Antony goes into Real Betis's weekend against Barcelona without a La Liga goal or assist in eight appearances. He has played about 549 minutes in the league this season, and Manuel Pellegrini's message is not about stopping the dribbles. It is about turning those runs into cleaner decisions at the end of attacks.
Pellegrini's message for Antony
“He is taking players on and has the confidence to keep trying,” Pellegrini told sportsmole.co.uk. “He needs a little more composure to deliver the final pass with greater precision.”
That is the part Betis want to see move. Antony has been given time on the pitch, but the numbers are still bare in domestic football, with zero goals and zero assists in La Liga.
Betis are third in La Liga with 19 points from eight matches, so this is not a team waiting around for a player to find his feet. Pellegrini's point is narrower than a full reset, and probably more realistic: keep the 1-v-1 threat, lose the waste at the decisive moment.
The week around the match
The off-pitch backdrop has been messy too. Pellegrini said Antony's son was at home when burglars broke into the winger's Seville house, while Antony has said the robbery happened when he was playing in the Champions League this week.
Pellegrini added that Antony has trained normally and remains available for the weekend's match against Barcelona. That keeps the football question in focus, and it is a straightforward one. Betis want the winger's direct running to start producing the final ball as well.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 3 outlets. How we work →
