Pellegrini’s statements:

(Another triumph). “It would be important to get the three points playing away, the most important thing though is to consolidate ourselves in play and through the play take the three points.”

(Friendlies). “You take part in friendlies because it’s good for the players who aren’t playing, the King’s Cup is around the corner with games midweek and therefore we give minutes to the players who have had fewer.”

(Champions positions). “The higher up the table they are, the more motivated they will be.  We’re pretty happy in many respects and we’ve been improving many aspects of the team.  We’re not putting in short or long term goals, but going on week by week.  We’ve maintained our positions in Europe, and we hope to have the footballing ability to move up to Champions but we’ve got to show that out on the pitch.”

(Injuries). “There are many players, and on top of it some important ones, when the team started the season it was getting repeated, but we spoke of having to give the opportunity to others to perform and prove themselves as they’re part of the Málaga squad.”

(Real Sociedad).  “They’re coming from a very bad patch; winning against Betis must’ve unzipped the situation.  They’ve got some good players, and we’re going to find them seeking the three points at home. And we have a Málaga that’s maintaining the intensity and concentration of the last few matches, and adding to their football quota by continuing to win away, like last time when we got three against Racing, even though it wasn’t easy.”

(Isco). “He’s a young player who’s making his debut in the First Division. The fact he’s feeling confident and scoring helps a lot, now he has to continue improving and fulfil the 90 minutes, which is how he has been improving so far.”