Is Mat Ryan becoming a first-choice keeper in La Liga?

I think I’m right in saying there were a few Australian football supporters who wondered why Mat Ryan joined Real Sociedad this past off-season.

It can’t have been about the money and there would surely have been a better chance of first-team football elsewhere.

The Basque club had an established first-choice keeper in Álex Remiro and if the first few months were an indicator, Ryan was going to struggle to get many games.

As a regular viewer of Real Sociedad, and admirer of their fluid passing football, I thought the move made perfect sense for the club.

While Remiro’s a good keeper, he has some clear weaknesses. Remiro’s also had no serious competition for his place in the team over the past two seasons.

Ryan’s biggest strength, shot stopping, is Remiro’s biggest weakness.

(Photo by Aitor Alcalde Colomer/Getty Images)

On Friday morning, Real Sociedad, with Ryan ensconced in goal for just the second time this season, beat Celta Vigo 2-0 on a rain-drenched evening in Galicia.

Sociedad’s victory owed partly to second-half goals from young Swedish striker Alex Isak and centre back Aritz Elustondo.

But Ryan was the star of the show, pulling off six saves, at least four of them blinders. He deservedly won man-of-the-match honours.

Surely head coach Imanol Alguacil can’t drop the Socceroos’ custodian for the Basque derby against Athletic Club on Monday morning.

Sociedad sit top of La Liga, three points clear of Real Madrid having played one more game. They’re very unlikely to stay there.

The strain of the Europa League and another tilt at the Copa del Rey will surely take their toll. But, hey, one can dream.

On the other hand, Sociedad has added an impressive defensive solidity to their attractive attacking game this season.

They’re unbeaten in ten league games since losing 2-4 to Barcelona on the opening day and have conceded only five goals in those ten games.

It’s not like Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid and Sevilla are setting La Liga alight. Barça are a mess who’ve just sacked their manager.

Sociedad are definite contenders for a Champions League place, if not La Liga’s crown.

The Basque club does have two La Liga titles to its name, won in back-to-back seasons in 1981 and 1982 with an outstanding crop of local juniors.

Much is made of Athletic Club’s Basque-only recruitment policy, and it is a remarkable and noble stance in the hyper-globalised world of elite football.

Arguably, Sociedad has an even more local flavour than Athletic. Their first-team squad is stuffed full of players who are not only Basque but hail from San Sebastian and the surrounding province of Gipuzkoa.

Athletic, as they must to survive, recruit from further afield. They once considered signing Tommy Oar whose grandparents are of Basque heritage.

(Photo by Tony Feder/Getty Images)

Sociedad’s current crop of local juniors is headlined by club captain and Spain international Mikel Oyarzabal.

If you get the chance, it’s also well worth checking out the likes of young midfielder Martín Zubimendi, the unpronounceable winger Ander Barrenetxea and fullback Andoni Gorosabel.

The Basque derby is a special date on the Spanish football calendar. Sociedad and Athletic both qualified for the 2019-20 Copa del Rey final just as COVID-19 was starting to spread like wildfire across Spain.

The final was delayed by 12 months so fans of the two clubs could attend. Sociedad won 1-0 but only held the trophy for a couple of weeks.

There’s a good chance of Monday’s edition featuring Aussie Mat Ryan in fine fettle. I can’t wait.