TOO FAR

The Real Sociedad manager Philippe Montanier has said that his team are a little too far from the Europa league spot this season, despite the best efforts of the Mexican striker Carlos Vela.

The former Arsenal man has been one of the standout players in the Spanish league this season. He has already scored seven goals in 16 appearances for the team helped Real Sociedad into the seventh position in the table with 25 points from the opening 17 matches. However, this will not be enough for them to qualify for the Europa league next season according to the manager, who thinks that 55 is the target for teams chasing a Europa league spot.

The Frenchman has admitted that his team have been one of the surprise packages this season, but they still have to do a lot of work if they are to qualify for Europe. The club are unbeaten in the last five matches as they go into the mid-season break in the Spanish la Liga. They are just six points of the fourth placed team Malaga, with the possibility of catching teams like Real Madrid still a possibility. Even though the team was initially criticised for the poor record, they have been able to go unbeaten in the last three matches on the road.

“We know we would need about 55 points, and at the moment we are far from that. But the good dynamic we have gives people hope and trust in us. When you play against a team that is going through a bad time and is very motivated, it is difficult. But this is a very important game for both teams. We are aware of their quality, they deserve more points,” said the Real Sociedad manager. Vela has been a regular for the team since arriving from Arsenal.