Apart from the result, the worst part of the defeat against Napoli in the second day of the Europa League group stage was the injury to Aritz Elustondo while he performed warm-up exercises with the other players who started at Anoeta. That gave Modibo Sagnan the opportunity to start a big game in Europe, and to show that, although with room for improvement, he can already have a place in this Real Sociedad. The worst was feared with the injury of Aritz Elustondo, Imanol even spoke of a fiber break, which would have put his participation in the games that remain until the league break at risk. But in the end the worst forecasts have not been fulfilled, and the Beasain center-back only suffers a muscle contracture.
“Aritz Elustondo suffers a contracture in the right rectus femoris. In the tests carried out no relevant structural injuries were observed”, reveals the medical report issued by the doctors of the Royal Society. This is not bad news, far from it. But it is true that even so, Aritz Elustondo is ruled out for the match of this league day in Balaídos against Celta de Vigo. Although the fact that it does not have a break allows him to harbor hopes of being able to recover for the Europa League game next Thursday against AZ Alkmaar in Anoeta.
It remains to be seen how Imanol Alguacil makes up for such a sensitive absence, who had found life insurance for his defense in the central couple Le Normand-Aritz. Against Naples the Frenchman Modibo Sagnan started, almost without warming up. He took advantage of his opportunity well, because after a hesitant start, he then settled on the pitch, and despite the fact that in the Italian team’s goal the ball hits him in the head and modifies the trajectory with a fatal result, it can be said that the French presented credentials to be a good alternative from now on. In the call for Vigo, the defenders of the subsidiary Aritz Arambarri and Jon Pacheco will also have to enter, to cover any contingency. Because we must remember that the other resource for the axis of the rear, Igor Zubeldia, was injured, and there is no specific date for his return.
Ander Guevara: “It is time not to talk about favoritism”
The Royal Society washes the wounds of the defeat against Naples. It doesn’t take much to boost morale either, because the realistic team did a good job, with a game that allowed them to be superior to the Italian team during many phases of the match. “I think that if you have to make a positive reading, you have to stay with that, that we were not inferior to a great team. But it is not enough for us, we wanted to get the three points, and I think the team has once again left a good image and it has once again deserved to take more than we got. But it is the Real that everyone wants to see and the fans, despite not being with us, have reason to be proud of their players, and once again we show what it is to be all for these colors, and once again we show that we can compete against anyone, “says Ander Guevara.
The Vitorian midfielder also refers to how group F of the Europa League is left, with an important turnaround due to the double victory of AZ Alkmaar, the next rival of Real in the next two days that will determine the future of the realistic team in the competition continental. “I think it’s time not to think about too many favorites, because on the first day it costs us sweat and tears to win in Croatia, and then AZ win in Naples and we lose against them. I think everything will be very even, there is no a clear favorite, I hope that this defeat helps us to be prepared for everything that we have from now on, “says Guevara.
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