coach Elche CF, Francis Rodriguezpresented the press conference this Monday before this meeting Tuesday (21 hours)in the stadium Sevilla Benito Villamarinin front Betis. Franjiverde coach warned of the difficulty of his opponent, underlining that he had a “great season” and reminding him that he was “only three points away from the Champions positions”. In addition, the Almeria coach warned: Despite his privileged qualifying situation, he does not want any relief from the squad where his team was placed after their important victory (3-0) against Mallorca last Saturday.
How do you view the Betis match?
It’s a complex and very difficult game because Betis is having a great season. Our win against Mallorca allows us to face the game without the same pressure as last week, but for us this is a very important game because if we win it will be a giant step towards permanence. We will have very little time to save the players and we hope to be able to compete well.
Can Elche benefit from the distraction of Betis, who is more preoccupied with Saturday’s Cup final against Valencia?
I don’t expect any weakness from Betis as they may be thinking about the cup. The match is also very important for them because they are three points away from the Champions League places and I believe they will play with the best. this match. I’m sure they’re making the best of it and they have a great and highly compensated staff.
How are your players after Saturday’s tremendous effort? Are you going to make changes in the starting 11?
Let’s see how we get better. This afternoon we decided to train to get some more rest. We will prepare the game with plenty of video and analytics to see how we can counter Betis’s game. The physical condition of the team is good. I’m not worried if changes need to be made because there are players who haven’t played in the beginning and are looking forward to it. Being able to repeat eleven with so few hours difference between one game and another is difficult and there will definitely be some variation. I believe that the team that emerges will compete until the end.
Will you see an ambitious Elche who has to play without too much pressure?
Of course, Betis, which will dominate us from time to time, is a team that has achieved this against all its rivals. We will prepare the game to try to harm them. We want to win and we will bring out the best team to win. We are in the most ambitious period of the season. We know that with top players we will find a maximum difficulty opponent and on Saturday they will have enough time to think. I hope we can get the three points because that will get us closer to the goal.
He plays with three defenders against Mallorca after the system change. Will you repeat? Is it a system that has become permanent from the moment you arrive and that you wanted to implement but could not realize due to the losses you inflicted?
The match against Mallorca was an ideal match to replace. We analyzed the opponent, we didn’t have the two most important forwards and we also knocked out Helibelton Palacios. We adjusted to the three centre-backs and it went well. But we always look for two offensive lines, never playing with five defenders, even if we sometimes have to. Whether we play in a line of three or four in the back, what I want is for my team to be competitive. I will always adapt to the players I have. I never die alone with my ideas. We analyze everything, the competitor, what we have. Whether we play three, four or five backs, the important thing is that whatever the system, the players believe in what we’re doing because I do, and they’re not complicated.
After a week of focusing on Mallorca’s important game and then focusing on the win, are you afraid there might be some slack?
It’s been hard for me to sleep thinking about Betis and I hope the players do too. We don’t have time for celebrations. On Sunday, after three weeks of uncertainty, we were able to celebrate a bit with our fans after the game. But business is business and not negotiated. We’ve already seen what it takes to win matches and how two colistas won against their direct opponents the other day. Relaxation is a luxury we cannot afford, and whoever is comfortable cannot compete with me.
Does winning Betis mean achieving permanence?
I’m afraid to say yes because we know the score that will eventually be required. We saw how the colistas won and still dreamed of getting rid of. What we want is to win the game to get as far from the bottom as possible. It is clear that a win will enable us to take a giant step and we will go into the game with this goal.