Ball: Sociedad ruin Sevilla's lunch, Barca slip

Midday is actually quite a nice time for a game (I’m not sure what the players think), because in Spain it coincides with the lunchtime ‘paseo’ – a short walk along the promenade, through the park or to the plaza, depending on your geography, culminating in a lunchtime drink and a nibble of tapas. The fact that there was a game on at this sacred hour was no problem, since the ‘paseo’ route could be adjusted to take in the stadium and its surrounding bars.

Spanish football is all about the social rituals that precede and follow it – but the constant chop and change of the times at which each team now plays is beginning to stretch the paying public’s patience. Add this to that the fact that Real Sociedad had not won a single match of the last seven played at this hour, and you can understand the local discomfort.

Sevilla were lying fifth before they took to the pitch, Valencia having won 2-1 the night before at struggling Cordoba. In fact, things were looking a bit queasy for the Andalucian team. 

They’d only won one of their last four away games in the league, lost at Espanyol in the cup, and flown up north to San Sebastian only two days after playing, and beating, Borussia Monchengladbach in the Europa League.

They are defending the title of course, but it was a tough and entertaining tie, and with the return leg in Germany looming next Thursday they could be forgiven for looking a little shell-shocked in lunch-time San Sebastian.

With the absence of various players (Nico Pareja, Grzegorz Krychowiak, Beto, Iago Aspas) and the interesting possibility that the home side might complete victory over the Champions League, La Liga and Europa League champions all by the 24th week and it was probably a worrying prospect for Sevilla’s hyper-active coach, Unai Emery.

Once a player at Real Sociedad and a local from down the road in Hondarribia, Emery is one of Sociedad’s famous sons, alongside golfer José María Olazabal.  

Emery is an interesting coach but he never stops talking. According to an interview in the local paper with David Moyes last Tuesday, the Scot kept up a tradition in England of inviting visiting managers to a post-match wine and a chat. Moyes said the he felt that managers were a ‘community’ of sorts, and should try to get to know each other, as far as possible. 

So far, to his disappointment, no Spanish manager has taken up the invite, but if Emery did then Moyes would certainly have had plenty of Spanish input. Moyes himself was looking forward to the game, and on Friday night we coincided in a bar in the old quarter of San Sebastian. 

My friend’s mother, over from Cheltenham in England, was excited to see Moyes (and family) at such close quarters, and being a chatty sort herself wandered over to engage him in conversation. She reported later that he was ‘charming’ and that he listened patiently to her, until she suggested that he come to Cheltenham to save them from relegation to the Conference. ‘I’ll come there for the horse-racing’ he retorted kindly. ‘But not for the football’.

Anyway, back to Sevilla. 

They looked big and physical, with only midfielder Ever Banega looking anything less than large. Even Gerard Deulofeu looks all grown up now, after his toughening-up season at Everton.

In the summer they lost their star men Ivan Rakitic to Barcelona and Federico Fazio to Tottenham, but gained Banegas, Deulofeu (on loan from Barcelona), Aspas, Denis Suarez and the interesting full-back Benoit Tremoulinas. It seems to have served them well so far, but Valencia and Villarreal are proving stubborn neighbours in the Champions League zone, and there is no time for relaxation. 

Emery had rotated players, with Alejandro Arribas at the back, and he was soon to regret it when the centre-back went to ’collect butterflies’ (sic, Marca journalist) in the 15th minute, allowing Imanol Agirretxe to open the scoring for Sociedad. 

Sevilla are still the only side in La Liga to be undefeated at home, but away the story is somewhat different. The four goals they went on to leak made it 23 conceded away from home, and they never looked comfortable at the back all game. 

They certainly didn’t look tired, and were fine going forward, with Banegas orchestrating busily from midfield and Carlos Bacca always looking a threat, but they were lucky to get to half-time with the score 1-1.  But giving credit where it’s due, after falling behind to a dubious early penalty in the second half they fought back and took a 3-2 lead with  12 minutes remaining, only for Sociedad to storm back and win it 4-3 with a last-minute header from captain Xabi Prieto. 

Weird scenes in the goldmine, and the crowd fairly blew a gasket when the winner went in, but Sevilla probably deserved a point at least. Their young goalkeeper Sergio Rico made some decent stops but doesn’t look safe enough yet and Arribas had a nightmare, but if they can tighten up away from home it’s still all to play for as regards to that 4th Champions League place. But they contributed to a wonderfully entertaining match by not parking the bus and conserving their energy for Thursday. 

Goal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Xabi Prieto scores spectacular goal in the 90th!!!! #RealSociedad 4 Sevilla 3 pic.twitter.com/IyY2FhAz9D

— Real Sociedad (@RealSociedadEN) February 22, 2015

Meanwhile, back in the upper echelons, Barcelona surprisingly succumbed to a 1-0 defeat at home to Malaga after eleven consecutive victories and a growing feeling that the season’s runes were beginning to align in their favour, that after much previous wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Malaga were hardly in inspiring form, having lost at home to Espanyol last week, a  defeat following in the wake of their 4-1 trouncing at Levante. There is little explanation for the result, save to praise Malaga for their defensive plan that included putting a right-footed defender on the left hand side to neutralise Messi’s infield incursions.

Not to excuse Dani Alves for the infamous pass-back that allowed Juanmi to score, but it wasn’t really such a grave mistake.  Alves cannot see, as he shapes up to pass the ball back, that Juanmi already has a full-head of steam and the looped back-pass simply falls fortuitously into the Malaga player’s blazing path. The rest, as they say, may be history. 

Real Madrid took full advantage, playing well if somewhat desperately at lowly Elche before finally running out 2-0 winners. This of course restores their 4-point lead, and will relax them considerably with regard to their next three league games before the big visit to the Camp Nou. 

Nevertheless, the pendulum can swing again before then, given that Real Madrid’s fixtures look trickier, with Villarreal visiting next week and then a trip to Bilbao. 

Atlético are still looking healthy, avenging last week’s defeat at Celta with a 3-0 home win over Almería, but their next two games, against Sevilla and Valencia, may well determine whether they stay in contention.

Atlético also have Champions League business to attend to this week, with Wednesday’s trip to Bayer Leverkusen, whilst Barcelona travel to Manchester City on Tuesday night for what looks like the game of the tournament so far. They will need a result, mainly to avoid the cries of ‘crisis’ again, so soon after everything had seemed to be sorting itself out, on the field at least.