Ex-Bundesliga coach shaking up top flight, giant-killer next? | OneFootball

Have you heard of the “Matarazzo Effect” yet? If not, it seems you haven’t been following La Liga closely enough in recent weeks. In southern Europe, the former Bundesliga coach has sparked a real hype at a club—and now even wants to beat Real Madrid.

When Pellegrino Matarazzo took over Real Sociedad on December 21, 2025, the Basques were in deep crisis. They were sitting in 15th place in the league, just two points clear of the relegation zone. Clearly not enough for the ambitious club that had still reached the Champions League round of 16 in 2024. It seems it took a Matarazzo to breathe new life into the Spaniards.

Under the former TSG Hoffenheim and VfB Stuttgart coach, San Sebastián jumped to eighth place within just a few weeks. Out of six league matches, Matarazzo’s team didn’t lose a single one and even beat FC Barcelona 2-1. Things are also going splendidly in the cup.

📸 ANDER GILLENEA - AFP or licensors

The American led the Basques to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey. Much to the fans’ delight, they managed to defeat arch-rival Athletic Bilbao 1-0 in the first leg just a few days ago. Matarazzo himself basically explained why things are going so well right now before the match: “It’s important to be flexible. Every game has a different key.”

Under predecessor Sergio Francisco, Real Sociedad was far too predictable for opponents, often played too passively, and at times seemed listless on the field. There’s hardly any sign of that now.

Led by captain Mikel Oyarzabal, the Basques now win the ball much earlier in the new 4-2-3-1 system, attack with a clear idea, and punish opponents more efficiently for their mistakes. On average, San Sebastián scores three goals per game under Matarazzo. For comparison: under predecessor Francisco, it was just 1.39.

And it could get even better. While things are already going really well offensively, the Basques are still vulnerable defensively. They concede an average of 1.44 goals per game. Only once in nine matches have the blue-and-whites kept a clean sheet under their new coach.

Luckily, Matarazzo has a real defensive expert at his side in assistant coach Ömer Toprak. The 36-year-old played over 200 Bundesliga matches as a center-back and should know exactly which screws still need tightening.

But honestly: Would you have bet in 2026 that Pellegrino Matarazzo, together with Ömer Toprak, would be making waves in LaLiga?

Tonight, the two continue their journey against Real Madrid from 9 p.m. In the first leg, the Basques lost 1-2. But that was without the Matarazzo Effect, which is currently making a lot of things possible.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.

📸 Juan Manuel Serrano Arce - 2026 Getty Images