Van Bronckhorst criticises La Cartuja pitch ahead of Betis match

“It is not the pitch you expect in the Champions League,” Giovanni van Bronckhorst said of the surface at La Cartuja. The Feyenoord coach criticised its condition before Wednesday’s match against Betis, scheduled for 21:00 in the third round of the Champions League league phase. He was clear, however, that his side would not use the pitch as an excuse: Feyenoord, he said, would go out to win.

Van Bronckhorst described the surface as “not in optimal condition”. He contrasted it with the pitches his team had played on in recent matches, which he said had been in better shape. He also stressed that the conditions would affect both sides: in his view, they would “penalise both teams”.

The coach also said Feyenoord should not already be thinking about its next league match against PSV. The Dutch club is the unbeaten Eredivisie leader, but, he said, the immediate focus is on Seville and trying to take all three points. He added that the target was achievable, with all players available and in form.

Asked whether a Feyenoord win over Betis could be considered a surprise, Van Bronckhorst answered yes. He said he had watched the Spanish side’s recent performances. Betis beat Oporto 3-2 before losing 2-5 to Barcelona in LaLiga, he noted. In his assessment, Betis had nevertheless played well against the Catalan club: “Barcelona win because of the quality they have, but Betis show every week that they are very good.”

Van Bronckhorst also gave his view on the Ballon d’Or. As a former Barcelona player, he hopes Lamine Yamal wins the award. He called him “the best player in the world” and described Barcelona as the best team in the world at present, while adding that PSG “are close”.

In another comment about returning to Spain, Nacho Ferri said that coming back to the country is always special. A forward, meanwhile, explained that he chose the Frankfurt project at 16 despite having other options, and felt it was an important step for his career. A Valencian also stressed the importance of performing in every match, at home and away, and said he would try to earn the points in the away fixture in this competition.