Oyarzabal goalless after eight matches: a familiar drought at Real Sociedad

Oyarzabal always ends up finding the net. Real Sociedad’s captain is currently going through a goalless spell: he has not yet scored this season and, according to the reported information, has gone eight matches without a goal. It is a difficult start that is far from unprecedented in his career.

In Real Sociedad’s latest match at Mestalla, the image of the player on his knees on the pitch, striking the grass with his right hand after missing a clear chance, stood out. It was his eighth match without a goal, while he is still waiting to open his personal account in this campaign.

This kind of slow start has happened several times before. In his first season with Real Sociedad, in 2015-16, Oyarzabal had to wait until his tenth match for his first goal, before scoring six in 15 matches. The following season, he did not find the net until the 18th match, in the Cup, and had to wait until matchday 34 to score in the league.

He also endured a run of 18 matches without scoring before ending that campaign with four goals in 43 matches. The following season, also played over 43 matches, had nonetheless begun with five goals in six games, then seven in his first 13 matches, before another drought that reached 16 matches.

He eventually finished that season with 14 goals, a total he repeated the following season despite scoring his first only from the penalty spot after eight matches. He then needed a dozen matches to score from open play.

In 2019-20, he started with a goal and had four after his first seven matches, finishing with 13 goals. A year later, he had scored only two, both penalties, at the same stage of the season, before adding another 13 despite a stretch of 14 matches without scoring.

In 2021-22, he scored in the first match and again in the second, with four goals after four games. His tally rose to 15 before he suffered a serious injury. The following season, he was limited to four goals, waiting a long time after his return before scoring from open play.

In 2023-24, he returned to 14 goals, with the first coming after seven matches. The following season, he had to wait until the tenth match to score, amid another run of eight goalless matches, before reaching his best tally of 18 goals. He again scored 18 goals last season, in one of his best spells in front of goal.

His current lack of a goal, after an almost non-existent pre-season, therefore fits a pattern already seen: some seasons require time for him to sharpen his finishing before he returns to his usual scoring rate.