Matarazzo's magic touch finally falters at the Bernabéu

Real Sociedad’s honeymoon period under Pellegrino Matarazzo has finally hit the buffers in the Spanish capital, as Los Blancos delivered a reality check to the American coach and his high-flying Basque outfit.

Nine-match unbeaten streak snapped

The New Jersey-born gaffer won’t be saving any postcards from his first visit to the Santiago Bernabéu, despite admitting beforehand how excited he was about the occasion. Madrid showed no mercy, handing La Real a 4-1 hammering that ended Matarazzo’s remarkable nine-match unbeaten streak since taking the reins in San Sebastián.

Since his January 4th debut, Matarazzo had been absolutely mustard with six wins and three draws, including:

• A creditable 1-1 draw with Atlético Madrid in his debut
• Impressive 2-1 victory over Barcelona
• Advancing to Copa del Rey semifinals after beating Alavés 3-2
• The crucial 1-0 away win at Athletic Bilbao in the first leg of the Copa semifinals

Rotation backfires

With four matches in just 11 days, Matarazzo understandably shuffled his pack for the Madrid trip. Igor Zubeldia, Aihen Muñoz, Yangel Herrera and Wesley came in for Duje Caleta-Car, Sergio Gómez, Beñat Turrientes and Gonçalo Guedes.

The plan seemed to be working a treat for the first 25 minutes with the scores level, but then came six minutes of pure nightmare as Madrid raced into a 3-1 lead, eventually settling on 4-1.

Rest and recovery

Knowing when to take the L and move on, Matarazzo has wisely given his squad two and a half days off to recharge their batteries. They won’t return to training at Zubieta until Tuesday afternoon, when preparations begin for Real Oviedo’s visit to Anoeta.

That fixture now takes on added importance - win, and European qualification remains firmly on the cards; lose, and those old doubts might start creeping back into the dressing room after their Madrid bubble burst.