After the defeat against the eternal rival, Pepe Mel appeared before members of the press. Recognising the mistakes made, the Betis manager was clearly annoyed by the team's performance; whilst at the same time warning that they have to look to the next league match, as it was not the time for lamentations.

Opinion on the match: “We must be self-critical. We have more to give than we did today. Now we must focus our efforts on getting ourselves out of the relegation zone. The only way to do that is by looking forward”.

Was there a lack of intensity?: “Apart from the fact that they scored the first goal at the beginning of the match, I think the team did not get right into the game. I think the first goal was preceded by a foul on Verdú. The second finished us off because of the expulsion. Between the first goal and the second the team had recovered. Paulao's expulsion was a childish mistake. From that moment on it was difficult for us it was a long and complicated match. Being a man down we knew we were going to suffer on set pieces. They have stronger taller players”.

Starting eleven: “What I was looking for doesn't matter much now. It didn't work out. It is time for us to all be self-critical. All our preparation over the last five days has come to nothing. But in football you cannot just consider the now. You have to go on. With one match we can get out of the relegation zone. For the Betis fans it's not just three points. It is my duty to pick up the team so they can compete in the next match. If we just lick our wounds then we are not going to react in time”.

The referee: “I had my doubts, I thought the third goal originated from an offside position, but it seems it didn't. In so far as cards are concerned, we got them all. There were no problems with Sevilla's tackles but there were with ours. Talking about the referee sounds like we are making excuses, but we didn't lose because of him. One year later and the same thing is happening to us”.

How is the team?: “I am worried about raising the hopes of my team, my family of players. They are the ones who are going to get Betis out of this situation, no one else. We have to get over this because we are playing Rayo in seven days' time. I have omitted Thursday's match because we have to concentrate on Rayo. Why talk about the Betis fans. They are the best. I have to think about the guys who have to win the match against Rayo next week. They are feeling really bad right now”.

Paulao's error: “Now is not the best time to talk about that. The player is old enough to know that he made a mistake . The feeling I have is that after the first goal and before the second we had got into the game and started to make a difference. That piece of play killed it for us”.

Signings: “I shall talk about that in the right places. I have done already and I have my ideas. The fact that I do not talk about it in public does not mean I do not express my opinions. Now we have to look to the future and not leave anyone by the wayside. When things are going badly, I have to take responsibility because I am the manager. The club knows what it has to do. All I'm worried about is motivating my players. They are mine and they are the best. They have to get Betis out of this situation. There are 9 crucial points coming up for the club. The only way to do that is if the 23 players believe that they can do it”.