Three questions and three answers from Real Sociedad 0-1 Real ...

Real Madrid took another step towards the La Liga title with a 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad in San Sebastián on Friday night. Arda Güler scored the only goal of the game with a powerful finish in the first half before Takefusa Kubo had a strike disallowed for a foul in the build-up in the best chance for the hosts to equalise.

1. Would moving the game to Friday night make a difference?

The decision to rearrange six La Liga fixtures this weekend in order to give Real Madrid an extra 24 hours of rest before travelling to Munich brought in some criticism from rival fans. That’s only been reinvigorated by Carlo Ancelotti’s logical and sensible decision to make several changes to his team to rotate and rest key players. Among the starting line-up, Éder Militão made his first start since matchday one in August, Arda Güler made his first start for the club in La Liga, Dani Ceballos and Kepa made their first starts since January, Fran García since February, and a host of others also came into the team after a prolonged period with limited opportunities. Of the regulars, only Aurélien Tchouameni and Dani Carvajal (who is suspended for the first leg against Bayern) started. As such, the extra 24 hours may not make much of a difference in any sense.

2. Could anyone play their way into contention?

With so many wholesale changes, there were opportunities to find a way into the coach’s thinking ahead of the Bayern Munich game on Tuesday night. While such changes indicate a clear plan already in mind, this was a chance to stake their case for several of the second string. One man who had a point to prove was Éder Militão, who would surely be hoping to prove his fitness more than his ability, and endured the full 90 minutes in good shape. The only negative for him might be that his rival Nacho also produced a solid display alongside him. Another strong performer was Fran García, who may see an opportunity at left-back with Ferland Mendy still yet to return to training. He had a match-high three tackles, all won, and won five duels, proving his defensive credentials against a tricky customer in Takefusa Kubo.

3. Is this the toughest fixture left for Real Madrid?

This match was by far Real Madrid’s most challenging remaining fixture in La Liga on paper. Real Sociedad are on track to qualify for European football next season and are usually difficult to beat at home, despite their recent run of one win in six at the Reale Arena. That’s why Real Madrid have only won two of their last five visits. This was no easy ride for Real Madrid, who actually recorded less than half of the xG of their opponents with 0.28 vs 0.67. Real Sociedad defended solidly and looked a threat down the flanks with Takefusa Kubo and Ander Barrenetxea. This is a big three points which could well see the league title a little earlier than expected should Real Madrid’s rivals slip up in the coming week or two.

1. Why isn’t Arda Güler playing more?

Pre-match Carlo Ancelotti said, “he hasn’t had the minutes he deserves for his work and attitude during this period”, and it would be easy to argue that he hasn’t the minutes he deserves for the quality of his performances either. Considering this was his first La Liga start, he showed an incredible amount of composure and superb reading of the game to arrive in the box in the right place at the right time to produce a clinical finish and give his team the lead. However, we did also see hints of why Ancelotti may not have called upon him in the more demanding fixtures of recent weeks. His off the ball work was slack at times, with Dani Carvajal not hesitating to make the demands of this level clear,

2. Who will start as full-back in Munich?

If one of the positives of the night could strangely end up being a negative, it was the performance of Dani Carvajal. The veteran was solid defensively and got forward well down the right flank, even claiming the assist with his cross to Güler for the opening goal. It was a stark reminder of exactly what Carlo Ancelotti will be missing with the 32 year old suspended for the first leg tie in Munich on Tuesday. On the opposite side, Fran García could also have played himself into contention. The fitness of Ferland Mendy remains a little mysterious and could make the difference, but Ancelotti may have a slight doubt about whether Eduardo Camavinga is still the second choice as an alternative if Mendy is not fully recovered in time.

3. Has Kepa been hard done by?

The performance of Kepa was one that didn’t look like he was Real Madrid’s third-choice goalkeeper. He made three saves to deny 0.75 xGOT, with one particularly impressive one denying a pinpoint effort from Mikel Oyarzabal on the break which hit the bottom corner but was turned away by the Spanish goalkeeper. It would be fair to say that, perhaps even for the first time since he joined the club late last summer, he earned points with his saves in San Sebastián. It’s unlikely to make much of a difference with Andriy Lunin firmly established and Thibaut Courtois returning soon, but it could help him to audition for a role elsewhere next season, or even as a back-up replacement for Lunin should he opt to pursue regular football in 2024/25.