David Moyes Deserves Credit for Taking on Real Sociedad Challenge

After an ill-fated spell at Manchester United, David Moyes went from one of the most revered and respected managers in the English game to a commodity not too far short of a laughing stock.

His reputation sullied, the 51-year-old went from the man who galvanized Everton into perennial over-achievement to a failure of a coach who couldn’t handle the forensic focus heaped upon him at Old Trafford in just 10 turbulent months.

With that in mind, it is perhaps understandable that the Scot has sought ought a fresh managerial challenge abroad. Nonetheless, eyebrows have been raised by plenty in the wake of the announcement by Basque club Real Sociedad that the former Red Devil will take the hot seat at the Anoeta.

Moyes has regularly hinted throughout the course of his coaching career that he might be privy to a move away from English football, and he deserves great credit for taking on a challenge many established managers would shy away from. But if he can conquer a few obstacles, the former Everton boss has a wonderful opportunity to broaden his horizons.

He can rebuild his dilapidated perception too, and do so without the intense hyperbole that would have accompanied every single decision he made should he have taken a job in the pressure cooker environment of the Premier League. But that’s not to say taking the La Real role is a guaranteed catalyst for success, for there are some big challenges facing the club’s new manager.

But encouraging for Sociedad, they are tests that Moyes has faced before and overcome with relative distinction. Like Everton, La Real are a blue-collar club in the north of the country, with a passionate fanbase and an understatedly proud history. They’re a selling club in earnest, but the emergence of players like Asier Illarramendi, Antoine Griezmann and Xabi Alonso from the club’s San Sebastian academy points towards a fine youth development system.

Like the Toffees, the fans strive for a generation past—they too enjoyed golden years in the 1980s—but are realistic to know that they don’t have the financial muscle to compete with the leagues big players, never mind expedite an astonishing rise towards the peak of Spain’s top flight. But that will not be expected of Moyes.

Currently languishing down in 19th in the table, the Sociedad hierarchy have surely drafted in his steady hand to inject some much needed consistency into the team’s play. The former Everton boss has a history of working well on a limited budget too, something he’ll have to do once again if he’s to astutely bolster his squad in January.

A look at their results this season reveal both the problems and potential of this side; they’ve only won two of their 11 La Liga games so far this season, but remarkably, those triumphs came against European champions Real Madrid and Spanish champions Atletico Madrid.

So clearly there are plenty of talented players for Moyes to work with. Carlos Vela is one of the finest forward players in La Liga, while Inigo Martinez is a young player that is blossoming into an excellent ball-playing central defender. The play-making skills of Xabi Prieto have long been appreciated at the Anoeta too, while the untamed ability of Sergio Canales could be a major attacking weapon should Moyes channel his talent appropriately.

The Scot’s principles as a coach should immediately shore this team up and inject a cohesive streak into their play. But will a compromise on technical values in favor of defensive diligence go down well with the Anoeta faithful?

If it’s a catalyst for their immediate ascension away from the relegation zone then perhaps. Plus, Sociedad are a club that have typical British principles impinged in their history; their previous managers include John Toshack, who has managed Sociedad on three separate occasions, and current Wales manager Chris Coleman.

But you suspect that long-term, and given the intricate players Moyes will have at his disposal, they’ll be expecting their team to play with a continental panache. As such Moyes will have to adapt his own stylistic mantras, and you suspect that is something he will be acutely aware of as he gets set to sample La Liga’s landscape.

But in fairness to the man, during his last season at Everton, the Toffees began to play a much more expansive game; at United he never really had the time to implement those principles in earnest.

The language barrier is also something that Moyes must also overcome quickly, especially when dealing with a crop of players that seem in desperate need of motivation. Whether he will have Spanish lessons, Basque lessons or hires a translator—something that worked out well for Bobby Robson when he appointed Jose Mourinho at Barcelona—remains to be seen.

Notwithstanding, this is undeniably ideal move for the Glaswegian. Sociedad are a far-cry from relegation fodder—Moyes’ Manchester United actually faced them in the Champions League last season—but to dismiss their problems as quick-fix would be mawkish. There is great potential for improvement in this team.

The same could also be said of Moyes, who has taken a step out of his comfort zone to tackle an unfamiliar challenge head-on. It’s one that the vast majority of managers would have shirked, but if it’s a job he does well, then he should emerge from his Basque adventure not only with his reputation revitalised, but as a manager with many more desirable facets to his make-up.

Follow Matt on Twitter @MattJFootball