Matarazzo brings the spark but Real Sociedad's finishing fails him
New Real Sociedad boss Pellegrino Matarazzo made a promising debut against Atlético Madrid, with everything but the win his side deserved.
A breath of fresh air at Anoeta as Real Sociedad showed renewed energy under new gaffer Pellegrino Matarazzo, but couldn’t find the winner their dominant performance deserved against Atlético Madrid.
New boss, new energy
The italo-American manager wasted no time putting his stamp on proceedings. Even before kick-off, there were signs of change as the entire squad warmed up together initially - a small but significant shift in approach.
Matarazzo deployed a fluid 4-2-3-1 in possession, switching to a compact 4-4-2 when defending. This tactical flexibility immediately paid dividends with some brilliant pressing sequences that created early chances for captain Mikel Oyarzabal and Brais Méndez, both forcing Oblak into action.
The gaffer was a constant presence on the touchline, despite the language barrier, and even had his first run-in with the fourth official - proper welcome to La Liga, that.
Rollercoaster of emotions
The new coaching team thought they’d struck gold just before half-time when Alexander Sørloth seemingly bundled one into his own net. Their celebrations were short-lived though, as VAR spotted Brais Méndez in an offside position affecting the play.
More frustration followed after the break when a legitimate Oyarzabal onside position was incorrectly flagged. Talk about a baptism of fire! Things went from bad to worse when Sørloth put Atlético ahead minutes later.
Fighting spirit emerges
However, this is where we saw the real difference in La Real’s mentality. Rather than folding, they responded brilliantly with Guedes equalizing just five minutes after going behind.
From there, the Basque side were absolutely running the show:
- Turrientes and Kubo both forced stunning saves from Oblak
- The Japanese star kept causing havoc down the right
- Soler came inches away from a dramatic winner
The stats don’t lie - 18 shots against Atlético Madrid tells its own story. But the two persistent problems remained unsolved: finding enough goals and turning draws into wins.
Connection with the fans
Despite the frustration of not getting three points, there were promising signs as Matarazzo joined his players for a lap of appreciation after the final whistle. The Anoeta faithful responded with warm applause, recognizing the improved performance if not the result.
All eyes now turn to Friday’s crucial trip to Getafe, where La Real desperately need to start climbing the table. If they play like this again but add some clinical finishing, they’ll be laughing all the way to the bank.