Football Season Guide

A 13th placed finish wasn’t what Real Sociedad had hoped for from the 2017/18 campaign, but that’s what they got. Under Eusebio and his possession-based approach, they often dominated the midfield, but they struggled to get the ball forward and to turn their possession into chances and, ultimately, into goals. Real Sociedad also suffered in defence last year, partly as a result of injuries and partly due to the massive drop-off in performance from starting goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli. They even signed the experienced Miguel Antonio Moya halfway through the season to compete with Rulli and to try to solve this issue. Looking ahead to next year, Real Sociedad are taking a bit of a step into the unknown. They have hired a new coach, with Asier Garitano arriving after doing such a wonderful job with minnows Leganes. There are some concerns, though, as to how his tactics will fit with Real Sociedad. Garitano’s Leganes usually played responsive football, sitting deep and attacking on the counter. Real Sociedad have too good a squad to become a purely counterpunching team, but at the same time they do want to become a bit more direct than they were under Eusebio. In terms of their personnel, Real Sociedad’s squad hasn’t changed all that much. They’ve lost Spain international right-back Alvaro Odriozola to Real Madrid, but have hired right-back Joseba Zaldua from Leganes, where he had played well and where he had a good relationship with Garitano. Elsewhere, the Basque club have signed Mikel Merino from Newcastle, which has been viewed as quite a coup, while the only other losses they’ve had have been backup players or veterans. It should be noted that Real Sociedad are doing up their stadium at the moment and, for that reason, will play on the road for the first three matches of the new campaign. However, once they return home the atmosphere should be improved compared to last year, when one half of the stadium was essentially a building site. It’ll be good news for them if this translates into a few more home victories.