Reciprocating is ‘paying equally, relatively or proportionally, affections, benefits or entertainment’ (RAE) and the striker Ayoze Perezwho made his debut as a scorer in LaLiga this Saturday in Betis’s triumph against Espanyol (3-1), has not stopped doing so in the confidence of Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini, who led the Tenerife striker to arrive on loan last winter market from English Leicester.
A goal, the one that opened the can against the ‘parrots’; an assist, that of the second goal achieved by Juan Miranda, after a sprint to catch a hat pass from the dazzling William Carvalho; and an exhibition of how to play up front, slowing down, pressing, overflowing and marking spaces, unmarking and goals, were the card that Ayoze left for Villamarín to get back on their feet when he was substituted in minute 89 by William José, a gesture of his mentor.
Santiago’s coach, in his years at Manchester City and West Ham United, I already had my eye on the canary when he shone in the Premier League, where he arrived at Newcastle in 2014 from Tenerife -he made his debut in December 2012 against SD Alcalá under the guidance of Álvaro Cervera- and in which in 2019 he was signed by Leicester City, where he has been the last three and a half seasons.
A total of 360 matches in elite footballin which it has added 80 goals and given 36 assists, They were the endorsement of the striker from Santa Cruz de Tenerife when he arrived at Betis last January on loan until the end of the season, when he will be released, due to the personal commitment of the Verdiblanco coach, who wanted him at all costs.
Ayoze, indisputable for Pellegrini
At the age of 29, Ayoze recognized that he was at a point in his career, with eight years in the elite of the European leagues, in which “to make such an important movement” as returning from England, “he needed to feel the desire of the coach that I was in his team, that was the main thing, beyond other details”.
It took the canary very little to get down to work and, with a meager period of adaptation for someone who, on the other hand, was more than adapted, has become an irreplaceable piece at Manuel Pellegrini’s Betis, where he has placed himself ahead of one of the team’s top scorers in recent years, Juanmi Jiménez from Malaga.
Ayoze Pérez, against Espanyol (Photo: Kiko Hurtado)
It is not diesel, although it might seem so due to his intelligence in handling times and all the spaces from three quarters of the field forward, as he demonstrated against Espanyol with a joint recital with William Carvalho that Betis has defined in the case of the canary as ‘masterclass’ (master class) and in the Portuguese, in the usual ‘capsule mode’.
Ten titles in a row
Pellegrini has lined up Ayoze Pérez in ten consecutive games as a starter, in the last eight leagues and in the two of the round of 16 tie of the Europa League against English Manchester United, where he debuted as a scorer in Verdiblanco before doing so in League in the duel against Espanyol.
“We asked Ayoze because we knew that he could give us important things. He is a player who not only scores goals, he does not lose balls, he produces an important offensive volume, he associates well. I hope it maintains that performance because we are happy that he has come to contribute his grain of sand”, Pellegrini said of his player at the end of the match.
For his part, Ayoze, “happy to score and that it’s at home makes it more special”, stressed the importance of his mentor’s faith in him, which “has been key” because “every time” he has “more confidence in the individual”; and he thanked the gala ovation with which Villamarín recognized his work.
“It is a very special moment. You are tired, on the verge of victory and it is very nice to experience it. It makes the afternoon more special because of the goals, the result and the moment in particular”, said the canary, who has become on his own merits one of the objectives of the Betic sports management for next season, although as he maintained in his presentation , “there will be time to think about the new contract if both parties” decide to stay together.
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