Mitxel Ezquiaga: Why this Real side lifts the mood | OneFootball

From New Jersey to Gipuzkoa, Pellegrino Matarazzo has lifted the mood, delivered a Copa and broadened Real Sociedad’s appeal. The feelgood effect is real.

He was little known five months ago, yet has brought efficiency, discretion and courtesy, usually with a smile. Diario Vasco notes that Take Kubo has called him smart enough to run a bank.

President Jokin Aperribay did not know Matarazzo until sporting director Erik Bretos, successor to Roberto Olabe, flagged him. They met three or four times before committing. The scouting is working, though in football things can go wrong without neat explanations.

Authority runs through the captain. From Luis Arconada to Mikel Oyarzabal, that quiet command links generations, and Oyarzabal now embodies the club on the pitch, the bench, offices, press rooms and the street.

At La Cartuja the starters dazzled first, then the supporting cast finished it. Atlético Madrid levelled at 2-2 late on, the mood dipped, yet Real revived and held for penalties. Unai Marrero seized the spotlight, with Álex Remiro encouraging him from tunnel to shootout prep.

Pablo Marín struck the decisive kick, remarkable given he was an Anoeta ball boy only six years ago. More than trophies, this Real is uniting a frequently fractious place.

Source: Diario Vasco