Pellegrino Matarazzo didn’t come straight to Spain with the pedigree of Xabi Alonso at Real Madrid, or Hansi Flick at Barcelona, but his impact at Real Sociedad was immediate.
The first American coach of LaLiga has orchestrated a dramatic turnaround in the fortunes of a club that has been in ailing state for at least 18 months. With just three defeats in 16 games in all competitions, La Real have risen from 16th when he took over, to seventh and into the thick of Europe’s competition.
The Basque team is also 90 minutes away from winning the trophy, thanks to a fantastic run in the Copa del Rey. They are clear underdogs in the final against Atletico Madrid according to South African football betting odds, but on current form they have got all the odds in Seville.
Carnival drums and fan engagement
In his fourth game in charge, Matarazzo led Real Sociedad to a 2-1 win over Barcelona. It was the week of tamborradathe festival of San Sebastian where the city flag is raised and marching bands play in the streets. Before the game, Matarazzo said tamborrada It can be profitable, and it proved.
Flick’s team arrived in the Basque Country on an 11-game winning streak, and they played well. Barca had two goals disallowed and hit the post several times, but it wasn’t enough. Real Sociedad’s football was not that good. There were blocks, key saves from Alex Remiro, and plenty of shots from Barca, but the atmosphere under Matarazzo was palpable.
Remiro and captain Mikel Oyarzabal were among the players who spoke freely about the revolutionary impact the American had. Oyarzabal praised Matarazzo for embracing Basque values and bringing a lot of momentum to the team.
That tenacity was the main thread during the first nine-game unbeaten run under the new regime. There are no clear patterns otherwise. La Real weren’t beating teams, they weren’t keeping many clean sheets and they were sharing the goalscoring duties equally – although Oyarzabal was very impressive.
Real Sociedad are delighted to have Oyarzabal firing again. He missed four games in November and December when he injured a muscle, the captain did not start scoring against Matarazzo. However, since the Barcelona game, he has been one of the most outstanding players in LaLiga.
Matarazzo exceeds all expectations in the Basque Country
Until La Real’s 4-1 defeat against Real Madrid in mid-February, the 48-year-old was in charge. That result was expected on some levels, given the dramatic turnaround to win 1-0 in Bilbao against Athletic Club in the first leg of the Copa del Rey semi-final just 72 hours earlier.
Matarazzo is not one to mince words. After that victory over the reigning Spanish champions, he said “Barcelona were very dominant; in everything, it was a bit of luck”.
He was asked if he could think of a better start to his time at Real Sociedad than seven points from nine. “Yes, nine of you” was the reply.
The start may not have gone well, but Matarazzo immediately instilled a fighting spirit that La Real lacked before. Having declined in their final season under long-serving coach Imanol Alguacil, Sergio Francisco’s short reign ended with three league defeats against Villarreal, Alaves and Girona in December.
Matarazzo was far from an obvious choice to replace her. He was an almost unknown name in Spain, having only coached in Germany, with VfB Stuttgart and TSG Hoffenheim.
At both clubs, he won almost a third of his games, and not many experts would say he set the world on fire. However, early signs suggest he has found the perfect home in the Basque Country, with Real Sociedad’s sudden revival under the American one of the stories of the season in Spain so far.
Where do La Real go from here?
European degrees are now visible. Last season there was chaos with Real Sociedad’s failure to get any continental games. They dropped to 11th place after five consecutive top-six finishes under Imanol.
A strong finish to the campaign could see the San Sebastian club return to the Champions League stage, with Spain in good shape to secure an extra spot at Europe’s top table once again. Matarazzo’s side currently trail fifth-placed Real Betis by six points, but Los Verdiblancos are in poor form as they have gone five without a win in the league.
Celta Vigo are three points better, while just one point currently separates Real Sociedad in seventh place and Espanyol in 11th. La Real will need to hold form if they want to secure European football through the league.
However, inevitably much of the excitement in Gipuzkoa will now turn to the Copa del Rey final on Saturday 18th April in La Cartuja. Victory would guarantee qualification for the Europa League, but more importantly it would bring a seventh major trophy, and be the club’s second piece of silverware since the 1980s.
Not even four months after starting the job, Matarazzo has the chance to write his name in the history of Real Sociedad forever.
Daniel is a soccer fan from Spain. He has extensive knowledge of LaLiga history and closely follows current events in Spain’s top flight.
