Oyarzabal hails Matarazzo debut as 'good first step' for struggling La Real
Real Sociedad captain Mikel Oyarzabal sees positives from new manager Pellegrino Matarazzo's first match despite being unable to break his scoring drought against Atlético.
Real Sociedad’s talismanic captain believes the team’s performance against Atlético Madrid offers hope for a turnaround under new gaffer Pellegrino Matarazzo, as La Real look to climb away from the danger zone.
Captain’s approval
Mikel Oyarzabal has given his thumbs up to Matarazzo’s debut in the dugout, taking to Instagram with an encouraging message about the team’s direction. “Buen primer paso para lo queremos ser,” wrote the skipper, adding that together they’ll achieve the necessary results.
The Spain international was inches away from making an even bigger impact in the new manager’s first game. He had two clear-cut chances in the first half that missed by the narrowest of margins, and later had penalty shouts waved away after a challenge from Oblak.
Not that he didn’t leave his mark on proceedings. The captain was instrumental in La Real’s equalizer against Atleti:
- First providing a clever headed layoff to start the move
- Then making a brilliant decoy run to drag Marcos Llorente away
- Creating the space for Gonçalo Guedes to finish
Missing man
It’s no coincidence that Real Sociedad’s slide toward the relegation places accelerated during Oyarzabal’s absence. The Basque outfit suffered three consecutive defeats while their number 10 was sidelined with a muscle injury, sending them tumbling down the table.
His return couldn’t be more timely as Matarazzo looks to get his tenure off to a proper start. The American-born German coach will be hoping his captain can rediscover his scoring touch quickly, as La Real desperately need points on the board.
For Oyarzabal, who’s been the dog’s dinner for the Txuri-urdin in recent seasons, leading this revival will be personal. The homegrown talent has been a rare bright spot in what’s been a disappointing campaign so far.
What next?
While a draw against Atlético Madrid represents a decent start, tougher tests lie ahead. The real measure of Matarazzo’s impact will come in the next few fixtures as La Real attempt to climb away from the drop zone.
With their captain back fit and firing, and apparently buying into the new manager’s methods, there’s cautious optimism around Anoeta that this could be the beginning of a proper turnaround.