In the opening stages of this 2024/25 La Liga campaign, things have begun uncharacteristically for Imanol Alguacil and Real Sociedad.
The Real Sociedad of previous years, who worked tirelessly to make Estadio San Mamés an impenetrable fortress, have vanished.
The Basque club are yet to record a single point in their opening three home matches.
Perhaps the most alarming aspect of their form is that their away record also leaves much to be desired, having recorded just four points from their first six La Liga encounters.
Despite the new season being in its infancy, Sociedad’s early season form has created a resounding feeling of negativity across the club.
Their chance of a sixth-successive top-six La Liga finish is placed under real jeopardy.
It can be theorised that this period of growing pains is heavily related to the squad overhaul that Sociedad experienced throughout the summer window.
Sociedad lost hugely influential talents who are yet to be truly replaced within Alguacil’s tactical system.
With the club seemingly looking to the future, this tactical analysis and team-focused scout report will highlight some reasons why Real Socidead have stalled out the blocks this season, paying close attention to their pressing tactics and work in the final third.
However, Sociedads hope is not lost, as our analysis will also illuminate their promising tactical performance when hosting Real Madrid last Saturday.
Sociedad’s tactics caused large spells of frustration for the Spanish and European champions, signifying elements of positive play to build from as the season progresses.
A Summer Of Uncertainty For Real Sociedad
The summer of 2024 couldnt have started much better for Real Sociedad, with their prized assets heavily contributing to a victorious summer over in Germany.
Real Sociedad felt proud as they had the largest proportion of players within Luis de la Fuente’s championship-winning squad, with a total of five players, even surpassing the Spanish heavyweights of Real Madrid and Barcelona.
However, two of those key performers happened to be Robin Le Normand and Mikel Merino, who saw their efforts on the international stage garner serious interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs.
Merino has since joined Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal in the Premier League.
At the same time, Le Normand moved to play under Diego Simeone at Atlético Madrid—two devastating departures for Alguacil to address ahead of another long and important season.
With two cornerstones of Sociedad’s success at both ends of the pitch suddenly leaving, their subsequent transfer activity failed to plug the immediate gaps within Alguacil’s effective tactical system.
Instead, the focus was placed on future-proofing their squad.
Outside of signing Nayef Aguerd on loan from West Ham, Sociedad’s oldest signing of the window was 23-year-old Sergio Gómez.
He is a player desperate to showcase his unique and versatile qualities to compensate for the loss of one of the teams most influential attacking contributors.
More importantly, it signifies an overarching trend towards a new youth-focused phase at Real Sociedad.
Their president even admits that the 2024/25 season presented itself as an opportunity to rewrite a new chapter in the club’s history, much to the dismay of those fans who had enjoyed a period of continued success relative to their expectations.
The €10m signing of 21-year-old Luka Sučić for RB Salzburg has looked to replace the outgoing Merino in regards to his ball progression and presence in the central areas.
Manchester City target Orri Óskarsson also became one of Real Sociedad’s marquee signings late on in the window.
At a price tag of €20m, fans will be optimistic that the Icelandic forward can help to repair the striking misfortune that has riddled Alguacil’s side for some time.
The Effectiveness Of Real Sociedad’s Pressing
One of the main features of an Imanol Alguacil Sociedad side is their incredibly high-energy pressing efforts, which have caused huge issues for some of the world’s best teams.
Their pressing identity across the past few seasons has revolved around a high press that commits a striking partnership forward to apply pressure to the opposing central defenders.
The rest of Sociedad’s midfielders can remain man-to-man and limit successful passing outlets.
The following example shows that Alguacil aims to negate the numerical deficiency by leaving the defender on the opposite side of the ball carrier free from pressure in the initial phase, almost inviting play to be switched across the pitch.
Such decisions are meticulously planned, as Sociedad can easily shift across should possession be switched due to the difficulty of the pass.
This allows Alguacil’s team to focus more on doubling up against the opposing striker.
