Rayo Vallecano vs Real Sociedad preview - Moyes upbeat about debut season

Posted Saturday, May 23, 2015 by PA

Real Sociedad coach David Moyes has defended his spell in charge of the club ahead of their final game of the season.

The Basques travel to Rayo Vallecano on Saturday in the knowledge they cannot improve on their position of 12th in the Primera Division, following a 3-0 defeat to Granada in their last home game of the campaign last week.

La Real players Alberto de La Bella and Inigo Martinez both gave negative assessments of the team's season in media appearances this week, but Moyes was keen to highlight the positives of the campaign.

"I'm very satisfied because when I arrived La Real were in the relegation zone and it was a very difficult situation, and without signing any players, we managed to turn the situation around," Moyes told a press conference.

"The most important thing when we came here was to win and get clear of the relegation zone, that was number one. We made ourselves a difficult team to play against and once we managed to improve our style we improved our results.

"We still need to create more chances and play more expansively, but we're working on it."

Asked about the comments of De La Bella and Martinez, Moyes added: "Thirty-one matches is not a very long time for a coach but people are free to debate what we've done, and it's possible that the expectations were above the squad we had."

Moyes is without veteran Xabi Prieto due to suspension for Saturday's game, while David Zurutuza is still injured.

Rayo meanwhile are without Tito, Gael Kakuta, Abdoulaye Ba and goalkeeper Cristian Alvarez. Paco Jemez's side can no longer qualify for the Europa League, although they could finish as high as eighth in the table if they win the game and Espanyol and Malaga fail to win.

Although Real Sociedad are destined to finish 12th regardless of how the game in Vallecas ends, Moyes insists his side will still do a professional job.

He said: "In football you are always playing for something, every game is important and I was brought up to think that everything has a significance, so tomorrow, if you're a professional footballer, you have to go out looking to win, without any doubts."