La Liga: Bellingham’s on Fire at the Bernabeu – Can Sociedad Dampen the Flame?

Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad

There’s only five sides who remain unbeaten after the first few weeks of the new La Liga campaign and this is a meeting between two of them.

Yet that’s where the parallels end because while Real Sociedad have won one and drawn their other three games so far, the giants of Real Madrid have started the campaign on fire.

Carlo Ancelotti’s charges are the only team with a 100 per cent record with four wins from their opening four games and one man appears to be thriving in his new surroundings.

Talking Points

English hotshot Jude Bellingham had already made an electric start in his first two matches against Athletic Bilbao and Almeria.

To carry that on, though, with match-winning goals against Celta Vigo and Getafe is bordering on instant cult status for the 20 year-old who has netted five times and assisted another.

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Bellingham, who signed from Borussia Dortmund during the summer transfer window, has not only made an instant impression in the Spanish capital but, for the moment at least, his new club has not had time to miss the impressive Karim Benzema since he bowed out a club legend or the injured Vincius Jr.

Surely even the most optimistic Real Madrid fans didn’t expect Bellingham to start his career at the club quite so spectacularly either.

In scoring in each of his first four league appearances, he has joined midfielder Cesc Fabregas as the only non-forward to achieve this in the 21st century and secure Bellingham the division’s Player of the Month award for August.

Now to welcome Sociedad to the Bernabeu, themselves a side who have made their own mark in the opening weeks of the season.

Certainly in Takefusa Kubo they have a player continuing to improve.

The Japan international turned 22 during the summer and seems to be taking his game to the next level.

By netting three already this season, he is now the highest-scoring Japanese footballer in La Liga history, with 18.

Beyond his goals, Kubo is getting his teammates involved too and displaying positional versatility, always moving to the part of the pitch where Sociedad need him.

The club has also recruited smartly with the loan arrival from Arsenal of full-back Kieran Tierney.

For a player expected to figure in their first-team this season, there is some surprise he has been allowed to head to La Liga for the next nine months but the Basque club is very happy.

Kieran Tierney buzzed to have played his first La Liga game for Real Sociedad — Real Sociedad’s Kieran Tierney in action against Granada in La Liga

He made a promising debut against Granada when Kubo’s first half brace set the tone in San Sebastian, before Martin Zubimendi and Ander Barrenetxea put the match beyond doubt late on in a 5-3 win.

Sociedad have been further strengthened in defence with Alvaro Odriozola re-signing for his boyhood club from this weekend’s opponents Madrid.

The Spanish right-back left for the capital in 2018 but things never clicked for him and, following sub-par loan spells away at Bayern Munich and Fiorentina, Odriozola has been barely used by Real over the last 12 months.

With it evident for a long time that the defender was not part of the club’s plans, the 27 year-old ended up securing a return to his former club which could well prove a smart move as Sociedad prepare for the tough task of juggling league and European commitments.

First though, La Liga highlights as the Reals of Madrid and Sociedad clash on Sunday night.

History

Last time out Sociedad secured their first win over Real in seven.

It came at the tail end of last season as second half goals from Kubo and Barrenetxea sealed a 2-0 home win which helped Sociedad seal a top four spot against the eventual runners-up.

The corresponding fixture last term ended goalless.

Sociedad have caused an upset on more than one occasion in recent seasons.

That included a Copa del Rey success at the Bernabeu in 2020 when Merino grabbed the winner and was joined on the scoresheet by Alexander Isak (two) and Martin Ødegaard in a thrilling 4-3 win.