What Actually Works for Barcelona Against Real Sociedad?
Man, Real Sociedad always gives us trouble. Their pressing is nuts, and they love choking the midfield. I decided to actually test different approaches for Barça before their next match. Grabbed my notebook and fired up the game. No fancy theories, just hands-on tinkering.
Started with how we usually play – trying to control everything through the middle with Pedri, Gündoğan, and Frenkie holding it down. Mistake. Total disaster. Sociedad just swarmed them like angry bees, intercepted everything. Lost possession constantly. Got punished twice on the counter. Slapped my forehead. Playing slow through the middle against their press? Nope. Recipe for getting wrecked.
Figured I had to try something else. Went wider. Like, really tried stretching them out. Pushed Balde and Cancelo way up the flanks from the start, told them to overlap like mad. Had Ferran and Lamine Yamal hug the touchlines tightly. Made a note: “Forget center. Bomb wings.” Finally started seeing some gaps. Balde managed to whip in a couple of decent crosses before their fullbacks could close him down. Even got an assist that way. Felt better, but still messy. Their center-backs ate our lone striker alive.
Alright, needed a target man. Thought about Lewy dropping deep. Tried it. Bigger mistake. Felt like we were playing with ten men. His legs just weren’t there for linking up AND finishing. Scratched that idea fast. Then remembered we had Roque. Threw the kid on. Told him: “Just stand near their last defender. Make runs.” Simple job. Suddenly, those whipped crosses Balde sent in? Actually had someone chasing them. Chaos in their box. Created two clear chances just from getting bodies near their defenders. Lightbulb moment. Needed an actual runner.
Here’s what finally clicked:
- Let Cancelo drift inside, but kept Balde wide & bombing.
- Raphinha swapped with Ferran – needed his hustle tracking back.
- Kept Frenkie deeper as a safety net. No risky dribbles from him.
- Gave Pedri & Gündoğan license to roam, but stressed quick one-twos. No dawdling.
- Made Roque my proper #9 target. Just be hungry in the box.
Result? More turnovers forced on their wide players. Got behind their press regularly. Sociedad looked stretched and frustrated. Their midfielders couldn’t cover everywhere at once. Won a penalty from one of those overloads and actually converted it. Felt solid. Ended the game thinking, “Why do we try to overcomplicate this?” Simple plan worked: Suffocate their wings quickly, launch fast into space, use a runner centrally. Job done. Went to bed with crumpled notes everywhere. Sometimes you just gotta test things out. Trial and error, folks. Never trust the “obvious” plan against these guys.
