I had the luck to attend the post match press conference after the Real Madrid v Real Sociedad game. Here’s what some of the managers had to say.
Firstly, Alvaro Arbeloa began. He was asked about the defensive aspect of his tactics and if he had found a solution. He emphasised the defensive work he has put in and he was happy with the defensive performance today. Nonetheless, there is still much to improve he maintained. Arbeloa was then asked about Vinicius’ performance in the game. The Real Madrid manager stated that he has only been the Brazilian winger’s manager for a month but he has seen Vinicius perform throughout his career. Vinicius is a player that is one of the best players in the world and can perform regardless of statistics according to the Real Madrid head coach. A lot questions were about Real Madrid’s next game against Benfica in the Champions League Playoff round. Players like Mbappé, Carvajal and Trent Alexander Arnold were questioned on their availability in the next game and the rest of the season. Arbeloa stated that his job is to keep the players fit and play the right players when the game requires certain profiles. Overall, it was an uneventful press conference as Real Madrid return to the top of La Liga. For Real Madrid, the Champions League is the top priority so many questions were about the competition.
Second was Pellegrino Materazzo. After the result many questions were about the difficulties from the game. This game marked the first loss for the American manager in his tenure as Real Sociedad head coach. Materazzo was stern and unfazed in his answers. He was disappointed in the result and the lack of attention to detail in the preparation in the game. However, he strongly denied the excuses of tired legs or fatigue from their midweek match against Athletic Club de Bilbao. He accepted the two penalties that Vinicius won and was unsatisfied from his team’s defensive transition work. From what I can gleam from this press conference is that the American is a pragmatic and critical manager who is looking to bounce back from this result. As a Real Sociedad fan this press conference reassured me because he looked like he is an ambitious coach that wants to keep his good run of form going.
