Matarazzo urges strong start at Mestalla for Real Sociedad

Pellegrino Matarazzo has a clear target for Real Sociedad’s trip to Mestalla: win to arrive at the international break with better feelings after losing their last two matches against Atlético de Madrid and Bournemouth. As MARCA reports, the Real coach wants the team to step up and avoid repeating the issues he identified, particularly after the poor first half from that Thursday game.

Start strong in Mestalla

In his press conference, Matarazzo said they’ve worked on the reasons behind what went wrong and that they want a more aggressive version of the team. “We want to be more aggressive… there’s no doubt we want to win,” MARCA quotes him.

He also addressed individual players. MARCA highlights his comments on Héctor Fort, whom he brought on at half-time versus Bournemouth: he acknowledged it wasn’t his best performance but stressed the player’s potential and confidence in his improvement in key areas. Regarding Mikel Oyarzabal, the coach played down concerns about his lack of goals, describing him as a leader who sacrifices for the team and can “lead the side again” if he feels strong.

Matarazzo also spoke about Orri Óskarsson and Zakharyan. He said Óskarsson has hunger and ambition and can create chances, while MARCA notes he believes Zakharyan is close to becoming a starter—though squad competition is still high.

Valencia on confidence

As for the opposition, MARCA says Valencia arrives buoyed after beating Alavés in their latest match. Matarazzo expects them to press early and referenced possible more attacking shapes—such as 1-4-4-2 or 1-4-2-3-1—from the start. That’s why he’s asking Real to begin very strongly, win, build confidence, and go into the break with momentum.