The pairing of Real Sociedad with Paris Saint Germain in the round of 16 of the Champions League deserves reviews of all kinds and for all tastes. From those who, starting from an initial premise that considers the French team almost unattainable for our team, conclude that we have reached this point this year, to those who do not see the French rival as a unbeatable enemy, far from it, and explore the team’s supposed weaknesses Luis Enrique.
In the middle, those who admitted the difficulty of the battle, but believed in their own strength to defeat the French army.
Obviously, and from a strictly sporting point of view, La Real’s exit from the draw cannot be considered good. No one wants PSG, but it is true that everything with the French club has reached such a resonance that it ends any rational analysis one wants to carry out. But this does not prevent us from recognizing that the team from the French capital showed weaknesses, and that ImanolOnce detected, it will try to exploit them in the best possible way.
On the other hand, the distance in time with the double confrontation dispute further opens up a range of uncertainties. No one knows how the two teams will fare on the tie dates, February 14 for the first leg, March 5 for the return leg.
We also cannot ignore the fact that the tie will be decided in Anoeta, and in a stadium packed to capacity, things have a different color.
Finally, focus on an aspect that, unfortunately, is becoming increasingly important: the behavior of fans, or rather, of the most radicalized sectors of them.
The French club has a less than honorable history in this regard, with incidents of undoubted seriousness, recurring with alarming frequency. La Real must know that Paris will be hostile territory, and those responsible for security must do their best to avoid excesses.
The third league
Usually, at this point in the championship the League positions start to be more or less structured; The cards are dealt and everyone knows what their tricks are. However, this year it seems it won’t be like that, or not exactly. The ‘unnatural’ look of Girona Michael introduced a distorting element, which significantly changed the game board. Let’s see who is now the handsome one knocking the Gironí team from the top positions! The declared absence of two regulars like Sevilla and Villarreal opened up a range of possibilities, and increased options for teams like Real Sociedad. For now, the advantage achieved by Real Madrid and Girona seems to condemn the other contenders to fight for third and fourth place, positions with a jackpot prize at the end of the tournament.
There will be an unpredictable Barcelona, an Atlético in a similar situation, an Athletic in full acceleration, Betis and Real itself. Among these five applicants, in the present situation, the two vacant positions in the drawer will be distributed.
Culé and colchoneros are expected, soon. Real Sociedad and Betis were used to being there, now joined by Athletic. Thrilling!
less impressive
The “boy wonder” broke down in Sadar almost three weeks ago and Imanol had to do without Barrenetxea the next four games. At the precise moment when we are most pleased with the genius of this boy, who has the ability to invent an impossible move at the most unexpected moment. What we saw of his disappearance was not as “spectacular” as the above.
Half, but good
After the last break in the League, we asked Imanol what he enjoyed in the eight remaining games until the end of 2023. The answer “very Imanol” is “I want to win everything.” Unfortunately it will not be possible, because, in the absence of what will happen tomorrow in Cádiz, the team has added three wins and four draws. It’s not what I want, but it’s not bad.
Source: La Verdad
I am Shawn Partain, a journalist and content creator working for the Today Times Live. I specialize in sports journalism, writing articles that cover major sporting events and news stories. With a passion for storytelling and an eye for detail, I strive to be accurate and insightful in my work.
