Real Betis coach Manuel Pellegrini defended the players after their defeat at Rayo Vallecano.

Pellegrini concedes Betis are suffering a major form slump.

He said, "Having lost three games in a row bothers us a lot. We are not having a good football moment.

"A first half where Rayo did not have a chance to reach the goal and in a free kick they scored the goal. And we had enough control of the ball, we were not very aggressive, we did not have dangerous attacks except for a shot at the post by Fekir. The rest, I think that with the dominance we had, we should have done more damage.

"In the second half we did improve in intensity and aggressiveness, but they found themselves with the second goal and they are fair winners. From now on, take each game as a final.

"We have 15 days to reset, to try to get out of this streak of continuous defeats, we have been a consistent team in these years, we have rarely been in these situations, but we have to get out as soon as possible.

"I don't know if we are in the worst moment of the season, but we are having a hard time winning. We have to make a strong self-criticism and work in these weeks to try to finish the last nine rounds of the championship in the best possible way. The only thing the team does not lack is will, today we had more than enough, we lacked clarity and intensity, but I have no doubt that we are going to get out of this streak."