Matarazzo's Excel breaks down

Ander Barrenetxea suffered a muscle tear in the closing stages of Real Sociedad's win over Rayo Vallecano, likely ruling him out of Spain's November international break.

Pellegrino Matarazzo had executed a near-perfect rotation plan across eight matches, carefully managing player minutes to keep the squad fresh during a congested fixture schedule. However, that precision unravelled in the final moments against Rayo Vallecano.

Barrenetxea, who had started the previous two matches, was visibly fatigued and should have been substituted early. Instead, Matarazzo kept him on the pitch, and the winger produced a moment of brilliance—an assist for Óskarsson's opening goal that secured a vital 1-0 victory. Just two minutes after creating that winning goal, Barrenetxea suffered a muscle tear.

The injury appears to have cost him a place in Spain's squad for the November international window. While Real Sociedad gained three crucial league points, Matarazzo's otherwise flawless management strategy has lost its best player to injury at a critical moment.