Real Madrid – Real Sociedad: An Unstoppable Force Meets an Immovable Object (0-0)

Neither team would budge in a battle that came down to attacking versus defensive quality. Real Madrid had the majority of possession, but they could do very little with it due to the brilliant structure and individual prowess of the La Real defensive unit. 

Tactical analysis and match report by Charlie Tuley

This is the toughest spell of the season for Real Madrid, with difficult matches coming thick and fast for Carlo Ancelotti’s side. In the span of just a few weeks, they will have faced Villarreal, Athletic Club, Real Sociedad, and Valencia in LaLiga, Barcelona in the Supercopa de España final, and Villarreal and Atlético Madrid in the Copa del Rey. So far, they have done well enough through this incredibly difficult run, having made it to the semifinals of the Copa del Rey and taking a suitable number of points in LaLiga (though they were humiliated by Barcelona in Riyadh in the Supercopa final).

Ancelotti still has a sizable injury list to factor in when selecting his squad. David Alaba, Dani Carvajal, Lucas Vazquez, Ferland Mendy, and Aurélien Tchouaméni are all sidelined for the match against La Real. Thibaut Courtois started in goal, whilst Nacho, Éder Militão, Antonio Rüdiger, and Eduardo Camavinga made up a makeshift back four. Fede Valverde, Toni Kroos, and Dani Ceballos acted as the midfield trio with Rodrygo, Karim Benzema, and Vinícius Júnior as the three forwards.

Despite losing to Barcelona in the quarterfinals of the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad are one of the most in-form sides in world football. Before the loss to Barcelona, Imanol Alguacil’s side had . . .