Real Sociedad are a footballing anomaly.
Nowhere else in Europe will you find a team in the upper echelons of the league table, with such a lacklustre goalscoring record.
La Real, who have secured Europa League football for the third consecutive season, spent the majority of the year floundering in front of goal. They go into the last game of the season with just 39 scored.
How have they overachieved so significantly?
The answer lies in one of La Liga’s most mature tactical setups, deployed by their bordering-obsessive coach, Imanol Alguacil.
Today we’ll dive into a tactical analysis of his philosophy, and understand why failing to score hasn’t held his team back from clinching European football.
Defending with the ball
You might have guessed that despite their offensive woes, Real Sociedad have built their season on a solid defensive structure. This scout report will reveal why that’s only partly true.
While they’ve only lost nine games and conceded 35 goals, La Real are one of the more positive teams in the La Liga. They average 54% possession the 6th best overall.
This is far from a stoic, combative side looking to grind out a 1-0 every week. Rather, it’s a team committed to the idea of control. Control the ball, control the tempo, and do everything possible to prevent the opponent from doing the same.
That philosophy starts with their build-up from the goalkeeper and spills over into every facet of their game. Let’s start the analysis from the bottom.
Real Sociedad build-up
Like most modern, possession-based sides, Real Sociedad buildup from defence with strict, positional approach. Players occupy preset positions, creating the angles and distances to 1) stretch the opponent’s defensive shape and 2) progress the ball with control.
In the 21/22 season, La Real have played either a 4-3-3 or 4-4-2 diamond, and both tactics work the same way:
- The centre backs split
- The full backs pull wide on both sides
- The defensive midfielder occupies the space in between the opponent’s midfield and attack
- The interiors (attacking midfielders) also pull wide, to stretch the opposition midfield
It looks like this:
The key man is the defensive midfielder, in this case Martin Zubimendi (3).
With the opposition stretched, it’s Zubimendi’s job to find space, receive the ball, and progress it through the lines.
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