At the end of the 2021-22 La Liga season, Real Sociedad appeared to be one step away from making a reasonable challenge for a top-four finish in the league and the Champions League qualification which would come with it. The Basque club finished sixth in the league and only missed on Champions League qualification due to an almost inexplicable mid-season slump which saw them pick up just two points in a six-match span. Outside of that slump, however, Real Sociedad provided as tough a challenge as just about any other top-four contender.
In spite of the optimism surrounding the club at the end of the season, Real Sociedad ended up failing to have the off-season for which they had been hoping. A total of 11 players left the club while only three arrived: Mohamed-Ali Cho, Brais Méndez, and Takefusa Kubo. None of those signings did much to move the needle - a fact that was laid bare in Real Sociedad's 4-1 loss against Barcelona. In this one-sided clash, Real Sociedad never stood a chance as Barça systematically took apart their opponents. Robert Lewandowski scored two goals to lead Barça to victory; one of those goals came as part of an 11-minute three-goal flurry in the second half.
When comparing Real Sociedad's off-season to those of their closest competitors, Real Sociedad can clearly be found wanting. Real Betis signed Luiz Henrique and Luiz Felipe while Villarreal added veteran winger José Luis Morales. However, the club of this level with the most productive off-season was by far Sevilla. Isco, Marcão, and Alex Telles arrived in Andalusia while Luuk de Jong returned from his loan stint at Barça.
The one area which Real Sociedad absolutely and unquestionably should have upgraded during the off-season was their attack. This was especially important in light of the fact that their best player and last season's leading goalscorer Mikel Oyarzabal tore his ACL in March. The injury is expected to keep Oyarzabal out of action until November. Considering the fact that Real Sociedad scored a dismal 40 league goals as a team last season, they could not afford to lose his production up front. None of their off-season signings are even remotely close to being reliable goalscoring threats, while it remains to be seen if Alexander Isak can return to his form of the 2020-21 season or if his paltry six-goal league tally last season is actually more reflective of his level.
If Real Sociedad struggle throughout this season and end up not even close to the top four, it could signal the end of not only Oyarzabal's time at the Anoeta, but Mikel Merino's as well. Both players are clearly good enough to make names for themselves at bigger and more renowned clubs, whether in Spain or elsewhere. Oyarzabal is 25 while Merino is 26 - both have time on their side should they choose to depart at season's end.
That being said, both players are from Real Sociedad's home region of the Basque Country, a place where residents take immense pride in regional identity - often, even more so than national citizenship. This is perhaps the main factor keeping the duo at the club; however, how long would this last if Real Sociedad were once again to be unable to make any progress in the league?
Real Sociedad's three matches before the break for the World Cup will be absolutely critical to their top-four hopes. They have a home stand against Betis and Valencia before an away match against Sevilla. Emerge from that unscathed and there is every chance that they will remain in the chase upon resumption of the league campaign. However, the real questions: will they remain unscathed and will they still be in contention at that point? It's far too early to tell, but the signs do not look good at the moment.
It has been a decade since Real Sociedad last qualified for the Champions League. Since then, they have had several near-misses; they have finished four of the past six league seasons in either fifth or sixth place. Unless something changes soon, it's very likely that this season, they will not even be able to achieve such a result; even a Europa League spot might end up being out of reach.
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