Real Sociedad – Valencia: More Misery For Celades (3-0)

A match poised to be tightly-fought through the intensity of each team’s compact shapes quickly derailed into a dominant, one-sided display. La Real cruised to a three-goal victory thanks to their possession mechanisms, of which Valencia's were a far cry away from being near the level of on the day.

Tactical analysis and match report by Peter Munnelly. 

Imano Alguacil’s side’s searing form has seen Real Sociedad rise firmly towards the top European qualification spots. Sitting a point behind Valencia prior to this match, the gap to fourth place was no more than a win away.

As the head coach looked to bridge that gap, he made only one change from the eleven that beat Mirandés 2-1 in the first leg of their Copa del Rey semi-final over a week prior to this. The only change came in the form of Adnan Januzaj for Cristian Portu. The remainder of their 4-3-3 setup was held in place.

Albert Celades’ side’s form has been the polar opposite in recent times. Winless in four in all competitions, Valencia entered this affair off the back of a more congested run of games, and certainly a more devastating set of results, as they lost 4-1 in the San Siro in their Champions League first leg match against Atalanta. Even without the scoreline reflecting the balance of the chances in the match, the result has no doubt begun to see Celades simmer in . . .