“I’m not going to single out any player, especially when they give their all. Here, when we win, we all win and, when we fail, we all fail,” said Imanol Alguacil two weeks ago, following a series of missed chances by Umar Sadiq that saw their Copa del Rey semi-final first leg with Real Mallorca end 0-0. It’s not been the case of late though.
Following several frustrating weeks, with Real Sociedad failing to score in any of their last five games, Alguacil’s outburst against Hamari Traore was uncharacteristic for the Basque coach. He singled out the Senegalese for receiving treatment while his side were defending a corner.
Prior to that run even, he had also clipped the ears of Ander Barrenetxea, saying “he has to improve much more, his standards have lowered.” Meanwhile after defeat to Osasuna last weekend, Alguacil told the press that central defender Jon Pacheco ‘needed to win more duels’, despite a generally solid performance.
Even so, Marca do say that that they are under the impression that Alguacil did speak with Traore after his comments, ensuring it did not grow any bigger. His work is beyond question, and words of his players suggest that they both love and admire him, but there is no doubt that his side are exasperating him over the last month.
