La Liga: Real Sociedad v Barcelona preview

By David Lee Wheatley     @davewh1980

David Moyes faces an acid test of his managerial credentials this evening when Real Sociedad take on Luis Suarez’s Barcelona in a mouth-watering La Liga clash.

Scotsman David Moyes has encountered an inconsistent start to life in Spain since taking over the Basque outfit Real Sociedad in November.

He’s unbeaten at home, but has witnessed only one victory over strugglers Elche from his five league matches at the helm, having also surrendered leads in eventual draws with local rivals Athletic Bilbao and Levante.

A 4-0 hammering away to Villarreal highlighted worrying defensive frailties, which must be corrected alongside a severe lack of goals at the other end; Real Sociedad aren’t scoring anywhere near enough, managing 17 in 16 games.

Furthermore, a meagre return of three wins leaves them perched perilously just two points above the drop zone.

Ex-Arsenal star Carlos Vela is a slight doubt ahead of the contest, with the six-goal striker vital to the Basques’ hopes of victory.

Luis Suarez has so far failed to hit the goal-trail since his sensational move from Liverpool, notching once in eight La Liga outings, but caused nightmares for former Everton boss David Moyes during the pair’s time on Merseyside.

Barcelona have been unbeaten for six top-flight games since a double loss to Real Madrid and Celta Vigo to close within one point of league-leading arch-rivals Real Madrid. Five of those have been wins, including one-sided thrashings of Sevilla, Espanyol and Cordoba when plundering five goals on each occasion.

Right wing-back Dani Alves is ready to return after a calf strain, thus handing head coach Luis Enrique an almost fully-fit squad to choose from; only Thomas Vermaelen misses out.

Real Sociedad can take some comfort from their recent home record against the Blaugrana, whose last triumph at the Anoeta arrived in May 2007. Meanwhile, the hosts defeated Barcelona 3-1 when they last met there in February 2014.

The fans will be out in force at the Anoeta for such an enticing fixture, with Moyes hoping they’ll produce the kind of cacophonous atmosphere they’ve been renowned for in the past.

However, it’ll take a effort of Herculean proportions to ward off the rampant Barcelona attack and repeat such a result.

Team news

Real Sociedad: Rulli, C.Martinez, Bergara, Inigo, Granero, Xabi Prieto, Vela, Ansotegi, Canales, Chory Castro, De La Bella

Barcelona: 13. Bravo, 2. Montoya,14. Mascherano, 24. Mathieu, 18. Jordi Alba, 7. Pedro, 6. Xavi, 8. Iniesta, 5. Sergio Busquets, 9. Suarez, 31. Munir

United hit rock bottom

By David Lee Wheatley

Manchester United last night hit their lowest point yet throughout this tortuous campaign when suffering a 0-3 reverse against neighbours Manchester City, having come off worst in a one-sided contest at home to arch-rivals Liverpool just nine days prior.

United enjoyed a brief upturn in fortunes with two wins on the trot in between the two huge north-west derby matches, but it proved another false dawn for fed-up fans when an inspired City knocked three unanswered strikes past an exposed David De Gea. It looked like men against boys on the hallowed Old Trafford turf for most of the evening, with title favourites City seemingly under no pressure whatsoever.

The heat has been on manager David Moyes all season long and the temperature went up another notch after a defeat which leaves them completely out of the race for a top-four finish. Meanwhile, the stats at this stage of proceedings don't make enjoyable reading: highest number of defeats in a Premier League season; most home league losses in 12 years; only one win in 13 meetings with the top-nine teams; beaten home and away by both Manchester City and Liverpool in the same campaign for the first time; a massive 18 points off the top spot that they occupied at the end of last season.

Most observers expected a transitional phase to take place following Alex Ferguson's retirement after more than 26 years at the helm, but nobody foresaw this level of humiliation. Moyes held a good overall record with previous club Everton and was widely touted as the right man to take United forward; it just hasn't happened for him and the scrutiny continues to grow over the precarious nature of his position.

It appears there is no clear vision, preferred style of play or understanding among the players of what their individual roles actually are.

To compound matters, Moyes signed two-time Chelsea 'Player of the Year' Juan Mata for a whopping £37million in January, only to stick the Spaniard out on the right wing. Mata is a playmaker best-suited to a 'number 10' role just off a main striker, where he is free to roam and everything goes through him in the attacking third. However, he cuts an isolated figure out on the touchline and doesn't cope well with the defensive side of the game. Furthermore, talisman Wayne Rooney usually occupies the area of the field where Mata should be employed. He needs to avoid a scatter-gun approach to the recruitment of new players, so that he brings in the right men to take the club forward.

Moyes must impose his principles upon the team and the club as a whole, while weeding out the players that aren't up to the task. Though he admirably takes all responsibility for his side's lacklustre performances when speaking to the media, it is within the inner-sanctum of the club where ruthless action is required. It's all very well repeatedly telling the public that he is to blame, but where are the signs that his training ground message is getting through to the players under his leadership? They don't seem to be carrying out any particular instructions and many of them seem utterly lost.

Former boss Ferguson was an unbelievably hard act to follow and whoever got the nod to take over had to be prepared for teething problems, but even Moyes himself admits to being surprised by the difficulties he has encountered. The harsh truth is the Scot inherited a squad largely bereft of motivation, pace and invention, while some are over-the-hill and ready to be put out to pasture.

A major reconstruction project will be required in the summer and a distinct course set out by the manager as to how he wants the team to play under his guidance. So far, he looks out of his depth and is failing to adapt to the rigours of coaching one of the biggest clubs in the world. Moyes is in negative equity on the evidence of his efforts up to this point, while certain squad members have shown little to suggest that they have a future with the Red Devils.

There won't be any panicking at board level in reaction to this painful period in the club's history and therefore Moyes will be given more time. However, if he is heavily backed in the transfer market and still comes up short, patience will run out much quicker than he would like.

Significant improvement is imperative next season, otherwise Manchester United will be forced to abandon their long-held prerogative of backing their manager over the long-term through both good times and bad. Previous incumbent Ferguson was given plenty of opportunities to build a team in his own image - despite a series of poor campaigns - and he eventually put in place a winning culture which delivered unprecedented success.

In this age of quick-fix hiring and firing, it is unrealistic to suggest that Moyes will get the same level of understanding afforded to his predecessor. He will be allowed to put this season of abject failure behind him, but any replication will undoubtedly result in his swift removal from the Old Trafford hot-seat.

Twitter: @davewh1980

Mata the man for Moyes

By David Lee Wheatley

Juan Mata completed his surprise move to Manchester United from Chelsea yesterday for a club-record fee of £37.1 million, despite prevailing concerns over the recent decline in form at Old Trafford without Sir Alex Ferguson's leadership. Yet, the Spaniards' switch from Stamford Bridge can be interpreted as a stark message from under pressure new boss David Moyes that he means business in his pursuit of a swift return to former glories.

Two-time Blues' Player of the Year Mata fell foul of Jose Mourinho's tactical thoughts on how he sees his dynamic Chelsea team functioning during this second tenure at the west London outfit, with the Portuguese preferring Oscar, Eden Hazard and Willian across the midfield, while consistently dragging the very best out of the trio.

This meant a stop-start campaign for the frustrated playmaker, with just 13 league appearances coming his way from 22 matches played so far this season. His form suffered dramatically, forcing Mata to leave a club he loves in search of regular time on the pitch. That yearning led the former Valencia attacking midfielder to join reigning Premier League champions United, a team undergoing a dramatic and painful transition following the stuttering to a halt of a hugely successful period.

A transfer of this magnitude will reassure many United fans that the Moyes era has strong potential to be just as enjoyable as the past two decades and also signifies a steely determination from the club's hierarchy to reach the pinnacle of domestic and European football once again.

While Mata's assists and goals will undoubtedly improve the current Manchester United side substantially, the requirement for further reinforcement remains obvious. With many of United's stars aging and past their best, plus no emerging clutch of young stars a la 'The Class of '92' coming over the horizon, the Red Devils must continue to scour Europe for the very best talent available. Not only will Mata's arrival spruce up the squad, it should also convince other big names to commit to deals with United in the summer.

It appears the incoming signing has signalled transfers out of peripheral players such as Fabio and Zaha, with the pair set to leave for Cardiff City, albeit only temporarily in Zaha's case. More departures are expected both this month and during the close season, as Moyes goes about reconstructing the team to suit his own vision.

Meanwhile, Chelsea will no doubt miss the skill and poise of the little Spaniard and Mourinho will desperately hope the risky decision to let him go doesn't come back to haunt him.

Could Martinez take Toffees to new heights?

By David Lee Wheatley

Everton boss Roberto Martinez has already made a big impression at Goodison Park, while dismissing all of the doubts surrounding his appointment.

Some Toffees fans felt the signing of a manager who'd just suffered relegation with Wigan Athletic was a risky move, despite the fact Martinez had also captured the FA Cup against all odds during his final campaign at the DW Stadium.

However, Everton sit in fifth spot after 15 games of the Premier League and with only one defeat on their record thus far. Could this be the year that Everton finally break back into the top four some nine years on from the disappointment of losing during the preliminary stage of the Champions League against Spaniards Villarreal at the beginning of the 2005-06 season?

Martinez's task was always to keep the tight defensive shape enjoyed under predecessor David Moyes, while introducing a slicker attacking style to give Everton more of a threat going forward. The introduction of some exciting young talent, allied to the ability of the club to keep hold of the settled back four that served Moyes so well has given the Goodison faithful much to cheer about so far.

Excuberant stars such as Gerard Deulofeu, James McCarthy and Romelu Lukaku have been drafted in, while homegrown attacking midfielder Ross Barkley has become integral to the side. Also, Leighton Baines didn't follow Fellaini to Old Trafford despite strong interest from previous boss David Moyes and the result has been extraordinary.

Should Everton beat Fulham today, they could well be perched up in second place above local rivals Liverpool if the weekend's final scores go their way. The notoriously hard-to-beat Merseysiders have added a silky side to their game and it's paying spectacular dividends.

Many people scoffed at Jose Mourinho's summer claims that up to six teams were in the running for the Premier League title this time around, but his prediction doesn't look so wild now with the resurgence of the Toffees and, of course, the inconsistency of results at both Manchester clubs.

Realistically, Everton may not have enough to go all the way to championship glory, but it remains a distinct possibility that a Champions League qualifying position is on the cards for Martinez and his men.

Twitter: @davewh1980