A pause… and we continued

It was almost ten days ago that Real Sociedad played their last game at Reale, and it seems like a month ago that we last saw each other. In the few weeks and a half that have passed since the clash against Elche, only the internationals of Merino, Zubimendi, Oyarzabal and company, from the parties of Spain, Norway, Japan… but almost nothing from Real de imanol. It highlights, among other things, the importance of the victory obtained against Elche ten days ago, which served to calm the spirits, somewhat agitated after the latest results. The impact of a good result before the break in the competition is always appreciated and, by contrast, the importance of a setback in the same context. If we had not beaten the lowest team, we would now be talking about a crisis scenario where I don’t know how many games in a row without winning, with a serious problem of effectiveness, a seriously compromised place in the Champions League , and who knows how many other misfortunes. And the sad thing about it is that in the substratum there are underlying truths that we cannot ignore.

That the team has lost its energy, the initial strength, the spark of the first part of the competition, along with the overload of games, having to face three competitions at once, is a fact that is difficult to deny. Injuries, precisely related to the reproduction of this effort, contributed to the creation of a feeling of physical weakness, which translated into frequent injuries and relatively long periods of sick leave. Only results can mitigate the effects of the “crisis”, using this term in its kindest sense. And these, certainly at the most delicate moment, opposed him. The third place “flies” for a while, and the fourth is starting to be in danger. So, among other factors, the relevance obtained by the three points collected against Elche.

The break came, and La Real took the opportunity to pause… before continuing.

MY FIELDS

Analyzing the schedule of matches that awaits Real Sociedad until the end of the championship, and focusing on the matches away from the Reale Arena, we can well describe the path that the team has to take as a real minefield.

In fact, the six rivals waiting for those Imanol BailiffThey fight, in principle, and with more or less solid arguments, depending on the case, for the same thing as Real: to stamp their European passport. The relationship is and in strict order of appearance: Villarreal, Athletic, Betis, Osasuna, Barcelona and Atlético. I think all that’s left is to throw Real Madrid into the equation to make it absolute hell.

In this way, few favors can be expected, except those you can do yourself with your work and your talents. In this section, fortunately, Real is well served, but it is necessary to find the best version of this group to aim to take complex fortresses. On the contrary, it seems that it is at home and on their own, always on paper, where Real can find rest, against rivals such as Getafe, Rayo Vallecano, Girona, Almería or Sevilla -Real Madrid, obviously, not participating in these characteristics.

AN ALCHEMIST, TWO ARISTOCRATES…

If there is one line of the field that stands out from the rest at Real Sociedad, it is, without a doubt, the core, with footballers of unquestionable value. Some of them have already acquired well-known nicknames, such as the “Alchemist of Arguineguín”, the “Count Merino” or “sir Brace”, but we still need to nominate the fourth part of the bank, zubimendi. We will find something for Ulía, for sure.

THAT SMELLS ZABORRA

Many years ago I visited the farm of Villarreal for the first time – at that time El Madrigal – and my main memory is a strong smell of zaborra, which I later found out came from several farms near the Villarreal enclosure . At the time, the Castellón club was a newcomer, and it was difficult to anticipate the developments it would achieve over time; Now the bouquet that this scenario provides is very different.

DID YOU KNOW…?

-Villarreal’s field is traditionally favorable for Real Sociedad, which has earned points in twelve of its nineteen appearances.

– Surprisingly, in the last four visits, three of them ended with the same result: 1-2 in favor of the royalists.

-It was precisely in Villarreal where Real stamped his passport. European team for the third time in a row, after defeating the Castellón team 1-2 last year.