Real Madrid Vs Real Sociedad [4-1] La Liga 2026/2027: How Is José Mourinho's New Attacking System Shaping Up? – Tactical Analysis

Real Madrid hosted Real Sociedad for their second 2026/2027 La Liga fixture and the first official Estadio Santiago Bernabéu match for Los Blancos this term.

The match ended with a convincing 4-1 win for Real Madrid in a match that saw Real Sociedad resist and disturb Real Madrid in the first half before ultimately succumbing to the might of José Mourinho’s side.

Pellegrino Matarazzo’s men were able to contain Real Madrid in the first half and forced them into passive possession at times, but they failed to remain decisive in defence, especially when Real Madrid started playing at a higher tempo from the end of the first half.

In this Real Madrid vs Real Sociedad tactical analysis, we explore Mourinho’s team changes, their attacking style, strengths and areas for improvement.

Real Madrid Vs Real Sociedad Lineups & Formations

Real Madrid Lineup Vs Real Sociedad

Mourinho started the match using a 4-2-3-1 formation with Thibaut Courtois as a goalkeeper, Dean Huijsen and Ibrahima Konaté as centre-backs, Denzel Dumfries as a right-back, and Álvaro Carreras as a left-back.

The midfield duo was made up of Federico Valverde and Bernardo Silva, with Vinícius Júnior and Arda Güler as wingers, Jude Bellingham as the advanced playmaker and Kylian Mbappé as the main striker.

Real Sociedad Lineup Vs Real Madrid

On the other side, Matarazzo relied on a 4-2-3-1 formation too, with Álex Remiro as the goalkeeper, Jon Martín and Luken Beitia as centre-backs, Jon Aramburu as a right-back, and Sergio Gómez as a left-back.

The midfield was composed of Yangel Herrera and Beñat Turrientes as central midfielders, Takefusa Kubo and Job Ochieng as wingers, Luka Sučić as the advanced playmaker, and Mikel Oyarzabal as the striker.

Real Madrid Build-Up Plan, Wing Play, & Support For Kylian Mbappé

Real Madrid started the match in a cautious yet focused and determined way, attacking with more variety than in the recent past.

Even though Real Madrid were not immediately capable of playing inside Real Sociedad’s half or using a high defensive block consistently, they relied on quick attacking transitions and wing play to eventually benefit from the movements of Mbappé, Guler, and Bellingham inside the box to serve one of them.

Mourinho instructed Dumfries to advance more often and position himself as a right winger, with Vinícius as the left winger, and both Güler and Bellingham playing just behind the striker, Mbappé.

This sees Real Madrid play with three defenders, Konaté, Huijsen, and Carreras, with the support of Valverde and Bernardo Silva, making it a 3-4-2-1 formation in the build-up phase.

This helped Real Madrid position more players inside the opponent’s half, and especially on the wings, while ensuring to not isolate Mbappé and keeping him surrounded by Bellingham and Güler to not lose the ball easily or fail in finding passing options when inside the final third.

Figure 2 highlights this reliance on wide positioning from Dumfries and Vinícius, as both players are used to playing near the touchline and love to accelerate and penetrate from the wings, representing a powerful weapon for Mourinho’s new-look Real Madrid.

If Mourinho succeeds in exploiting Dumfries in the best possible way in possession, that would make Real Madrid much more complicated to defend against compared to the last few seasons, simply because the danger from the wings is expected to become double-edged this term, as opposed to recent seasons when only Vinícius' wing really brought danger.

Real Madrid Attacking Transitions & Decisions Inside The Box

Apart from the new build-up tactics, Mourinho consolidated the team’s already established quick attacking transitions and encouraged Vinícius, Mbappé, Güler, and Bellingham to be more direct and vertical in the way they advanced with the ball.

This was obvious from the start, as Real Madrid’s first attacking transitions highlighted the fact that the players were focusing more on reaching the box as quickly as possible with passes rather than dribbles to serve Mbappé in a suitable situation.

Vinícius, in particular, was excellent in this regard in the following action, as he did not try to penetrate by himself and immediately preferred to provide the vertical pass to Mbappé.

However, there are still some fixes that need to be made in terms of final pass decisions and finishing priorities.

The following situation also highlights how Güler was very well-positioned to score when Mbappé decided to try a shot by himself.

Mbappé, indeed, wanted to surprise the goalkeeper with his shot, but in cases when an attacking teammate is better positioned for finishing, the final pass to that player should be prioritised over the shot.