La Liga 2019/20: What’s behind the surge of Real Sociedad – scout report

Imanol Alguacil is surely cursing the timing of La Liga’s suspension.

Well, he will if the suspension doesn’t lead to the end of the season, giving Real Sociedad a top-four finish. Before news of the stoppage, few teams were in better form than La Real. Their latest victory against Eibar saw the San Sebastian side jump ahead of Getafe and Atlético Madrid for the fourth spot in La Liga. With a four-point lead over faltering Valencia, continental play is a strong bet, but the Basque side will aim to close out the season with a top-four finish.

In this scout report, we’ll jump into a tactical analysis as to why this squad is on such a hot streak. We’ll break down some of the significant personnel moves, but, first, let’s break down the key strength to the team…the explosive, young midfield.

Defined midfield roles

Over their last seven games, Real Sociedad has produced a 9.77 xG. Even deducting 0.7 for the one penalty kick they attempted (and converted), that still equates to a 1.30 xG per game. During the first 20 games of the season, the side failed to hit 1.30 xG in 12 matches. Falling below that mark in 60% of their first 20 matches gives you an idea of the level of inconsistency from the Real Sociedad attack. You could just about flip a coin to determine whether La Real or their opponent would record the higher xG. In 70% of Sociedads games this season, the team with the higher xG has won the match, so, while the stat isn’t decisive, it’s an excellent indicator of performance and likeliness of an outcome, especially since the team with the lower mark has only won 15% of La Real’s matches.

Above 1.30 xG in five of the last seven games, good for 71% above that mark. One of those matches featured a heavily rotates side against Leganes, seeing Sociedad held to a shockingly low tally of 0.28 xG. Perhaps the greatest reason for the side’s uptick in points is due to the play of their exceptional, young midfield. Since Alguacil typically lines with some variation of one striker and two wingers, the three midfielders are staggered centrally, playing true #6, #8, and #10 roles.

Igor Zubeldia is the base of that midfield, affording the other two the freedom to push higher in the attack. As you can see in his heat map, his primary concern is adding a layer of protection for the backline. Real Sociedad enjoy the second-most possession in the league (57.1%) and one of the better counter-pressing teams in La Liga with an 8.72 PPDA (passes per defensive action). One of the vulnerabilities of this side is when that counter-press is beaten. The team has a tendency to overcommit in the counter-press without getting numbers behind the ball. That was a significant problem during the first half of the season. With Zubeldia sitting further back, Sociedad now have a ball-winner in front of the backline and a deep outlet if the counter-press is successful.

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