In Focus: Imanol Alguacil
Guest blog by: Joel Rydstrand
Why is nobody talking about Real Sociedad?
There are thousands of football fans on social media who analyze tactics and especially the build-up play. I haven’t necessarily been interested in adding another tactical breakdown to this massive pile. But there’s something that makes me not able to stay away from it.
The fact that so few of these breakdowns, if any at all, have taken a close look at the ideas of Imanol Alguacil is wild to me. Real Sociedad is a strong Spanish side that won the Copa del Rey in 2021 and has consistently qualified for European football every year since 2020.
Watching their games casually on TV and noting their consistent success, I felt compelled to dig deeper into this attacking, possession-focused team. In Spain, Real Sociedad are known for their attractive and creative football. However, it doesn’t seem like the rest of the world appreciates them in the same way.
What Sets Them Apart
What sets them apart from many other teams is their unwavering commitment to their concepts and methods, regardless of who they’re up against. Their build-up play, in particular, shows a clear structure and tactical intelligence that helps them progress and beat high pressing teams efficiently and consistently.
SAN SEBASTIAN, SPAIN – NOVEMBER 03: Imanol Alguacil, Head Coach of Real Sociedad reacts during the UEFA Europa League group E match between Real Sociedad and Manchester United at Reale Arena on November 03, 2022 in San Sebastian, Spain. (Photo by Juan Manuel Serrano Arce/Getty Images)
Foundation
From my own perspective and understanding, the foundation of Real Sociedad’s build-up play revolves around two key ideas: providing support when the ball holder is under pressure and exploiting spaces behind defensive lines when the ball holder has time and space on the ball.
This balance allows the team to adapt smoothly to the game while giving the impression that the players, rather than the coach, are making the decisions. It also gives off the feeling that the players themselves are making the decisions on the field, rather than the coach.
This has been raised as a big criticism lately of styles within positional possession, that the players find themselves acting like robots.
Objective
The main objective during the first phase of their build-up is to find their holding midfielder, the fantastic Zubimendi, to face forward with time and space to operate. How they achieve this depends on the opponent and how the team presses and how many players they use in their pressing.
Depending on the situation, Real Sociedad applies the right solution. It’s important to mention that the pattern play focused on in this post is not their only variation of building out from the back, nor is it their whole identity.
For example, the team are very effective in using the wide channels at times to progress, but this post will focus on how they build up through the central channel as it seems to be their first choice.
Key Players
The key players in this build-up are the three central midfielders. Real Sociedad plays a 433 with one pivote and two offensive midfielders, or interiores as the spaniards often call them. What tends to differ Real Sociedad from other teams that use the same system is their use of their striker, Oyarzabal.
He is used more as a false 9 than anything else, as he drops down and completes the midfield diamond, many times leaving the opposing centre-backs confused as what to do. These four players together form the heart of Real Sociedad’s build-up play.
The video below illustrates how Real Sociedad utilize quick, precise passing and positional rotations to bypass opposing defenses.
Methods
Now, what is it that we are looking at here? First of all, it is important to understand that the methods and concepts that this team is using is nothing new or groundbreaking. It is, however, very clear that Alguacil and his coaching staff has drilled these movements together with the timing and the tactical understanding into their players session after session after session.
That is what makes them so unique. What we are seeing here is a well-oiled machine with players that have spent many seasons together and therefore understand each other in a very impressive way.
Break Down
If we begin to break down this build-up play we must start with Zubimendi, the holding midfielder, or the pivote. Zubimendi’s positioning and patience is crucial to make everything work. We can see how he often is positioning himself close behind the opponent’s strikers, not giving the ball holder any way to reach him. Intuitively, it might seem counterproductive, as if he doesn’t want the ball. But it most definitely isn’t the case.
Results
Since the players know what is going to happen, Zubimendi can confidently be hanging around closely behind the opposing strikers so that the midfielders cannot mark him. This way, once the press is initiated by the strikers towards the ball holder, he will be the free man. Perfecting this requires extensive practice and confidence in teammates to do the right thing at the right time.
Image 1. Zubimendi is positioned in line with the opposing strikers.
Image 2. Once the opposing striker has initiated the press: CB plays supporting CAM who can drop the ball to the free and open Zubimendi.
Offensive Midfielders
Another part of the play that is vital is the two offensive midfielders. Real Sociedad tend to alternate players in these two positions a bit more than they do in the holding midfield-position. But during the last 3 seasons, Mikel Merino and Brais Mendez were the constant stars and protagonists of this position for Real Sociedad, until Merino’s departure to Arsenal.
Positioning
The positioning of these two players are crucial to the execution of this specific build-up play and also a reason as to why the opposing midfielders seldom manage to mark Zubimendi. When the ball holder has time and space on the ball these two players position themselves in the half spaces, the squares, or the pockets as they also are referred to. The space that is found behind or next to the opposition’s central midfielder and winger.
Timing
Once the opposing press is initiated and the ball holder is under pressure the offensive midfielder on ball-side makes a well-timed movement to get the ball and they can often with a one touch pass find Zubimendi. The timing in both the pass and the movement is impressively precise when Real Sociedad executes it, and once again demonstrates the amount of time, repetition, and effort that has been put into this method.
Not Your Typical Striker
The final piece to this puzzle is the Striker, that might be better described as a False 9. In this position we often see the Spanish national team player and Sociedad legend Oyarzabal.
This is not your typical striker, not in any way, shape or form. Oyarzabal is originally a winger or at times an offensive midfielder, which gives us an understanding as to why he fits perfectly in as Sociedad’s striker. When the options of the three midfield players aren’t open, the ball holder is given yet another option, the dropping striker.
Finally…
In the same manner as we have seen, the striker is staying away from the ball holder as long as he has time and space on the ball. Once the opponent pressure is initiated, the striker moves into the open central space for support, and can often find one of the three midfielders with a one-touch pass. This is the cherry on top.
This gives the ball holder a handful of options every time he’s under pressure, allowing him to pick out the pass he finds most suitable for the situation. Below we can see a great example of this build-up play and even if the vertical pass is cut off, it gives us a great image of the danger that can be created from this.
Results
Now, if it is so clear what Real Sociedad does, why doesn’t the opponent adapt to it and prevent this build-up play? The simple answer is that they try.
Players In Charge
As I mentioned in the beginning, what really draws me to Real Sociedad is that the team gives me the feeling that the players are the ones that are in charge of the decisions, not the coach. They are the creative ones. They are the ones to decide when, where and how things should be done.
They are clearly given guidelines, methods, tools, and orders to work with. But within these guidelines, they are free to use the tools and guidelines that they have been provided and that they have perfected on the training ground, however they want.
Adaptation
Opponents use several different variations to try to prevent Real Sociedad from dominating possession. In the videos below, we see different formations of pressing and how Real Sociedad adapts to it, sticking to their method and their way. The opponents approach and pressing strategy dictates where the Sociedad’s open man is.
In the first video, Granada had clearly done their homework against Sociedad and tried to shut down their pattern play. At times it worked, but more often than not Sociedad could still find the open man. This demonstrates the intelligence and creativity of the players as they’re able to recognize the situation and find the proper solution.
Pattern Play
This is not everything there is to a game of football, nor is it everything that Real Sociedad has to offer. It is, however, a very effective pattern play that they use in a variety of situations, almost as a signature in their approach to games. This is something that can be taught, worked on, and executed at any level of football. That is what makes it so fascinating.
Imanol Alguacil has built a team that combines discipline with creativity, a rare balance in modern football. The players understand the system so deeply that it feels as though they are writing the script on the pitch themselves, adjusting and adapting to whatever the opponents throw at them.
This approach is not just about tactics but also about fostering trust, autonomy, and collective intelligence among the players. It’s a philosophy that goes beyond the 90 minutes in the spotlight and speaks to the power of preparation, understanding, and the confidence to improvise within a well-practiced structure.
The Big Question…
So why isn’t anyone talking about Alguacil? Maybe it’s because his success isn’t built on flashy new concepts or groundbreaking innovations but on perfecting the fundamentals and trusting the players to execute them with precision and flair.
It’s not just about winning games or trophies but about creating a team identity that is both effective and beautiful to watch. Real Sociedad may not always dominate the headlines, but they are showing the footballing world what is possible when a team fully commits to its principles.
For those willing to look closer, there is much to learn from the patience, dedication, and intelligence that defines Alguacil’s approach. Whether you’re a coach, a player, or simply a fan of the game, Real Sociedad’s build-up play is a reminder that the magic of football often lies in the details and that mastery of those details is the result of repetition and repetition.
