Philippe Montanier has brushed off suggestions that Real Sociedad can only play well at home, but does believe Levante won’t be easy hosts on Sunday.
La Real travel to the Ciutat de Valencia this weekend with a Jekyll and Hyde record in the League so far this term, with two wins at Anoeta matched against two defeats on the road.
However, in taking questions for a successive Press conference on the matter, Montanier looked to set reporters straight.
“I prefer to talk about specific games. In Mallorca the first half was good, but the second was not,” he asserted today.
“The other game we played on the road was against Barcelona and for me that field cannot be a reference. In the final weeks of last season the team played well and only lost once.
“We drew at Malaga when down to 10 men and we took another draw away from Atletico Madrid. That’s the way it has gone.
“To not win on the road so far is not a problem only for La Real. Everything has to be earned, we are working towards changing things and I am convinced that we have the means to get good results when playing away.
“We want to take our first points as a visiting side this weekend. We know we will not win every point at Anoeta and need to accumulate some away from home to have a balance. It is a challenge for us, but certainly not an obsession.”
From six previous visits away to Levante in La Primera and Segunda, La Real have won once and lost five times, and Montanier admitted that it won’t be easy this Week 5 either, even though the hosts were in Europa League action on late Thursday.
“Their win against Helsingborgs will eliminate any fatigue and will give them confidence. It will be a hard game.”
