Esto va en serio
With a hop, a skip and jump, Mikel Oyarzabal proved he has lost none of his reliability from the penalty spot in his absence. The ball rolled in the opposite direction to Unai Simón, which sent the Reale Arena jumping, and the Txuri-Urdin fans hopping and skipping home.
Real Sociedad came out on top of the Basque derby 3-1 on Saturday night, albeit with the aid of a dubious penalty and an even more suspect sending off, interject Athleticzales. Any derby is important, and any victory is significant, but there was more on the line here. This was a direct battle between two top four rivals. Against the side that have the reputation for being the most likely to rush their opponents, La Real came screaming out in their faces, and it was two of those muggings that led to Takefusa Kubo and Oyarzabal adding to Alexander Sørloth’s opener.
While it could be reduced to five by the end of the weekend, it extended the gap between Real Sociedad and fifth-placed Real Betis to seven points. They are closer to leaders Barcelona. Few sides have been as consistent as La Real since Imanol Alguacil took the job, and it is worth noting that we have been in this situation before. They tend to start the season strong, before a busy calendar and key injuries intervene in order to coagulate their attack at the wrong time. Those drop-offs have left them looking longingly up at the top four, knowing that they are ever so close to making their excellent seasons into glorious ones.
Yet this season, the optimism is based on an even more stable trunk of evidence. The triumvirate of Martín Zubimendi, Mikel Merino and David Silva have been maintained, with the latter looking as fit as he has done since arriving. There are new heroes this season too though, sprouting in the final third. Sørloth is not prolific, but has been leading the line with force all season - when the moment presented itself, he took his goal with three touches of the highest class. Kubo has been rescued from disappointing wonderkid status to become a firecracker. Both in attitude and quality, he has been amongst the best in LaLiga. Behind them, Braís Mendez looked a smart addition, but nobody predicted he would become the top-scoring midfielder in Spain (7).
So far the plague of injuries has been treated. Umar Sadiq’s unfortunate anterior cruciate ligament should have left them toothless. Still, La Real have the joint-third best attack. Tragically, Oyarzabal missed the World Cup, but the break might end up benefitting Real Sociedad, with their captain now back in the fold.
Around them, none of their rivals appear to be capable of putting a run of wins together so far. The team that kept them out of the Champions League over the last three years, Sevilla, are only out of the relegation zone on goal difference. Looking ahead, Real Sociedad will not have to return to European action until March, having pipped Manchester United to top spot in their group. In LaLiga, Real Madrid are the only side in the top eight that they face before April.
The calendar is deceptive this season and absurdly, we are yet to reach the halfway point. Imanol Alguacil, the modest boss behind all of it, will know how hard it is to sustain this form over an entire season. This is the best shot he will have at the top four though. The battle, the bite and the vivacious nature of this La Real will root the faith that they can make the jump this year. It’s a dandy time to be in Donostia.