Real Sociedad were the definition of mid-table this season. After spending the first two weekends in fifth place, the rest of the season was spent between 7th and 15th as they fluctuated around mid-table.
They started the season with Asier Garitano as their new coach, but his record wasn’t great and the style of football wasn’t very attractive so he was sacked during the winter break and replaced by B team coach Imanol Alguacil.
Things improved under Alguacil and they went eight matches undefeated as they enjoyed a sort of ‘new manager bounce’. This put them in with a chance of Europa League qualification, but ultimately they came up a little short.
There was a lot of good for Real Sociedad in this season as some young players came through to establish themselves in the first team and as Mikel Oyarzabal took further steps forward as this team’s attacking leader.
In terms of their weaknesses, they really struggled with injuries in this season and also had the disadvantage of their stadium being a building site, which partly explains why they were almost worse at home than they were away.
Next season they should automatically be better if they have better luck with injuries, although the work on their stadium will continue and that could be an issue. Having Imanol Alguacil as their coach from the start of the campaign should make them better.
