Unless you’re a die-hard Athletic Club supporter or have other alliances with the Basque Country, it’s hard to say a bad word about Real Sociedad.
When in sync, players from A to Z, from Aramburu to Zubimendi, are on their toes, their accuracy on the ball complemented by their appetite for harassing opponents. In addition, La Real are the leaders in ball recovery from their opponents in Spain’s 3rd attacker this season, with 64 tackles in 26 games.
This statistic is a testament to the way the Society plays. Although they don’t have the same strict policy of playing exclusively Basque as Athletic, the first local players Mikel Oyarzabal, Ander Barranetxea, Igor Zubeldia and Zubimendi (in addition to all the characteristics that come out of the B) team – receive the assignment as soon as they step on the pitch of the Reale Arena.
Then Takefusa Kubo, the electric Japanese star who recently cancelled the chances of an upcoming transfer. Back in the day, it was a pleasure to watch Kubo, his runs, and his purring brain as he searches for the right pass or shot. But it’s all about it, among the features available lately, he is Sociedad’s most sensible goalscorer in the league with just seven goals. At the helm, Oyarzabal has scored 8 and is still out injured. More broadly, there is a sense of a team with a great future still. not the force it can be.
It’s a paradox. Financially, it ranks sixth in terms of cash available to players this season, with a budget of 125 million euros ($135 million) between Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla and Villarreal. Translate that into on-field and team ability. They deserve to be around 6th position. However, coach Imanol Alguacil’s men are in 7th place in the championship. So it’s nothing to write home about.
It’s been a moment for coach Alguacil, but the team is still competing in two cups.
Still, here’s an organization that has largely dominated Barcelona at home in La Liga, squandering almost with the last shot of the game. Here is an organization that has tamed Girona, which has been on the rise this season, with two draws. Here’s an organization that has conceded just two goals in the Champions League organization phase, fewer than any other, winning a European first leg against the dreaded Paris Saint-Germain, and many believe they could pull off a remarkable result.
Meanwhile, they threaten their worst La Liga result in five years, having finished in the top six since 2019. One win in seven games in all competitions is not a smart read, nor is three meager goals scored in those games, five of which have been scored. Consecutive matches without locating the back of the net. His poor form leaves Alguacil, a cunning strategist, exasperated.
On the positive side, there are magnificent opportunities to get things back in order, with a decisive Copa del Rey semi-final, won 4 years ago, against Mallorca, ahead of the next clash against PSG on March 5. In San Sebastian, in the face of opposition shaken by star Kylian Mbappe’s decision to leave the French capital this summer, the txuri-urdin can dramatically turn that narrative upside down.
“For the second leg, we have to take more risks,” said former full-back Nacho Monreal (Spanish), ahead of the decisive match against the Ligue 1 kings, hoping to see another beast than the 2-0 defeat. . in the first leg. For all those who are linked to the Society, this is the strength they want to move forward. What’s more, it’s the one they like the most.