<div><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" class="alignnone size-large wp-image-88060" title="de-gea-moyes" src="https:\/\/ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https:\/\/images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/WST_20131105_WST_88002_de-gea-moyes-600x337.webp&amp;width=600&amp;height=337" alt="" width="600" height="337" srcset="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/11/de-gea-moyes-600x337.jpg 600w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/11/de-gea-moyes-150x84.jpg 150w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/11/de-gea-moyes-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2013/11/de-gea-moyes.jpg 749w" sizes="(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px"></figure></div>
Despite their early season struggles in the Premier League, Manchester United enter today’s Champions League encounter against Real Sociedad on top of Group A with seven points after three matches. With road games in Spain today and later in Group A in Germany (Bayer Leverkusen) followed by a home match with Shakhtar Donetsk, United know that collecting four points from these next three fixtures will guarantee their progression to the knockout stage of the European club tournament. The trickiest of their return matches will be&nbsp;against Bayer Leverkusen and Shakhtar Donetsk. So it is imperative that Manchester United take maximum points today in the Anoeta Stadium.
In October, United were able to string together positive results as players found their form and returned from injury, while David Moyes became more familiar with his squad. Although their opponents weren’t world beaters, United still finished October undefeated in all competitions. And they started off November the right way by traveling to London and blitzing Fulham by scoring three goals in the opening 22 minutes before easing to a 3-1 win.
Programming note: For viewers in the United States, the match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United is being shown exclusively on&nbsp;FOX Sports 1 and&nbsp;<a href="http:\/\/www.foxsoccer.tv/?WT.mc_id=AFF_EPLTALK" target="_blank">FOX Soccer 2Go</a>&nbsp;at 2:30pm ET.
United have made the best of a relatively easy fixture list. Over the span of seven matches, they have won five and drawn two. Their victories have come over Sunderland, Real Sociedad, Stoke City, Norwich City and Fulham. United’s toughest competition&nbsp;came from Southampton and Shakhtar Donetsk, and the Red Devils were only able to leave those games with draws.
The reigning Premier League champions were hit with injury news following their recent encounter at Fulham. Full-back Rafael da Silva will miss the tie against Real Sociedad after suffering ankle ligament damage this past weekend. Manchester United have arrived in Spain without Danny Welbeck, Michael Carrick, and Jonny Evans. The loss of Rafael and Evans will further hamper United’s defense which, so far this season, has only kept four clean sheets in all competitions.
Chris Smalling may be a replacement for Rafael at right back while Rio Ferdinand is fit and should be in line for a start today. But whether or not David Moyes will risk starting Nemanja Vidic in three consecutive starts is yet to be seen. The Serbian center back played 90 minutes last Tuesday and on Saturday. In the past, United have hesitated to use him in consecutive matches.
Real Sociedad, meanwhile, are bottom of Group A with three losses in three matches. They have been undone by inexperience and poor luck. The Spanish club lost in the dying minutes against Bayern Leverkusen after conceding a late set-piece and fell to defeat at Old Trafford after an own-goal by Inigo Martinez turned out to be the only goal of the contest.
But their recent league form has seen them take ten points in four matches while hitting the back of the net for twelve goals. “La Real” have also won their last two home matches against Almeria and Osasuna by a combined score of 8-0. Over this period, they have scored almost half their goals from set-pieces, which should be troubling news for Manchester United considering the Reds’ lingering defensive issues.
Although their chances of progressing out of Group A are ‘slim’ at best, the Basques could still finish in third place, which would be good enough to place them in the last 32 of the Europa League. With pride and that in mind, the players have promised to make their fans proud when they host United today.
Antoine Griezmann has been in-form scoring six goals in his last four league games, while Xabi Prieto and Carlos Vela are looking stronger as the season moves on. Greizmann issued a rallying cry to his teammates prior to today’s Champions League match: “We are going to make it tough for United. We can beat anyone at Anoeta and we want to give the supporters something to cheer about.”
Manager Jagoba Arrasate added this, “They [United] are the champions. It is the same squad. They have a lot of potential and they are still a great team. But we have played better in our last two games and we can play better than we did at Old Trafford. We have nothing to fear and if we play our cards right, we can give them a scare.”
Real Sociedad’s attack&nbsp;is firing on all cylinders and their confidence is high,&nbsp;while United’s defense are still leaking goals. This&nbsp;points towards the&nbsp;English club&nbsp;having their work cut out for them today.
The news around United has been positive over the past few days as a consequence of their recent results. Management and players are convinced that their early season stumble has been rectified and the Red Devils are ready to push forward in the campaign. But questions will again be raised should they fall in Spain.
United’s remaining European fixtures are daunting and a poor result today would only raise tensions with their supporters. A hard-earned three points in the Anoeta would relieve&nbsp;most of the pressure United faces in Europe, calm the nerves of their supporters, while practically securing their place in the knockout phase of the competition.
Editor’s note: Stay on top of the latest United news, opinion and analysis on our <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/category/manchester-united/">Manchester United team page</a>.

Manchester United’s Recent Form Will Be Tested Against Real Sociedad - World Soccer Talk

Manchester United’s Recent Form Will Be Tested Against Real Sociedad

<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>On the path Real Sociedad is heading, there will be no need to celebrate promotion to the Primera División as they did here in June because they will stay in La Liga.</div>
For a club with an illustrious history, a three-year internment in the purgatory of the Segunda División almost erased the San Sebastián club from the collective consciousness. &nbsp;As with most historical clubs who end up falling to the second division in the past couple of decades (Leeds United, Napoli, Marseille, etc.), the main problem stemmed from crippling financial woes, and in the case of Real Sociedad, they were forced to enter the ignominy of administration in 2007.
As late as the 2002-03 season, the Erreala finished second in La Liga, pipped at the death by Real Madrid by a mere two points. &nbsp;Leading the Madridistas by a point in the penultimate round, Sociedad lost at Balaídos to Celta de Vigo 3-2 while Real Madrid humbled Atlético Madrid 0-4 at the Vicente Calderón with two braces from Raúl and the original Ronaldo. &nbsp;It was no shame for Sociedad to lose at Celta, who would finish fourth that campaign to continue a six-season streak of top-seven finishes, but a final day 3-0 win at Anoeta over Atlético Madrid ultimately came in vain as Real handled Athletic Bilbao 3-1 at the Bernabéu with another Ronaldo double to secure Madrid’s 29th Spanish crown.

That halcyon year, however, was sandwiched in between four seasons previous and four seasons afterward that saw Sociedad finish tenth or worse, and the man that is currently the president of the LFP, José Luís Astiazarán, eventually led Sociedad into the downward spiral as Real Sociedad president before being elected as the head of Spanish professional football in 2005.
With the core of that second-place team gone from Sociedad by 2007 (Xabi Alonso, Nihat Kahveci, Darko Kovacevic, Valeri Karpin, and Agustín Aranzábal), they finished five points from safety and were relegated. &nbsp;With no parachute payments for the relegated teams like what the Premier League does for its relegated clubs, they could not bounce back into La Liga immediately, so three hard years with the likes of Numancia and Xerez promoted ahead of Real Sociedad only threw more dirt on their increasingly covered coffin.
What made the difference last season to earn promotion as the winners of the Segunda División? &nbsp;Antoine Griezmann, please stand up.
Looking at Griezmann just for his physical numbers, he does not jump out as a physical specimen. &nbsp;At a gangly 5′ 8″, his slight stature did not impress any of the clubs in his native France, and only in a chance encounter did the Real Sociedad scouts witness Griezmann’s burgeoning talent in a friendly youth match between Montpellier and Paris Saint-Germain in 2005.
At the tender age of 14 at the time, Sociedad offered Griezmann a one-week trial, then a second-week trial, and then a full youth contract to cross the border and train with the Sociedad youth team. &nbsp;Climbing the ladder within the youth ranks of Sociedad, new Sociedad trainer Martín Lasarte saw enough of the young, 19-year-old Frenchman to give him his professional debut at the beginning of the 2009-10 season, and he immediately became a regular with the first team. &nbsp;Slotted on the left of the three man attacking midfield in Lasarte’s 4-2-3-1 formation, he assisted in numerous goals for Carlos Bueno, Xabi Prieto, and Imanol Agirretxe while providing six goals of his own.
When Real Sociedad officially earned promotion on June 13, 2010, ironically it was a defeat of Celta de Vigo in the penultimate round, the same team that essentially tore the La Liga trophy away from Real in the penultimate round in 2003.
Coming into the 2010-11 La Liga season, Martín Lasarte set out a modest goal of avoiding relegation by reaching the forty-point mark, an aspiration held by all promoted teams. &nbsp;If Lasarte stressed patience with this inexperienced team, their opening round 1-0 victory over Villarreal accelerated expectations for captain Mikel Aranburu’s club. &nbsp;With a settled squad, a couple of new recruits in €2.4 million striker Joseba Llorente and €1.5 million striker Diego Ifrán, whom Lasarte coached while he was at Danubio in Uruguay, and a contract extension for Lasarte through 2012, the Sociedad board’s prudent practices under president Jokin Aperribay look to have returned Real Sociedad back into a stable first division club.
In a respectable ninth place with a chance to climb within one point of a Europa League place heading into the late Sunday kickoff against Atlético Madrid, Lasarte’s men felt confident that they could earn the three points against los colchoneros at Anoeta.
Sociedad had won four of its first five home matches with the one blemish coming against Real Madrid, where Sociedad deserved a share of the points, outplaying Real for large stretches of the match. &nbsp;An Ángel di María golazo and a Cristiano Ronaldo free kick that came off Pepe’s back prevented Sociedad from a landmark victory. &nbsp;Add to the facts that Atlético had not won in San Sebastián since 1991 and had&nbsp;never won at the Estadio Anoeta since it was opened in 1993 gave Sociedad more motivation to defeat Atlético Madrid.
For the first forty-five minutes, Real Sociedad’s defense, which had only given up two goals at home for the season, limited Atlético to potshots from outside the area and the odd header from corner kicks. &nbsp;The txuri-urdin only had three shots for the entire half, but all three were on target and came on three separate scoring chances. &nbsp;Their goal came from a slice of Antoine Griezmann magic, where he mesmerized Luís Amaranto Perea with his footwork and crossed to the six-yard box in a flash, where it is still unclear after many replays whether Tomáš&nbsp;Ujfaluši or Joseba Llorente got the final touch, but Llorente received credit for the goal. &nbsp;On the two other scoring opportunities, David de Gea just got to the ball in the box before Llorente could get a touch, and Llorente’s extended foot in the air from Xabi Prieto’s cross was inches away from making contact with the ball and giving his team a priceless 2-0 lead.
While Atlético seized control in the second half while Sociedad sat back to protect their one-goal advantage, a fifteen second splice of time in the 71st minute turned the match around from a potential 2-0 scoreline for Sociedad to a 1-1 equalizer for Atlético.
Referee Miguel Ángel&nbsp;Ayza Gámez did not blow his whistle for an apparent handball on Tiago Mendes in the box after Ion Ansotegui flicked the ball in Tiago’s direction, and immediately after the no-call, Atlético countered and converted to equalize. &nbsp;José Antonio Reyes started the&nbsp;lightning-quick counter-attack from the disputed call with a sixty yard diagonal ball that found Sergio Agüero in stride at the top of the penalty area, and with a two-on-two with the Sociedad defense, Agüero cut back the ball for Forlán in the box, and Forlán made no mistake with his effort to the left near post and past a stunned Claudio Bravo. &nbsp;Naturally, the Sociedad players acted with justified disgust and dismay after Ayza Gámez refused the penalty calls, but one of the basic tenets of football is to play to the whistle, and they let their guard down for a few seconds, and Atlético capitalized for the tying goal.
If Sociedad felt wronged for Atlético’s first goal, their heads exploded after Atlético’s second goal because&nbsp;the linesman did not call Agüero offside even though he was more than a body length off.
Atlético Madrid would win the match 2-4, capping off nineteen years of frustration in San Sebastián, but Martín Lasarte summarized the match perfectly in his comments to MARCA following this loss:
<blockquote>“Losing is always a bitter feeling but harder to accept in certain circumstances. &nbsp;We tried our best to get a result.”</blockquote>
On pace for fifty-one points and a mid-table finish, Real Sociedad is heading in the right direction both on and off the pitch. &nbsp;While this loss to Atlético Madrid comes with an extra sting because of two no-calls by the referee crew that directly led to two Atlético goals, they can take solace in the idea that they controlled a potential Champions League team for seventy minutes without needing to play perfectly to keep their 1-0 lead.
These types of performances at home will keep Real Sociedad in La Liga for next season and the foreseeable future, and while Antoine Griezmann will likely get snapped up by one of the big European clubs within a year or two, the potential sale of their best talent since Xabi Alonso could continue the renaissance of a club that was an original founder of La Liga in 1928 and has been instrumental in weaving the fabric of Spanish football for the past century.
Fueras de Juego
– Juan Manuel Lillo and Pep Guardiola are close friends, stemming from their time together at Mexican club Dorados de Sinaloa when Lillo was the manager and Guardiola was in his last year as a player. &nbsp;When Guardiola’s Barcelona team hardly played at full form yet won at Almería 0-8 on Saturday, it did not give Guardiola any joy not only because he demoralized and crushed one of his mentors but because Lillo was subsequently sacked following the match. &nbsp;The 0-8 scoreline tied Barcelona’s biggest away win in their history when they defeated Las Palmas 0-8 in 1959. &nbsp;The aura of inevitability and fatalism in the crowd said all that needed to be said, as they did not even make the effort to boo, whistle, or jeer their team with Almería falling six, seven, and eight goals down.
– Not to be outdone by Barcelona’s performance, Real Madrid shook off any notion of a trap game against Athletic Bilbao with an emphatic 5-1 win at the Bernabéu. &nbsp;Cristiano Ronaldo matched Lionel Messi’s hat trick with a hat trick of his own, and while Athletic made it hard for Real for the first hour of the match, an idea foreign to Almería against Barcelona, Real eventually turned on the class and shoved Athletic away with Barcelona now squarely in their crosshairs next Monday night. &nbsp;Real does have a difficult match at Ajax in the Champions League in the midweek, but with qualification to the knockout round already secured, expect a much changed lineup for Ajax to have their best starting eleven healthy for El Clásico.
– Villarreal and Valencia played to a mildly entertaining 1-1 draw in the Valencian derby in the opening match of the round, but more importantly, the draw, combined with the Real and Barça wins, has enlarged the gulf between Real Madrid and Barcelona and the rest of La Liga. &nbsp;Villarreal currently sits third, eight points behind Real Madrid and seven points behind Barcelona, and the only chance that Villarreal has to keep pace with them is for Villarreal to take care of business against Real Zaragoza while El Clásico ends in a draw. &nbsp;It only took twelve rounds to separate Barça and Real from the rest of Spain, and with the new TV deal giving them 34% of the money (17% for each) while the other professional teams split the remaining 66%, Real and Barcelona could make it a two-horse race earlier and earlier in the coming years.

La Liga Jornada 12 Review: Real Sociedad on the Up and Up Despite the Loss to Atlético Madrid - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Jornada 12 Review: Real Sociedad on the Up and Up Despite the Loss to Atlético Madrid

<div style="width: 510px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div>Can Jose Mourinho lead Karim Benzema back into the flock?</div>
With the reinstitution of the Galáctico policy following Florentino Pérez’s return as President of Real Madrid last summer, Pérez wasted no time in the second construction of his universe-beating side. &nbsp;Lost in the shuffle of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaká, and Xabi Alonso joining the club, Karim Benzema quietly transferred from Olympique Lyonnais to Real Madrid, if a €35 million transfer can be considered as quiet.
Real stalwart Gonzalo Higuaín and aging team legend and Real all-time goal-scorer Raúl González Blanco stood in the way of Karim Benzema from immediately usurping the starting center forward position in trainer (what managers are called in Spain) Manuel Pellegrini’s system. &nbsp;After a couple months of shuffling the starting eleven, Pellegrini justifiably relegated Benzema to a role as a super sub, marginalizing Benzema’s impact on the pitch.
Another summer of world-class player signings and a coaching change signaled a dying hope that Benzema would become more of the player that garnered €35 million for Lyon in 2009. &nbsp;No such luck for Benzema, as José Mourinho opted for his patented 4-2-3-1 with Gonzalo Higuaín as the lone figure up front. &nbsp;In his only start in La Liga this season against Osasuna, the Real Madrid attack played disjointedly, and Benzema ghosted through his seventy-one minute appearance with little to no impact.
With an important match against Hércules, the giant-killers of La Liga this season, Mourinho saw no reason to change a successful lineup, which meant another seat on the substitute’s bench for Karim Benzema.

If Real Madrid had any inclinations of cruising through their match against Hércules, the Greek demi-god punched them in the mouth early when David Trézéguet tallied the opening goal in the third minute. &nbsp;David Cortés provided the perfect cross from the right wing, and from just inside the penalty spot, Pepe could not recover to challenge Trézéguet in the air, and Trézéguet lofted his header to the right far post, where Iker Casillas could only watch helplessly as the ball nestled into his net.
Hércules has written this story in volumes this season. &nbsp;They sauntered into the Camp Nou without any visible signs of nervousness or tension and defeated Barcelona 0-2 on the backing of two Nelson Haedo Valdez strikes. &nbsp;At home against Sevilla, David Trézéguet notched a brace as they made los nervionenses look lifeless and diffident, ultimately costing Sevilla trainer Antonio Álvarez his job. &nbsp;On a Monday night, with Villarreal needing a win to sit on top of the mountain in La Liga for the first time in its history, Hércules did not treat their Valencian neighbors with such exaltation as they fought to a 2-2 draw after falling a man down for the majority of the second half.
Ángel di María equalized early in the second half after capitalizing on Hércules goalkeeper Juan Calatayud spillage from Cristiano Ronaldo’s thirty-yard speculative effort, and while Real heaped the pressure on Hércules, they could not fashion the killer chance that would give them the lead. &nbsp;With fifteen minutes left on the clock, José Mourinho made his first switch of the match, taking out the central defender Pepe and sending in striker Karim Benzema. &nbsp;While many note Mourinho for his ability to inspire his players and his acumen for defensively organizing his teams on the pitch with the control of an obsessive-compulsive, his adroitness to move the chess pieces around during the match remains understated.
After Benzema posted another poor game against Real Murcia in the Copa del Rey, no one would have been surprised if Benzema fell off Mourinho’s map completely. &nbsp;Before that Copa del Rey tie on Tuesday, Mourinho sent an ultimatum to his player concerning their Segunda División B hosts:
<blockquote>“If last year’s situation (at Alcorcon) repeats itself, I will cross those who play off my list because they will be dead to me.”</blockquote>
Mourinho invoked the spirit of Don Vito Corleone with that line, but with most of what Mourinho says during press conferences, these statements should be taken with a grain of salt. &nbsp;After Marcelo and sporting director Jorge Valdano vowed their support for Benzema, Mourinho reiterated his backing for the under-fire Benzema. &nbsp;At the Friday press conference preceding their Saturday match against Hércules, Mourinho encouraged Benzema while deflecting criticism of his player by taking pot shots at his rivals, a Mourinho specialty:
<blockquote>“The person primarily responsible for his performance is the player himself. &nbsp;The coach is simply an employee. &nbsp;He is not playing well, but he is not dead. &nbsp;We will try to improve him and get him to a level close to his potential. &nbsp;There are other teams who have other players who have cost a lot of money and have not gotten enough goals.”</blockquote>
This thinly veiled attack on “struggling” FC Barcelona striker David Villa surely had the scribes in the Madrid and Barcelona press in full typing and writing gear, which served Mourinho’s purpose perfectly, as it took the attention away from Benzema and on another topic.
Benzema could not hide behind Mourinho’s words anymore as he sent the French international in to change the match with a quarter of an hour left.
Hiding would be the antonym of what Benzema provided for los blancos, and six minutes after Benzema’s inclusion into the match, Real stunned the crowd in the Estadio José Rico Pérez with the go-ahead goal to make it 1-2.
Marcelo should get credit for most of that goal as his run down the left flank and up the end line, rounding David Cortés on the way with strength not normally associated with the Brazilian fullback, provided the decisive cutback pass for Benzema in the penalty area. &nbsp;With a striker’s instinct, Benzema’s first-time shot blistered at Calatayud’s goal, forcing Calatayud to parry it away with aplomb due to the velocity of the shot. &nbsp;Fortunately for Real Madrid, the rebound off Calatayud’s save went straight to Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ronaldo side-footed it into the open net.
With a slim one-goal lead, an insurance goal would put the match away for Real, and in the 86th minute, that situation occurred to give the league-leaders the 1-3 cushion. &nbsp;Ronaldo provided the through ball for Benzema into space near the endline on the right wing, and Benzema rewarded Ronaldo with a pinpoint cutback pass from the endline, and Ronaldo made no mistake with his first-time effort as he powered it past Calatayud to his right near post.
1-3 fulltime, and no two men were happier with the win than José Mourinho and Karim Benzema.
In Greek mythology, Hercules died after he wore a tunic his wife Deianeira gave him covered in Hydra’s poisonous blood. &nbsp;Deianeira did not know that the tunic contained the blood because the mischievous centaur Nessus gave the shirt to her, telling her it would bring about the excitement of love to her husband. &nbsp;Benzema was that blood-soaked tunic, and Mourinho played the part of Deianeira, not knowing that Benzema would ultimately kill Hércules with his striking poison.
While Hércules suffered this Greek tragedy, Karim Benzema became the hero, if only for a day. &nbsp;Like Odysseus, Benzema is still traveling on his odyssey to find the consistent form that the Madridistas demand and the exorbitant transfer fee expects.
Will a superb fifteen minutes turn around over a year of underwhelming play for club and country? &nbsp;With a settled starting eleven that shows no signs of breaking down, Benzema will have to prove his worth in substitute appearances in La Liga and the Champions League and spot starts in the Copa del Rey. &nbsp;When the rumors flew around that Benzema was leaving the Stade de Gerland and Lyon, Benzema did not play up to his capabilities, as Lyon did not win Ligue 1 in 2009 after seven consecutive championships.
As the rumors continue to swirl about his transfer out of Madrid to Manchester United and other European suitors, Benzema will need to provide more efficient performances, as he did in his fifteen-minute stint against Hércules. &nbsp;When Lyon faded in the 2008-09 season to a distant third place, Benzema was the central figure in Lyon’s attack, and although he scored seventeen goals, second behind André-Pierre Gignac’s twenty-four, Benzema’s personality befits more of a secondary scorer rather than the main man.
Benzema certainly is not the center of focus with Real Madrid with Cristiano Ronaldo and Gonzalo Higuaín delivering the majority of the scoring. &nbsp;If Benzema keeps his nose to the grindstone and focuses on his football rather than what the writers are saying about him, it might not keep him in Madrid but will make him look much more attractive to other European suitors. &nbsp;Benzema is likely playing for his next job, and Real Madrid should be excited about that prospect because he will try twice as hard to look good for Manchester United, et al., which means a higher chance of productive performances for Real Madrid and Mourinho’s men.
Fueras de Juego
– Villarreal should feel fortunate to come away from the monsoon in El Molinón with a 1-1 draw after former Villarreal midfielder Sebastián Eguren gave his old team a gift by putting his arms around Carlos Marchena in the penalty area in stoppage time to hand the Yellow Submarine a soft penalty. &nbsp;Marchena predictably fell to the ground like a sack of flour when he felt a hint of Eguren’s arms around him. &nbsp;The match could be twisted as a good comeback with a man down after Gonzalo Rodríguez received his second yellow card with fifteen minutes left, but it showed more that Villarreal still has trouble winning away from El Madrigal, and these types of results will prevent them from challenging Barcelona and Real Madrid, unfortunately.
– Espanyol made Deportivo La Coruña look like the “Super Depor” of a decade ago as the Galicians earned their first victory of the season with a 3-0 thumping of Espanyol at El Riazor on Sunday afternoon. &nbsp;Similar to Villarreal, Espanyol finds it hard to achieve results away from home, but whereas Villarreal’s 2-2-1 away record is decent enough to challenge for a UEFA Champions League spot, Espanyol’s 1-0-4 dreadful away record will prevent los periquitos from earning a top-six spot and a UEFA Europa League berth. &nbsp;Due to the other results this weekend, Espanyol somehow stayed in fifth position after Jornada 9, but until they can right their woes away from the Estadi Cornellà-El Prat, Espanyol will end up with another mid-table finish.
– Although Málaga created eight more scoring chances than Real Sociedad (11 to 3), held 58% of the possession, and had six more shots on target than Real Sociedad (9 to 3), La Liga’s most explosive team on both ends of the pitch lost again at home, this time to Real Sociedad 1-2. &nbsp;Five losses out of five at La Rosaleda are simply inexcusable for Jesualdo Ferreira’s team as they fall into the relegation zone for the first time this season. &nbsp;For Real Sociedad, the trio of Antoine Griezmann, Xabi Prieto, and Joseba Llorente are as entertaining an attacking force as any in La Liga, including the Messi-Pedro-Villa threesome at Barcelona, Ronaldo-Higuaín-di María at Real, or Nilmar-Rossi-Cazorla at Villarreal. &nbsp;Llorente slotted a perfectly weighted through ball for Griezmann, which Griezmann placed into the net for the opening goal, and Xabi Prieto curled a meticulous cross from the left wing that Llorente could not miss.
– In Sevilla’s last two matches in La Liga at the Camp Nou as well as the second leg of the 2010 Supercopa de España in Barcelona, Sevilla lost all those matches 4-0. &nbsp;Saturday night’s match against Barcelona in the Camp Nou broke that trend. &nbsp;It was 5-0 in favor of Barcelona.

La Liga Jornada 9 Review: Real Madrid Passes Herculean Test - World Soccer Talk

La Liga Jornada 9 Review: Real Madrid Passes Herculean Test

<div style="text-align: center"><a href="http:\/\/view.picapp.com/pictures.photo/entertainment/real-madrid-coach-jose/image/9800939?term=real+madrid" target="_blank"><div><figure class="image"></figure></div></a></div>
Early in the second half, before Angel di María opened the scoring with a sublime curler to the right far post to give Real Madrid the 0-1 lead, “El Especial,” José Mourinho, lambasted referee Antonio Mateu Lahoz for showing a yellow card on Sergio Ramos for an apparent trip on young Real Sociedad starlet Antoine Griezmann. &nbsp;Replays showed that Griezmann fooled Mateu Lahoz by tripping himself and baited the referee to flash yellow. &nbsp;Whether Mourinho actually saw what transpired or merely stood up for his player, he infused a renewed energy into his team that had frankly been outplayed in all facets of the match by the Basques from San Sebastián. &nbsp;One minute later, di María gave Madrid a one-goal cushion.

Some teams respond to a manager that stays calm despite the chaos surrounding them. &nbsp;Last season, Manuel Pellegrini led Los Blancos with this type of tranquil and stolid style, and they earned their highest point total in their illustrious history and in the history of La Liga prior to last season. &nbsp;The only problem was that Barcelona also broke this record and pipped them at the end by three points with an astonishing ninety-nine points out of a possible one hundred fourteen.
In their three most important matches of last season, the two El Clásico fixtures and the second leg against Olympique Lyonnais in the first knockout round of the UEFA Champions League, Real Madrid could not muster the strength and character to overcome the deficit in any of these matches. &nbsp;Was it Pellegrini’s fault that they lost these three matches? &nbsp;Not in the least. &nbsp;Did Pellegrini do anything extra within the match to lift his team above the level at which they were playing? &nbsp;Unfortunately for the Madridistas, the answer again was no.
José Mourinho, whether coincidental or intentional, affects his team from the technical area in each match they play, and when Mourinho feels that he needs to berate the referee, the linesmen, or the fourth official to get his point across while catalyzing his players at the same time, he will do so. &nbsp;With Real Sociedad outplaying and beating Real Madrid to most of the loose balls in the first half, Mourinho needed to perform some of his world-famous magic to pull his team across the sea of blue and white at the Estadio Anoeta.
Real Madrid somewhat got shafted by the schedule makers who slotted them into the late Saturday kickoff after dismantling Ajax in the Champions League a mere seventy-two hours prior whereas both Valencia and Barcelona received Sunday kickoffs after playing in the Champions League on Tuesday, two extra days to recover from their exertions in the midweek. &nbsp;Despite this quick turnaround, Mourinho did not make any changes to his starting eleven.
As for Real Sociedad, manager Martín Lasarte also kept his lineup mainly intact from the team that gave up the late equalizer to Almería on Monday to prevent a perfect two-for-two start, the only change being the 19-year-old Antoine Griezmann slotting into the left attacking midfield spot in place of Francisco Sutil.
That modification proved a brilliant move as Griezmann, along with Raúl Tamudo&nbsp;and Xabi Prieto created several chances that cut through the Real Madrid defense. &nbsp;Two opportunities, in particular, should have given Real Sociedad at least one goal but probably two goals to send Real Madrid into panic mode within the first half-hour of the match.
In the sixth minute, Xabi Prieto provided the perfect curling cross from the right wing for Griezmann, who was unmarked in front of the penalty spot, but Griezmann struck his header over the bar. &nbsp;He could do nothing but place his hands over his face in bewilderment and disgust about wasting a well-engineered opening.
In the twenty-fifth&nbsp;minute, Griezmann again missed a golden chance to give Real Sociedad the lead when he missed a yard right of Casillas’ right near post. &nbsp;From a long ball from goalkeeper Claudio Bravo, it eventually led to Raúl Tamudo sending Griezmann in with a nicely weighted through ball into the box, but Griezmann’s left-footed effort, that fooled Casillas as he dove to his right, went wide.
On a handful of occasions, man of the match Ricardo Carvalho prevented the culmination of well-worked Sociedad moves to keep his club level with the Erreala. &nbsp;Just after the half-hour mark,&nbsp;Carvalho slid in and toe-poked away a certain goal for Tamudo after Xabi Prieto provided the squared cross across the face of goal to the right back post. &nbsp;Without Carvalho’s intervention, Tamudo had a sliding tap-in from two yards away.
A few minutes after Real Sociedad equalized at 1-1, Carvalho&nbsp;again prevented a potential scoring chance as he stuck a foot out to prevent Xabi Prieto’s through ball that would have certainly put in Tamudo toward goal. &nbsp;Mourinho has managed Carvalho at three different clubs, FC Porto, Chelsea, and Real Madrid, and even when Mourinho coached at the San Siro for Inter Milan, he wanted to purchase Carvalho from Chelsea to consolidate his central defense. &nbsp;Like Gerard Piqué currently and Fabio Cannavaro from the recent past, Carvalho’s strengths as a central defender are not necessarily in his pace or physical strength (although he has both) but in his positioning and passing ability from the back, and Saturday’s match against Real Sociedad showed this characteristics in full display.
The familiar story read through at the fulltime whistle, and Real Madrid somehow left the Estadio Anoeta pitch with the three points and left their Basque hosts in disbelief. &nbsp;Madrid’s second and decisive goal propitiously came off a massive deflection from Pepe’s back after he could not duck away from Cristiano Ronaldo’s free kick, and despite Sociedad creating more and better chances, the indomitable spirit that has not enveloped this team often enough pulled them through a tough match on the road.
When a lower side achieves a victory over a top-level club, they capitalize on small number of breaks they have during the course of ninety minutes. &nbsp;Real Sociedad deserved to share the points with Real Madrid, but whereas Hércules converted twice on the few chances they had against Barcelona, Sociedad were not efficient with their numerous chances.
Real Madrid will not score 102 goals as they did last year, far from it. &nbsp;They will not sparkle in attack as their extravagant eternal rivals to the northeast in FC Barcelona. &nbsp;While some of the Madridistas will loathe Mourinho’s lack of flair when it comes to the play on the pitch, Mourinho only cares about winning and not necessarily pleasing the supporters (sorry Alfredo Di Stéfano).
The following statement is no slight to previous manager Manuel Pellegrini, but Real Madrid likely would have not won this type of match last year when they were not playing their best. &nbsp;José Mourinho provides that belief in self that has characterized all of his previous teams. &nbsp;Despite their relatively mediocre performance, they stuck with it and got the winner, however fortunate that goal was. &nbsp;With this kind of fight and non-wavering spirit, Real Madrid might have that little extra to pip Barcelona to the title.
Fueras de Juego
– FC Barcelona broke Atlético Madrid’s&nbsp;hoodoo over them at the Estadio Vicente Calderón with an entertaining, yet physical 1-2 victory on Sunday evening, but Tomáš Ujfaluši took this physicality over the edge when he flew into Lionel Messi ankle in stoppage time and immediately received a red card for the challenge. &nbsp;Messi’s ankle visibly swelled within seconds of the tackle, and while the Culés can breathe a sigh of relief that he will only be out for a couple of weeks, there are calls for the competition committee to invoke Article 97 that could raise Ujfaluši’s suspension from 1-3 matches to 4-12 matches. &nbsp;Article 97 is conjured when an incident “occurs in a violent manner, resulting in harmful consequences considered serious by its nature.”
– Through the first twenty-five minutes, Hércules looked hungover from their monumental victory over Barcelona as their derby rival Valencia brought the Alicante club down to Earth with two splendid goals from Juan Mata and Pablo Hernández. &nbsp;To Herculés’ credit, they rose from the canvas after Valencia punched them in the mouth with a penalty kick goal from David Trézéguet after David Navarro handled the ball in the box and a commencement of an assault on Valencia’s goal after Navarro received a rather dubious second yellow card. &nbsp;Valencia held on for a 1-2 road victory and is now the only team in La Liga to earn the maximum nine points from their first three matches.
– Levante and Real Zaragoza appear doomed to relegation this early in the season after they both looked awful on Sunday afternoon.

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