Ansotegi Back to Sanse Duties After Brief Real Sociedad Stint
Jon Ansotegi returns to Real Sociedad B following his emergency first-team managerial role, narrowly missing out on perfect record after late Levante penalty.
The Berriatua-born coach returns to his regular job with Real Sociedad B next Monday after a whirlwind fortnight in the first-team hot seat.
Emergency Call-Up
It’s back to bread and butter for Jon Ansotegi as he prepares to resume training with Real Sociedad’s B team (Sanse) on Monday 29th December. The coach has been enjoying some well-deserved Christmas turkey after his emergency stint in charge of the first team following Sergio Francisco’s sacking.
Ansotegi was yanked from his Sanse duties in dramatic fashion when club president Jokin Aperribay came calling late on a Saturday night. The timing was telling – just after Sanse had secured a cracking 0-2 win at Riazor, and more crucially, following the first team’s disappointing 1-2 defeat to Girona the previous day.
Nearly Perfect Audition
The temporary promotion almost turned into a proper fairytale for Ansotegi, who’s mates with established top-flight gaffer Jagoba Arrasate. His brief tenure started brilliantly with:
- A solid 1-2 Copa del Rey victory against Eldense, securing progression to the last 16
- A promising La Liga debut at Ciutat de Valencia where La Real took a first-half lead
He must’ve been dreaming of the perfect two-from-two record, even bringing on his Sanse proteges Astiazaran and Mariezkurrena to help see out the win. But football can be a right pain in the Khyber sometimes – a late penalty conceded by Mariezkurrena meant Ansotegi had to settle for a draw against Levante.
Watching from Above
Still nursing the disappointment, Ansotegi was present for Sanse’s match against Ceuta at Anoeta the following Sunday. Rather than taking his usual place in the dugout, he watched from the press area as his temporary replacement Jon Gorrotxategi (the team’s third coach) oversaw proceedings. It wasn’t a happy homecoming spectacle though, with Sanse suffering a bruising 1-3 defeat.
Back to Normality
With Pellegrino Matarazzo now installed as the new first-team head coach, Ansotegi and his assistant Imanol Agirretxe will return to their regular duties with the B team on Monday afternoon.
The fortnight away from his Sanse squad might require some readjustment, but the focus will be on getting back to business as usual after his brief taste of the big time. While he didn’t quite manage to pull off the perfect audition for a future first-team role, the experience will surely prove valuable for his development as a coach.