Why Carlos Vela Should Be Central to David Moyes' Real Sociedad Plans

David Moyes has taken over Real Sociedad in hopes of turning around a season that includes two home wins in 12 matchdays, and Carlos Vela will be key in achieving the feat.

The forward has yet to display the form he showed last season, when he put the ball away 16 times in 37 La Liga appearances, but he is slowly getting there.

So far, Vela has played 12 games and has scored twice. His shot accuracy equals 50 percent, while his conversion rate is as low as 12.5 percent.

Under Jagoba Arrasate's command, Vela used to play as an attacking midfielder—usually cutting in from the right flank to the center of the pitch—or as a striker.

The Mexican is used to playing in different systems with fantastic results.

La Real used a 4-2-3-1 formation in recent seasons, but it changed rapidly in Moyes' debut, against Deportivo La Coruna.

The Scot went with a 4-4-2, in which Vela played with Imanol Agirretxe in the attacking zone; sometimes he even appeared behind the Spaniard.

Although Vela had several opportunities, including two shots saved by Fabricio Agosto, he lacked ball possession, which was more evident in the second half, when Moyes switched to a 4-5-1 system.

The Mexican needs to find his way back to being the lethal and unbalancing forward he was last season, without forgetting about his responsibility as a ball-feeder.  

The manager will surely look to play Vela as he did with Marouane Fellaini or Juan Mata in the 2013/14 season when he went with a 4-5-1 with Manchester United.

Both footballers came from behind to distribute the ball and serve their teammates or to finish plays from outside the box, thanks to their long-distance shot skills, which Vela also possesses.

Moyes almost never opted to use the 4-4-2 formation with the Red Devils, but it seems to be a better fit for La Real.

In Week 12, the squad failed to convince in the second half, just when the Scot changed his tactical formation.

Vela kept grinding but ultimately forgot about ball possession and helping the defense when in distress, something he usually does in style.

It's just a matter of time, both for Moyes and Vela, to make things work. The Mexican's flexibility and technical abilities will be two very valuable assets for the coach.

Vela is the kind of player who can play in any part of the midfield, as a winger or an attacking footballer. His fine touch and vision set him as a key element in the last third of the pitch.

Moyes doesn't have a player as complete as Vela in the attacking zone. He is not only very technical and forceful, he is also intelligent and creative.

In the scoring department, Vela has never started strong with Real Sociedad. Ever since 2011, when he joined the club, he has made a real impact after Matchday 12.

In his first season, he had netted twice in 12 weeks. It was eight games later when he showed his knack for goalscoring, as he put the ball away 10 times in his following 16 appearances.

In his second year he put the ball away 14 times, but he only scored three of them in the first 12 weeks; while last season he had two goals to his name in the same period, he finished the tournament with a total tally of 16.

So the future is bright for Vela, and so is the possibility to explore more positions and take his skills to a whole new level under Moyes' command.

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