Pellegrino Matarazzo didn’t exactly arrive in Spain with the pedigree of Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid, or Hansi Flick at Barcelona, but his impact at Real Sociedad has been immediate.
LaLiga’s first-ever American coach has masterminded a sensational turnaround in the fortunes of a club that had previously been in a state of malaise for at least 18 months. With just three defeats in 16 matches in all competitions, La Real have climbed from 16th when he took over, to seventh place and into serious European contention.
The Basque side are also potentially just 90 minutes away from winning a trophy, thanks to a fantastic run in the Copa del Rey. They are the clear underdogs in the final against Atletico Madrid according to South Africa soccer betting odds, but on current form they’ve got every chance in Seville.
Carnival drums and fan connection
In his fourth match in charge, Matarazzo led Real Sociedad to a 2-1 win over Barcelona. It was the week of tambourinethe San Sebastian festival where the city flag is raised and marching bands play in the streets. Before the game, Matarazzo said the tambourine could be an advantage, and so it proved.
Flick’s team arrived in the Basque Country on a run of 11 straight wins, and they played well. Barca had two goals disallowed and hit the post numerous times, but it wasn’t enough. Real Sociedad’s football wasn’t as pretty. There were blocks, important saves from Alex Remiro, and a barrage of shots from Barca, but the spirit under Matarazzo was clear.
Remiro and captain Mikel Oyarzabal were among the players to speak openly about the transformational impact the American was having. Oyarzabal lauded Matarazzo for embracing Basque values and bringing greater intensity to the team.
That intensity was the main thread throughout an initial nine-game unbeaten run under the new regime. There were no clear patterns otherwise. La Real weren’t blowing teams away, they weren’t keeping many clean sheets and they shared the scoring duties quite evenly – though Oyarzabal has been particularly impressive.
Real Sociedad are certainly glad to have Oyarzabal back firing. They missed him for four games in November and December when he had a muscle injury, and the captain didn’t immediately start scoring for Matarazzo. However, since the Barcelona game, he has been one of LaLiga’s standout players.
Matarazzo exceeding all expectations in the Basque Country
Not until a 4-1 loss against Real Madrid in mid-February did La Real suffer defeat under the guidance of the 48-year-old. That outcome was to be expected on some levels, given they’d put in a big shift to win 1-0 in Bilbao against Athletic Club in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final only 72 hours earlier.
Matarazzo is not one to mince words. After that early win over the reigning Spanish champions, he said “Barcelona were very dominant; all in all, it was a bit lucky”.
He was asked if he could imagine a better start to his time at Real Sociedad than seven points from nine. “Yes, nine” was the reply.
The start might not have been quite perfect, but Matarazzo immediately installed a fighting spirit that La Real had previously lacked. Having declined in their final season under long-serving coach Imanol Alguacil, Sergio Francisco’s brief reign ended with three straight league defeats against Villarreal, Alaves and Girona in December.
Matarazzo was far from the obvious choice as the latter’s replacement. He was a virtually unknown name in Spain, having only previously coached in Germany, with VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim.
At both clubs, he only won around a third of his games, and not many pundits would say he set the world alight. However, the early signs suggest he has found the perfect home in the Basque Country, with Real Sociedad’s sudden revival under the American one of the stories of the season in Spain so far.
Where do La Real go from here?
European qualification is now well within sight. Last season was something of an anomaly in terms of Real Sociedad’s failure to qualify for any continental action. They fell to 11th after five successive top-six finishes under Imanol.
A strong end to this campaign could even see the San Sebastian club return to the Champions League stage, with Spain well placed to secure an extra slot at Europe’s top table again. Matarazzo’s side currently trail fifth-placed Real Betis by six points, but Los Verdiblancos are in poor form having gone five without a win in the league.
Celta Vigo are three points better off, while just one point currently separates Real Sociedad in seventh from Espanyol down in 11th. La Real will need to hold their form if they’re to secure European football via the league.
However, inevitably much of the excitement in Gipuzkoa will now turn to the Copa del Rey final on Saturday 18th April at La Cartuja. Victory would guarantee Europa League qualification, but more importantly it would also deliver just a seventh major trophy, and only the club’s second piece of silverware since the 1980s.
Not even four months into the job, Matarazzo has the opportunity to write his name into Real Sociedad folklore forever.
Daniel is a Spanish football lover. He has an extensive knowledge of LaLiga history and closely follows current events in the Spanish top flight.
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