The president of Real Betis, Miguel Guillen, attended members of the press this afternoon at the Abades restaurant, where Betis has signed an agreement with the Ministry of Tourism and Trade of the Government of Andalusia to project the image of Andalusia in the UEFA Europa League. Guillen's message, steeped in confidence in the squad and the coaching staff, expressed optimism about the harsh calendar of fixtures in the forthcoming weeks which is now almost upon the team:

Defeat against Elche CF: "Everyone is clear about the analysis. We didn't get the start to the league that we wanted. We have come up against a serious drawback. There are no excuses. Not the injuries or the state of the pitch". 

Solutions: "We have to work much harder to give Betis fans what they expect to get from their team. We still have total confidence in the squad, technical staff and the manager. There is work ahead of us to demonstrate that we have put together a team which we still firmly believe to be prepared for the 3 competitions and able to pull off a very decent season".

State of emergency in the League: "We have played 9 matches. There are 29 left. It would be terrible if we were to throw in the towel at this stage of the competition; or if our plans had been anything less than having a real chance in the Europa League we might as well have stepped down and let others have a go. That does not make sense to me. We didn't get off to a good start but we are used to getting out of these situations with effort and unity in the club. It's what we intend to do, we have the ability to do so. The fatigue and exhaustion are no excuse".

Pepe Mel: "I have not spoken to him. I know him well and I am in constant contact with him. I am sure he is as disappointed as the rest of the Betis fans, but that does not mean that when he got up this morning he shouldn't have been enthusiastic about the prospect of working to turn the situation around. We understand that the fans are not happy because they are not getting what they want. We have to try to change the current dynamic of the club through hard work".

Message to the fans: "It is only logical that they are angry. We would not ask the fans to stick by us because they always do. We are the ones who have to demonstrate that we are able to turn the situation around. From this moment on we will start bringing the points home and the waters will again run smooth. We have a long road ahead of us. "

Ruben Castro: "Clearly Ruben's injury is making us suffer, he is a key player at Real Betis. That does not mean that the technical department hasn't been looking to sign forwards with an eye for goals. The new players need a little more time. Chuli has come up from the Second Division and Braian from a different league. They need time to adapt. Nobody was counting on Ruben's injury. Back in June I would not have changed the Betis forwards for any other forwards in the League. The important thing is that if the club needed to come up with a last-minute signing to cover a worst-case scenario that it is ready to do so".

Has there been a lack of attitude in recent games?: "We are aware of that situation on the club. We are surprised by the radical change in the team and have to get back to where we were before. We had a very solid defence but in the last two games we have conceded very quick goals. I do not think it's an attitude problem, the responsibility, nervousness and the need to score weigh heavily on the team. I am sure that after a couple of consecutive victories, confidence will return. As far as the board is concerned our squad and coaching team have our confidence".

League-Europa League mix: "What is happening has nothing to do with the Europa League, there are different teams playing in each competition. Tiredness is not the reason for what is happening. We have encountered some unforeseen circumstances but the team will improve gradually. The new players will settle in and coupled with increased confidence we will start bringing the points home three at a time".

Will there be a signing of a new forward?: "I could not say whether or not there will be signings. In any case, the decision will be taken on 30th December. Now we can only put in the ground work to provide different scenarios. Over the last three seasons, Ruben on the field of play with Jorge has constituted one of the best attacking combinations in the League. When planning for this season we were not mistaken when we decided that they were to be our forwards and we should depend on the youth teams to train future strikers".