The signing of Diego Llorente for Real Betis has been, without a doubt, a success. Indisputable for Pellegrini, the central defender is going through a great moment of form, which has caused talk in England about an alleged interest from Aston Villa. His experience in the Premier League is an endorsement For the Madrid native, although as he himself has acknowledged, his first steps in British football were not easy.
“It was my first adventure outside of Spain, which implies a necessary adaptation because English culture is very different from ours. Yes, I had a bit of a bad time the first few months.but I got out through work and with the help of the medical staff. coincidences of life, That season I ended up going to the Eurocup after showing a good levell”, the defender said in an interview in Seville newspaperwhere he referred to the figure of Víctor Orta, who was the one who signed him for the Ellan Road complex.
“I have very good memories of him, because in the end in football, beyond the competition and everything that is sport, there are people and friendships and Victor treated me very well when I arrived in Leeds, he gave me all his support and for that I will always be grateful.“, he assured about the current sports director of Sevilla FC, towards whom he was full of praise, although at the same time I joked about the rivalry that now confronts them: “Evidently we took different paths and what life is, now he is the greatest rival . I have a lot of appreciation for him and for me He is a great sports director and a great person, but I already told him that from now on he was my enemy and that if I crossed him on the street I was not guaranteed to greet him.“He noted with a laugh.
Praise for Pellegrini and Betis’ goal
Another who received praise from the former Real Sociedad player, for his part, was Manuel Pellegrini, who has fully trusted him from day one. “He is a coach whose career speaks for itself and on a day-to-day basis, both good and bad, he gives you peace of mind. Many times in football you experience very extreme states of mind and You have to know how to handle things both when you win, and not believe that you are the best, and when you have a negative streak. From what I have been working with him, that is a big part of his success. Then we can start talking about his style of play and other things that from my point of view are very attractive, but his calm and the confidence in his team and the tranquility that he transmits is important,” he said about the Chilean.
On a collective level, furthermore, Diego Llorente does not hide that It would be “a dream”, to win a title with Betis, but it makes it clear what the objective should beprioritizing LaLiga. “Here everyone knows the minimum and that If you have entered Europe in recent years, the minimum is to qualify againthat what makes you enter Europe, which is day to day, is day to day. I think that’s what we have to focus on,” he explained, once again showing his opinion on the penalty that was awarded in the derby and that ended up costing the green and white team the defeat.
The hand of the derby… and that of Sevilla in the Europa League final
“I don’t give it much thought anymore, because in the end you burn out and don’t achieve much, but It is not understood that with how beautiful football is, certain things are not corrected, such as that there are natural movements and certain gestures of the body that are not controlled.. The player has to be free to move. Many, including me, are more worried about having their hand on their back in the area than about the ball. For me it The derby is a thing of the past, but it is true that the competent bodies must give it a second thought. to this to have a more uniform criterion. It is an issue that must be fixed. IF I feared a sanction? I expressed my opinion with great respect. I think you can speak and debate with respect,” he highlighted, recalling that he also experienced firsthand another controversy with Sevilla FC in the Europa League final against Roma, when the Italians asked for a penalty for a handball by Fernando: “Well, another one of those actions. For me it makes the move to see that he can’t take advantage of the handball with the movement of the body to hit the ball. But I say the same thing, that there is a lack of uniformity that would avoid many debates. In today’s football it is a hand that could have been whistled perfectly.”
The dream of the national team
On the other hand, Diego Llorente also referred to the possibility of going to the Spanish team again, although De la Fuente preferred Paredes on the last list and cited Pau Cubarsí after Pau Torres’ injury. “For me, always representing your country is the best and when I went I was proud. What is really important is day to day and giving my best in the club that has trusted me, which is Betis, and from there other things come, such as the reward of a call from the national team, but it is not something that is not I lost sleep. If I had never gone, maybe you would have the thorn of making your senior debut, but right now I am very focused on Betis, on contributing everything that Betis can and, from there, when you do your job well things come. natural,” he said.