Pellegrini Dismisses Rumors of Tension With Giovani Lo Celso at Betis

Giovani Lo Celso takes the pitch for Real Betis against CDA Navalcarnero in the Copa del Rey after missing the squad for the Elche fixture.

Manager Manuel Pellegrini left the Argentine playmaker out of the traveling party for the 12th round of LaLiga, opting instead to leave him behind to train alone at the Luis del Sol sports city, Diario ABC reported. The team went on to secure a 0-2 victory that solidifies their fourth-place standing in the table, sitting two points behind Atlético de Madrid and four ahead of fifth-placed Real Sociedad.

Observers wondered if tensions boiled over after a possible clash with the coach following the match against Borussia Dortmund, or if an incident occurred after leaving early before a game ended. Speculation circulated extensively on social media during the Saturday afternoon and evening hours prior to the kickoff at the Martínez Valero, before Pellegrini settled the rumors.

Pellegrini addressed the rumors directly during his pre-match press conference ahead of the cup tie. “No ha pasado nada. No pasa de ahí. No hay ningún tipo de problema con Gio. Mi labor es elegir a cuáles he visto mejor durante la semana. Para el último estimé que había otros que estaban mejor. Hay otro partido y veremos los citados y el once inicial,” said Pellegrini.

The midfielder has featured in only four matches across all competitions this season, totaling 102 minutes with just a single start, out of 16 matches played by Real Betis to date. Despite the scarce playing time, flashes of his capability appeared during a demanding stretch against Barcelona, Feyenoord, and Celta Vigo.

He earned a starting role against the Spanish champions, logging 64 minutes and netting a long-range strike that was subsequently overturned by VAR due to a prior handball by Cucho Hernández. Against Feyenoord in Europe, he entered as a late substitute to help protect a narrow lead, while a 22-minute cameo against Celta saw him create a prime scoring chance for Troy Parrott that the Irish forward pushed wide.

An initial opportunity to cement his place arrived in the original Copa del Rey fixture scheduled for Oct. 28, which was postponed following a railway accident in Urda.

Tomorrow’s rescheduled cup encounter against lower-division Navalcarnero offers the 28-year-old an immediate path back into the competitive rotation. The fixture provides the minutes necessary to prove his readiness for Pellegrini’s squad selections as the campaign intensifies.

The situation culminated last Saturday when the squad list was released following Pellegrini’s press conference, omitting the player from Rosario while including Junior and Iker Losada, the latter of whom has not made an official appearance this season and entered the traveling party in place of Lo Celso.

Betis resumes domestic cup action at the scheduled venue time, with the squad looking to translate squad depth into consistent performances across both continental and domestic fronts.

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