There was a lot of optimism surrounding David Moyes and Real Sociedad at the start of the season. The prospect of the former Everton and Manchester United manager making the team his own by signing the players he deemed necessary for his brand of football was very promising.
It came after a season, in which he hauled the club out of a relegation fight, coaching players who he didn’t sign and, for the vast majority anyway, spoke a completely different language, making for a commendable start to his career in Spain.
The players who were signed only added to the hype and sense that Moyes was the man to return La Real to the top half of the table. Jonathas is a striker who netted 14 goals last season for Elche, Asier Illaramendi an exceptional midfielder, who simply could not find his feet at Real Madrid, and Bruma a precocious talent, who added some unpredictability to the side.
Yet it has been a slow start to the season, one akin to many of Moyes’ years at Everton, where the Toffees often started off poorly and invariably seemed to finish very strongly. He will certainly be praying that it doesn’t go the way of his tenure in Manchester.
Four games without a win, and nothing seemed to be going right for La Real. On Saturday at Anoeta, it looked as though they were on course for a point against Espanyol with only 10 men after Geronimo Rulli’s red card, but they conceded in the 90th minute, much to Moyes’ vexation.
Finally on Tuesday, however, they got their win. The Coach was rewarded for his fidelity towards Imanol Agirretxe, who had been brought back into the team against Espanyol due to Jonathas’ inability to find the net, bagging a hat-trick against Granada. Despite the Brazilian getting a goal when coming on last week, his action of dissent shown towards the dugout probably helped Moyes choose his striker for trip to Los Carmenes. Jonathas needs to be patient and stoical in this situation and take his next chance when it eventually comes, for Moyes is not a Coach who will concede to petulant acts like his on Saturday.
Nonetheless, the win against Granada comes at a perfect time, given that the Basque derby against Athletic Bilbao this Sunday is the biggest game season upon season for La Real. But despite the victory on Tuesday, the performance was by no means remarkable. Granada boss Jose Ramon Sandoval described his players as “headless chickens” after the game, highlighting that perhaps the opposition were not at their strongest to face Moyes’ men.
There is no doubt that luck has been against them, but there were periods of the game against Granada when the Basques were very sluggish. There seemed to be a sloppiness to their play that permeated throughout the team, with passes carelessly going astray too often. In order for La Real to start winning games consistently and against more formidable opponents, this must be eradicated.
On the other hand, and significantly, they seem to be back among the goals, with five in the past two games, compared to none in the first three. This is absolutely paramount for the San Sebastian outfit, and if Jonathas can start scoring more frequently, along with Agirretxe, then Moyes will have options. Illara’s importance to the team has also been underlined by the Scot.
“Asier Illarramendi was the best player on the pitch [against Granada], both physically and in attack,” he said after the match. “We need strong, physical players because we hadn’t been good in that department.”
Moyes will be hoping for a win against La Real’s most bitter rivals, in what is a crunch game for both sides, but they must show a marked improvement. Win, and their outlook for the season will be looking a lot more auspicious. Lose, and the pressure on Moyes could become intolerable.
