The Impact of Set-Piece Specialist José Rodríguez in Real Sociedad’s Victory

The last-minute triumph against Getafe had a protagonist who received as much, if not more, praise than Jon Mikel Aramburu, the scorer of the winning goal. This individual was not Take Kubo, the assist provider, nor captain Mikel Oyarzabal, but rather José Rodríguez, the set-piece specialist recruited last summer. He had endured a challenging period watching Real Sociedad go over 120 corners without scoring until he finally made his mark at the Coliseum, securing two invaluable points that otherwise would have slipped away.

Last June, for the first time in its history, Real Sociedad signed a set-piece specialist, José Rodríguez, who came to Zubieta with a strong track record, having previously worked at Aston Villa under Unai Emery. This team was noted for being the second highest in the Premier League for goals generated from set pieces.

However, the Canary Island coach was struggling at Real Sociedad, as the team, managed successively by Sergio Francisco, Jon Ansotegi, and now Pellegrino Matarazzo, consistently earned corners—over 118, according to statistics—yet failed to convert any into goals. Several clear scoring opportunities had come and gone, but it wasn’t until the fourth and final corner in Getafe, marking the 122nd of the season, that Aramburu headed in a delivery from Kubo, finding the back of the net after David Soria misjudged his exit.

After the goal, the number two of Real Sociedad received congratulations from his teammates, first from those on the bench when the score changed to 1-2, and later from players on the field once the final whistle blew. They rushed to embrace José Rodríguez, recognizing the hard time he had experienced and the significance of his winning set-piece goal.