Ez Abde left Barcelona last summer after telling head coach Xavi Hernandez of his desire to play regular football, something that would not be possible in Catalonia. It meant that he joined Real Betis on the final day of the transfer window, although his luck hasn’t been great in Andalusia either.
Up until six weeks ago, Abde had been an occasional starter for Betis. He tended to play from the start in European matches, while being a substitute in La Liga. That trend has continued, albeit with Los Verdiblancos having been knocked out of the Europa Conference League, it has meant that Abde has not started a match since the 22nd of February, the second leg against Dinamo Zagreb.
In Betis’ last five matches, Abde has played less than 20 minutes combined. Against Girona on Sunday, he didn’t play at all, although he was supposed to come on for the final 10+ minutes of that match. MD have detailed that the Moroccan had been signalled to get ready for action, but after taking too long, Manuel Pellegrini instead chose to bring on Rodri Sanchez – this information is backed up by Betis’ dugout cam on YouTube (at the 1:47 minute mark).
It’s been apparent in recent weeks that Pellegrini hasn’t been happy with Abde, hence his lack of minutes. This episode is likely to ensure that he hardly plays for Real Betis between now and the end of the season, even with Chimy Avila now injured.
