La Liga: How Real Sociedad exposed Barcelona’s tactical frailties despite taking all three points – tactical analysis

Xavi Hernandez has rightly received plaudits for the resurgence of Barcelona this season.

The club was nosediving towards the deadly depths of disaster, staring down into the void of a midtable finish under Ronald Koeman. However, within a matter of weeks, the club legend has not just acted as a lifeboat to save those on board, he has singlehandedly pulled the vessel to the surface and back on course.

La Blaugrana were sitting in ninth in La Liga when Xavi was announced as the new head coach. They now sit in second. Nevertheless, it has not been all smooth sailing for the rejuvenated giants. After putting both Real Madrid and Sevilla to the sword in consecutive matches a few weeks back, Barca won merely once in their four subsequent games and exited the UEFA Europa League at the hands of Bundesliga strugglers Eintracht Frankfurt.

On Thursday night, they faced yet another difficult test: Real Sociedad at the Anoeta Stadium, a ground where they have picked up just three wins since 2007. La Real are still very much in the race for the top four while Barca’s Champions League certainly hasnt been guaranteed.

There was a lot to play for in this match, but it was the visitors who earned the three points in a difficult outing, putting their poor run of form to bed.

This article will be a tactical analysis of Thursday’s clash. It will be an analysis, observing the tactics that were key to the end result.

Lineups and formations

Last season, Real Sociedad’s preferred formation under Imanol Alguacil was the 4-3-3. The side were no stranger to other structures, but this was used in almost two-thirds of their overall games.

However, in 2021/22, it has been anyone’s guess as to which formation Alguacil will deploy. The 4-2-3-1 has been utilised more than any by La Real but they have been far more tactically flexible this season.

Over their previous four outings prior to the fixture against Barcelona, Real Sociedad used four different formations including a 4-3-1-2 last weekend in a goalless draw with Real Betis.

Against Xavi’s men, the manager finally gave his side some tactical consistency, deploying the diamond shape once more.