Barrenetxea can't find any finishers in the area

Ander Barrenetxea (San Sebastian, 23 years old) made his debut at 16 for Real Sociedad and became the first footballer born in the 21st century to play in the First Division . He was so young when he first started playing in La Liga that he would go to Anoeta on a municipal rental bike, play under the orders of Asier Garitano and then get back on the bike to go home, in complete anonymity because his face was not yet known among Real Sociedad fans. A few years have passed, Barrene already has a car and has played 196 games for Real Sociedad, in which he has scored 24 goals. This Wednesday at Anoeta, Imanol gave him the reins on the right wing again. He had Raúl Asencio in front of him, whom Ancelotti placed at right back. The San Sebastian native won all the duels in the first half, and caused the only yellow card in the first 45 minutes.

Barrenetxea was Real's most incisive player in the first half, although his runs down the left flank never found a finisher. He combined perfectly with Aihen Muñoz, who doubled up on the wing, and Asencio, who barely found any help in his defensive work, was unable to stop them. It was a dagger. Moroccan centre-back Nayef Aguerd also contributed to the cause, directing all the balls he handled towards Barrene's area every time he crossed the halfway line. However, Barrenetxea's crosses and his inward dribbles did not find a finisher, something that has been the evil that has plagued his team throughout the season. Real create chances every game, almost always originating from the wings, with Barrene and Kubo as catalysts, but the lack of a specific centre-forward, because Imanol does not fully trust Oskarsson, makes many crosses to the penalty spot useless.

Carlo Ancelotti realised that Barrenetxea was the most dangerous and persistent player in Real Sociedad, so when Real Madrid returned to the pitch after the break, Asencio had disappeared from the line-up . With a yellow card under his belt and the need to stop the Real Sociedad player, the coach preferred to use Lucas Vázquez, who was more capable than his teammate in stopping the striker's eagerness. However, in Real Sociedad's first attack, Barrene was close to causing a shock to the Real Sociedad captain, who he outwitted to put in a magnificent cross that reached Oyarzabal. His header forced Lunin to make his best save of the night.

After that move, Lucas Vázquez tried to keep his opponent on a tighter footing, and the Real Madrid player also projected himself more in attack than Asencio, which forced Ander Barrenetxea to overexert himself, who was unable to create any more danger until the 64th minute, when Imanol decided to replace the forward with Sheraldo Becker, who has not yet been able to challenge the academy player for a starting place. Real have a tight schedule ahead of them, with La Liga and Europa League in the coming days, so they have to pace themselves. In addition, they would need to sharpen their sights for the return match.