Barcelona versus Real Sociedad. One side top of the table, playing exciting football with a team full of technically gifted graduates from their academy. The other battling in mid-table, a point or two from the Europa League spots.
The dynamic this season, though, has been reversed from the norm.
La Real last won La Liga in 1982, but they currently sit top of the pile, level with Atletico Madrid on 26 points and nine ahead of eighth-placed Barca, whom they meet on Wednesday following the 26-time champions' worst start to a season in 25 years.
Imanol Alguacil’s side is largely made up of home-grown players, with Sociedad having barely spent a cent while Barcelona have been burning money like it’s going out of fashion in recent years.
Antoine Griezmann, Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele combined cost well over €300 million. The most expensive player in La Real’s squad is Mikel Merino, who cost €12m to sign from Newcastle in 2018.
When the Basque outfit need to bring in players, they act with care and prudence.
Martin Odegaard was recalled from loan by Real Madrid this summer after his sensational 2019-20 season in San Sebastian, so they snatched up legendary Manchester City playmaker David Silva on a free transfer. The Spaniard, superb until a recent injury, returned against Eibar last weekend.
By contrast, Barca act wildly in the transfer market, selling off valuable players cheaply to hack down their wage bill while splashing far too much cash on targets who do not fit any long-term plan.
Getty/Goal
That has left them without a board - who quit after a vote of no confidence in October - and penniless, unable to sign players to bolster a squad lacking depth.
Further contrasts between the two outfits can be illustrated by their respective attitudes towards emerging youngsters within their academy structures.
Sociedad regularly turn to their excellent Zubieta academy whenever they need to fill a gap, and whoever comes in usually does an excellent job, such as midfielder Martin Zubimendi, who has slotted in seamlessly after breaking through last season.
Even though La Real broke from the tradition of only using Basque players in 1989, the squad is still packed with local talent, boasting 16 graduates from their youth system.
Meanwhile, Barcelona's greatest current talent, Riqui Puig, has been ostracised by coach Ronald Koeman and was reportedly made an example of in front of the dressing room for leaking news to the media.
It was once the Blaugrana who were famed for the quality emanating from La Masia, and their ability to reap success with those players. In comparison, the Catalans finished Sunday's 1-0 win against Levante with just one homegrown player on the pitch - captain Lionel Messi.
Getty Images
There is a cohesion and unity in La Real’s game that is currently lacking from Barcelona’s, doubtless influenced by Alguacil, who has been coaching at the club for a decade and took over first-team duties in 2018.
He has worked with many of the youngsters coming through already in the 'B' team, with that consistency vital in their strong start to the season.
His counterpart, Koeman, is operating with a system that some players are unsure of, and may only be at the club himself temporarily with a new president with their own ideas regarding the managerial position set to be appointed in January.
And though Sociedad’s strong start to the season may have stalled in recent weeks following three consecutive draws against Villarreal, Alaves and Eibar, they remain unbeaten in their last nine matches. while in the Europa League they deservedly followed Napoli into the knockout rounds, where they will face Manchester United.
Their visit to Camp Nou will likely provide a reminder to Griezmann of happier times, with the France international having developed at La Real while finding his footing in La Liga between 2009 and 2014. It was at Atletico Madrid where he became a household name and a World Cup winner, but the forward owes a lot to his former side.
Getty/Goal
Now the team’s leader in attack is Mikel Oyarzabal, although he is unlikely to return from injury to face Barca in a blow to the visitors' hopes of earning a positive result.
That said, 18-year-old Ander Barrenetxea has benefitted from Oyarzabal's absence, and thrashed in a fine strike in the 1-1 draw with Eibar for his first goal of the campaign.
The forward, who was included in Goal's NxGn list of the best teenagers in world football back in April, made his league debut at the age of 16, becoming the first 21st century-born player to feature in La Liga.
His first professional goal came against Real Madrid, and if he is able to again find the net against Barca then yet another Sociedad academy product will find himself well on the way to earning a regular starting berth.
La Real, too, have the chance to confirm their status as potential title challengers.
The last team to win the league that was not Barcelona, Real Madrid or Atletico Madrid was Valencia back in 2004. If there were ever a season for another club to spring a surprise, it is this one.
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
.jpg?auto=webp&format=pjpg&width=640&quality=60)
