Real Sociedad almost learned not to trust AI the hard way.
The La Liga side are still celebrating winning the Copa del Rey, defeating favourites Atletico Madrid in Sevilla at the weekend for just their second major honour this millennium.
Even more incredible that the success is the man who did it, Pellegrino Matarazzo only arrived four months ago, having only ever coached in Germany previously.
His success, also in the league, has taken everyone surprise, including AI.
Real Sociedad’s AI disaster
Sociedad president Jokin Aperribay recalled: “Erik [Bretos sporting director] told me Matarazzo, and I asked the AI if he was a good coach for Real Sociedad; it said no
“Thank goodness I trusted Erik.”
After knocking out local Basque rivals Athletic to make the final, Aperribay checked in again with AI to ask what it thought.
“After the semifinals against Athletic, it told me I was excellent,” he said with a laugh.
Praising the American, he added: “I didn’t know him, and in the first meeting, I was impressed because he knew everything about everyone.
“He had an amazing analysis of Real Sociedad. That’s when we told him he was going to be the coach.”
Matarazzo’s perfect adaptation
Further explaining Matarazzo’s success, Spanish pundit Dani Garrido put it down to his character.
“In San Sebastián, there were those who said the goal was simply to avoid relegation,” he recalled.
“He arrives and starts winning, winning, and winning; he’s lost very little and has ended up winning the Copa del Rey and will be fighting for a Champions League spot.
“He’s adapted to the city with tremendous ease, no posing whatsoever.
“He’s got a little house in San Sebastián, takes his dog for a walk, and many mornings he enjoys one of the best strolls in the world: the walk along La Concha beach towards Igeldo and Peine del Viento.
“He greets one person, greets another, and has a coffee there.”
He added: “Elite athletes, including coaches, are often unaware of and don’t fully grasp, due to their environments that have distanced them from this reality, how crucial it is for them to understand that they belong to a city and a shared sense of belonging.
“Matarazzo has always understood that for people to understand him on the field, he has to understand him in the city.
“Then there’s the emotional factor, how he manages in that two-minute talk to connect with the players and, from seeming like they were dead, like Atlético de Madrid was sweeping them aside, he grabs Atlético by the throat and creates the best opportunities for them.
“He’s gotten the players to believe in him.
“He has evolved into Sergio Francisco; he is interventionist, quick, and top-down.
“But above all, he belongs to a now-obsolete breed of person who understands that he has to make an effort so that society, in this case San Sebastián, understands that he is part of the city.
“You will be better understood in the countryside if you are also understood in the city.”
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