Team Focus: Moyes Beginning to Get the Best From Inconsistent Stars

Sunday’s 1-0 La Liga win over Barcelona was the first really big result for David Moyes since joining the San Sebastian club late last year. It also suggested that the Scot’s attempts to get more from some of the talented but less consistent members of his squad are working.

Man of the match was La Real goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli, who made a number of outstanding saves from Barca’s Luis Suarez on the way to receiving a 7.89 overall rating. The second highest rated for the home side was centre-back Iñigo Martínez, who secured a 7.75 rating in a performance which featured eight clearances, three tackles, one interception and two shot blocks. Just one aerial challenge won showed that defending against Suarez [and Lionel Messi and Neymar when they were introduced in the second half] required more in terms of Martínez’s reading of the game and positional sense.

The defender’s ability on the ball also helped his team. A tally of 12 long balls was no real a surprise in such a backs to the wall performance, but with six of these accurate the aim was not just to hoof the ball as far as possible away from his goal. The 23-year-old’s ability to successfully find teammates with passes helped lift the pressure at times, and gave the back four time to get settled again.

Another player who was excellent against Barcelona was Esteban Granero in midfield, who secured a rating of 7.65, with an 87.5% pass accuracy also helping to give his defensive teammates the odd rest. Granero’s diligent work off the ball might also have surprised those who saw him at Queens Park Rangers a few years back, but four tackles, four interceptions and three fouls were the result of him often leading the ‘press’ when Messi or Andres Iniesta received possession in potentially dangerous central areas.

A third standout outfielder for the txuri-urdin was deployed slightly further forward in midfield, where Sergio Canales’ pass completion of 75% was the second best for his side. 47 touches in total was also his team’s third highest total, showing that when he received the ball he set about keeping possession and hurting the Barca defence. He also put in the off-the-ball work demanded by Moyes - with three tackles, two clearances and one interception during his time on the pitch.

The former Real Madrid starlet also provided some extra special moments of individual quality. It was his cross from which Barca left-back Jordi Alba inadvertently scored the game’s only goal. And one delightful turn inside the box totally bamboozled visiting right-back Martin Montoya, with the subsequent shot bringing a decent save from returning ex-La Real goalkeeper Claudio Bravo.

Such impressive all-round performances from the aforementioned trio were particularly important as they are all players who had been much-hyped as youngsters but for various reasons never really came good on their potential. Already during his short term in charge Moyes has spoken about his record of developing young players into top internationals, and Martinez and Canales -- along with 22-year-old playmaker Ruben Pardo -- are all candidates for a call-up. Granero, now 28, has been around quite a while but never developed into the player he was expected to when emerging at Real Madrid almost a decade ago.

Granero’s performance level has definitely improved under Moyes after losing his starting place under former coach Jagoba Arrasate. Now, however, his three best match ratings so far this season [his only performances rated over 7/10] have all come during the Scot’s six games in charge.

Canales, now 23, has also seemed to react to his new boss’ influence. He was dropped by Moyes after a poor game at Villarreal in early December, but provided his best display of the season to date in his next start - being named man of the match when scoring what really should have been the winning goal at Levante.

Martinez, who was injured when Moyes first arrived, has also been playing excellently recently, best evidenced when the Ondarroa-born player was man of the match [8.32 rating, 14 clearances, 5 interceptions] in the 1-1 Basque derby at home to Athletic Bilbao in December.

All three must show that they can perform at such a high level on a regular basis. They and their teammates have also managed to beat European Champions Real Madrid and La Liga holders Atletico earlier in the season at Anoeta, but slumped to home defeats under Arrasate against Almeria, Malaga and Getafe.

In those three losses Canales rated 6.3, 6.02 and 6.18 in what were, in theory, three of his team’s easiest matches of the season. Neither Martinez nor Granero stood out in any of those games either. Moyes appears to share these concerns over his players’ consistency, and at his post-match news conference on Sunday night he challenged the team to play at their highest level in all games.

“I hope tonight is more important, and gives them confidence and self-belief,” he said. “The team have beaten Real and Atletico and then not gone and shown what they can do in every game. That is the challenge now, a good level of performance, whoever we play. I see good signs that the players are improving.”

It is early days for Moyes in the Basque country, but the evidence suggests his message is getting through to his players. Upcoming La Liga games against Granada, Eibar and Celta Vigo offer a chance to demonstrate this further, before their next glamour game at Madrid’s Estadio Santiago Bernabeu on February 1.

Where will Real Sociedad finish in La Liga under David Moyes this season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below