Real Sociedad surprised last Sunday by defeating leader FC Barcelona, who lost a game for the second time so far this season in La Liga.
The home team played with their usual 4-5-1 system, which allowed them to bring together a large number of players with great ball control in midfield, and placing their captain, Mikel Oyarzabal, as the team's most advanced player, performing as a striker. The away team, for their part, also played with a fairly standard 4-2-3-1 formation this season, with the only notable changes in the starting eleven being the inclusion of Frenkie de Jong in the double pivot, and the position of Fermín López on the right wing.
In terms of how the match proceeded, the game was pretty much in line with expectations. FC Barcelona accumulated a large amount of possession (69%) and played with a very advanced defensive line. Real Sociedad, at the same time, showed themselves to be a very strong team in defence, something they were not used to in recent matches. They selected very well the moments in which to press up forward, they did it very intensely and managed to short-circuit Barça's attacks very often. Barça were also very lacking in ideas and dribbling, especially on the wings due to the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal through injury, or Dani Olmo as a precaution, although the latter ended up coming on in the second half.
After a very even start, in the 33rd minute, in a second play mismanaged by FC Barcelona, Becker scored the only goal of the match. Once Real took the lead, they played a tremendously creditable game defensively, with the work of the two centre-backs, Zubeldia and Aguerd, who were brilliant in defending the penalty area, standing out in particular.
With this result, the top half of the table is tightening up and, at the same time, Real Sociedad are making progress in their aspirations to get back into the European places.
Click here for download the full match report.
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The home team played with their usual 4-5-1 system, which allowed them to bring together a large number of players with great ball control in midfield, and placing their captain, Mikel Oyarzabal, as the team's most advanced player, performing as a striker. The away team, for their part, also played with a fairly standard 4-2-3-1 formation this season, with the only notable changes in the starting eleven being the inclusion of Frenkie de Jong in the double pivot, and the position of Fermín López on the right wing.
In terms of how the match proceeded, the game was pretty much in line with expectations. FC Barcelona accumulated a large amount of possession (69%) and played with a very advanced defensive line. Real Sociedad, at the same time, showed themselves to be a very strong team in defence, something they were not used to in recent matches. They selected very well the moments in which to press up forward, they did it very intensely and managed to short-circuit Barça's attacks very often. Barça were also very lacking in ideas and dribbling, especially on the wings due to the absence of players such as Lamine Yamal through injury, or Dani Olmo as a precaution, although the latter ended up coming on in the second half.
After a very even start, in the 33rd minute, in a second play mismanaged by FC Barcelona, Becker scored the only goal of the match. Once Real took the lead, they played a tremendously creditable game defensively, with the work of the two centre-backs, Zubeldia and Aguerd, who were brilliant in defending the penalty area, standing out in particular.
With this result, the top half of the table is tightening up and, at the same time, Real Sociedad are making progress in their aspirations to get back into the European places.
Click here for download the full match report.
Would you be interested in creating something similar for your scouting work? Feel free to schedule a call with our expert to learn more about how TSA operates! Schedule a demo