Real Sociedad have closed their first half of the season on a high as they have managed to climb to the third position in La Liga. They have 26 points from 14 matches, winning eight, drawing two, and losing four matches. They have only lost two of their last ten matches in La Liga and are in great form. They have scored 19 goals in the league this season and conceded 17 as well. They are doing well in the Europa League as well. They have won five out of their six matches and are at the top of the table in their group.
We take a look at some stats to understand the reasons behind Real Sociedad’s rise to the third position.
The above viz shows the percentile rank of Real Sociedad compared to other teams in La Liga. They are ranked in the top 85.7 percentile for high press and the top 80.9 percentile for possession as well. They have decent passing and attacking stats. They are ranked in the top 61.9 percentile for goals per 90 and the top 57.1 percentile for shots per 90, which are above average. They deploy high-intensity pressing and are therefore ranked in the top 90.5 percentile for passes per defensive action.
Attack
Real Sociedad has had a decent season but hasn’t looked like the most dangerous side while attacking. They are ranked in the top 61.9 percentile for goals per 90 minutes and score an average of 1.36 goals per game. They launch an average of 27.14 positional attacks per game, with 29.2% of them leading to shots.
Real Sociedad has scored 19 goals in La Liga this season and averages 12.14 shots per game. This season, they have a shooting accuracy of 45.9% and average of 5.4 shots per game on target. The above viz shows the shots on target per 90 minutes for different teams in La Liga. They are a team that likes to keep possession and has good passing accuracy as well.
They also attack a lot in the central areas. The above viz shows attacks through the central zone for different teams in the league. Real Sociedad makes the third-most number of attacks through the centre, as they launch an average of 22 attacks through the centre per game. They have good players in the middle who combine well and create chances through the centre.
The above viz shows the positional attacks of Real Sociedad in the match against Sevilla. They launched 10 attacks through the centre and had an xG rate of 0.26 as well. They won the match 2-1. Their efficiency in positional attacks has helped them score goals when needed.
Defence
Real Sociedad’s defence has not been in the best of forms either. They have conceded 17 goals this season, with an average of 1.21 goals per game. Their forwards have scored when they have needed to, allowing them to win or draw the majority of games.
Real Sociedad is one of the best in La Liga when it comes to pressing and has the second-best pressing efficiency as well. They have a 55% efficiency in pressing and are ranked in the top 85.7 percentile for high pressing success as well. This high press restricts the opposition from building attacks and therefore lessens the threat.
Real Sociedad contests around 71 defensive duels per game with 58% efficiency and has the fourth-best record for winning defensive duels. They also participate in approximately 38 aerial duels per game with a 49.8% efficiency. Real Sociedad makes around 34 interceptions per game and recovers the ball around 77 times per game.
Real Sociedad finished sixth in La Liga last season. But this year, they have managed to pull off results in their favour, as they have 26 points from 14 matches and are third midway through the season. Manager Imanol Alguacil will be hoping his side will continue to find results once the season restarts after the World Cup.
Visuals via Wyscout and the TFA data viz engine
