League and in a Champions League position [being third in La Liga]. That may not be the reality from an economic point of view, but it is from a sporting point of view.”
