Over the opening weeks of the current La Liga season, it seemed as though Real Sociedad might have been mounting a genuine challenge to win their first league title since 1982. The Basque club started the season in red-hot form and even led the league at one stage. However, the Txuri-urdinak's form has declined dramatically in recent weeks, so much so that they now face an uphill battle to even finish in the top four and qualify for next season's Champions League.
Real Sociedad's woes continued with a 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid. Goals scored by Mario Hermoso and Marcus Llorente handed Real Sociedad (yes, convention dictates that they do not have a "short" name) their third consecutive loss in the league. Real Sociedad are also now winless over their last six league matches, picking up just three points out of a possible 18 over that span.
Even more alarmingly, they have already played more matches than each of the clubs directly trailing them. Villarreal, Sevilla, Granada, and most worryingly of all, Barcelona are poised to overtake Real Sociedad and knock them out of the top four in the process.
It's not as though this is a team without much talent. Real Sociedad have several solid players on their roster including Nacho Monreal, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Mikel Merino. What's more, they have a youngster who has been tipped to have a breakout year soon in Swedish striker Alexander Isak. On top of all of this, they landed perhaps the biggest signing in club history by bringing in legendary midfielder David Silva from Manchester City during the past offseason.
Real Sociedad came into this season with higher expectations than in most previous years. They were building on a season in which they finished sixth in the league, qualifying for the Europa League by doing so. They also reached the final of the Copa del Rey. As was mentioned, the acquisition of Silva only served to boost the mood around the club when the season started.
It looked good at first. After a slow start, Real Sociedad reeled off six consecutive league victories to take possession of first place in the league. However, in spite of all this success, one key fact was overlooked: during this winning streak, the club from San Sebastián did not defeat even one club in contention for either the league title or a Champions League spot except for Granada. From their five matches to date against clubs in the top seven of the league, they have won one, drawn two, and lost two.
In the upcoming January transfer window, it would be in Real Sociedad's best interest to sign another striker. Right now, their attacking line is simply not cutting it. Their strikers have combined for just nine of their 25 league goals to date. To put this figure into perspective, the player who currently leads La Liga in goals scored is Villarreal's Gerard Moreno; he alone has scored eight goals.
Willian José has been especially disappointing in this area. Over the past four seasons, the Brazilian has averaged 12 league goals per campaign. However, with the halfway point of this season approaching, he is on pace for just seven league goals. This would be the lowest haul of his career since becoming a regular La Liga starter for Las Palmas in the 2015-16 season.
That isn't all. If Real Sociedad don't make next season's Champions League, they might very well have to say goodbye to Oyarzabal soon. Clearly their best player right now, the Eibar-born winger has courted interest from several leading European clubs. At just 23, his best years have likely not yet come. Oyarzabal will probably leave soon; however, Real Sociedad can delay his departure by landing their first top-four league finish since 2013.
It may be true that Real Sociedad's hot start to the season was not sustainable. That being said, their recent slump has seen them drop points where they shouldn't have. Dropping points against Alavés, Eibar, and Levante is simply unacceptable for a club with Champions League aspirations. They can't afford many more slip-ups like those.
Though making the top four is still a realistic goal, it doesn't look good at the Anoeta right now.
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