The reality of a month, a week, even a day is never that of the next, especially in football. But one month before facing this surprising Real Sociedad team in the round of 16 first leg of the Champions League (February 14 at the Parc des Princes), Luis Enrique and his players may have rubbed their hands in front of the derby Basque, lost this Saturday early evening by the Txuri-Urdinak against neighbors Athletic Club de Bilbao (2-1).
Six points separated Athletic (4th, 38 points) at kickoff, tied with Atlético de Madrid (5th), Real Sociedad (6th, 32 points) and for Ciel et Blanc, the opportunity was great to catch up with the leading peloton. Unfortunately for them, logic was respected and the Bilbao players, despite the absence of their star striker Inaki Williams, at the CAN with Ghana, dominated the meeting.
They were notably able to count on the youngest Williams, Nico, involved in his two goals in the first period. It is first with him that the former left side of PSG Yuri Berchiche calls for a good one-two on the left, before centering hard at ground level a ball which pierces Zubeldia and Marrero to reach Berenguer, alone in front of the goal (1-0, 29th).
It’s him again who makes a lightning call, which will perhaps give ideas to Kylian Mbappé, between the two Real centrals Le Normand and Zubeldia to carry the ball towards the surface. At the end of the action and a good mix-up in front of Marrero’s goals, Berenguer, again, finds himself in a good position to make the break with a well-placed shot (2-0, 42nd).
In a heated derby, punctuated by several neck grabs between players from rival clubs, Real, also deprived of a key attacker in the person of the Japanese Takefusa Kubo, called upon by Japan for the Asian Cup, had all the trouble in the world to exist offensively. His first shot on target was enough to hit the mark, at the very end of the match, when captain Oyarzabal was well placed to deflect a fleeing shot from Munoz (2-1, 89th). Enough to provide a fiery end to the match, but not enough to pick up the score.
After a victory in the Copa del Rey round of 16 to start the year off well, last week against Malaga (0-1), Real Sociedad plunged back into the championship on the wrong foot. The Basques have only one victory in their last six matches in La Liga and are now hanging their tongue in the standings, closer to 7th Las Palmas (4 points) than to 5th Atlético (6 points ahead). For its part, Athletic takes 3rd place in the ranking.
