Real Sociedad vs. Barcelona: Winners and Losers from La Liga
Barcelona lost the chance to reestablish a six-point lead at the top of La Liga as they lost 1-0 to Real Sociedad at Anoeta on Saturday night.
Munir missed a great chance with just two minutes on the clock, and Barcelona were immediately made to pay, with the superb Mikel Oyarzabal heading into the top corner at the opposite end of the field a moment later. In terms of goals, that was it for the game, but the excitement and action continued throughout as Barca dominated possession and created a number of chances in the second half, but La Real also maintained a counter-attacking threat.
Here are all our biggest winners and losers from the game.
Winner: Geronimo Rulli
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Argentinian goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli has had big performances in big games before, and this one continued the trend.
In the second half, particularly, he was responsible for keeping Barcelona at bay, most notably from compatriot Leo Messi on a number of occasions but also producing a big save from Andres Iniesta's top corner-bound shot.
Rulli took the ball in the air superbly and with confidence—now he just needs to match this level of quality with consistency, rather than saving it for the high-profile matches.
Losers: Arda Turan and Rafinha
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Attacking midfielder Rafinha made his first start in six months after recovering from an ACL injury, but he couldn't have much impact on the match and was subbed at half-time. He would never have expected to get through more than perhaps an hour, but it was a less than happy return to playing for the Brazilian.
Partnering him in the centre was Arda Turan, who has been involved since January with Barcelona, but continues to fail to impact regularly.
A starting spot before a huge Champions League tie in midweek was an opportunity for the Turkish midfielder to show he could be a serious option to start when it matters most; instead Jordi Alba replaced him early in the second half, leaving his midfield spot taken by the versatile Sergi Roberto.
Winner: Mikel Oyarzabal
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We could have gone for any number of Real Sociedad players here, with Diego Reyes and Aritz Elustondo particularly impressive in the rearranged back line, but teenage winger Mikel Oyarzabal put in another excellent display and deserves recognition.
He was a hugely important outlet for La Real during sustained periods of Barcelona pressure, racing down the left wing and buying metres and minutes for his defence to reorganise, as well as tucking in beside his full-back whenever needed and being as secure and reliable as anyone else.
Not only that, but the 18-year-old also headed in the winning goal early on—his fourth of the season in just 16 La Liga matches.
Loser: Luis Enrique
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Last year, Luis Enrique rotated his side after the winter break and sent out a weakened side to play Real Sociedad, losing 1-0 to a goal in the fourth minute.
This year, Luis Enrique rotated his side after a tough midweek European fixture and sent out a weakened side to play Real Sociedad...losing 1-0 to a goal in the fourth minute.
Coincidental timings aside, this was a must-win game for Barca after dropping points to Villarreal and Real Madrid in the last two Jornadas and seeing both Real and Atletico Madrid take victories earlier on in the day. Making a few changes was one thing, but having no strikers on the bench and changing three key components of the side who help break teams down—Iniesta, Jordi Alba and Ivan Rakitic—was a problem Barcelona never managed to rectify.
Winner: David Zurutuza
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Of all the Real Sociedad players who worked their socks off during the 90 minutes, few could have gotten through as much ground, as many challenges and provided as many vital (if sporadic) out-balls as David Zurutuza.
The midfielder has barely featured this term because of a long-standing hamstring problem, but he was at his combative, energetic best during his 80 minutes or so on the field against Barcelona, surging past tackles in midfield to break lines, lead the counter and use the ball sensibly.
He was a wonderful performer on the night who embodied everything La Real did right.
