Job Ochieng: Real Sociedad Coach on Why It is Hard to Drop Harambee Stars Winger

Real Sociedad coach Pellegrino Matarazzo admits Job Ochieng’s multiple attributes make it so hard to overlook him.

Matarazzo promoted Ochieng into the senior team last season and has made him a permanent member of the side this term, having come through the club’s youth ranks.

The Kenyan winger has excelled when called upon and in just four matches this season, he already has a goal and three assists. His latest goal involvement was an assist on Sunday as Sociedad beat Valencia 3-2 to move to eighth place on the table in La Liga.

However, Matarazzo says it is not even goals that make Ochieng tick most boxes for him but rather his work rate and application in other metrics of the game.

“Job has a quality that we need,” the Sociedad coach said after Sunday’s victory. “He is fast, physical, he has shown that he can score goals, very interesting profile for us.”

“We saw from the very first match that he could be very important for us and he is showing it now,” Matarazzo further stated.

Matarazzo’s faith in Ochieng has not flinched as he was instrumental in the player getting a new contract, which he signed in February until 2028, after persuading the club not to sell him to Real Mallorca.

Ochieng is repaying that faith not just with goals and assists but his hard work off the ball, strength in one-on-one situations and the ability to trouble opposition defences with vertical runs in behind.

Harambee Stars coach Benni McCarthy will hope to reap from it as Kenya begin their 2027 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Eritrea in Nairobi on Saturday before playing away to Guinea five days later.