An attack with feet of clay

After the improvement experienced in the last month, Real has taken two steps back in the most unexpected way. Not only because of the defeat against Osasuna but because of the imbalance and confusion he showed after each loss of the ball. As if grown by the two victories achieved against Girona and Maccabi, they forgot the most basic principle in football: without a good defensive order it is impossible to attack well. The full-backs played without synchronizing with each other, only Zubimendi returned with the centre-backs and, to make matters worse, he gave away a goal from a corner, recovering that weakness in the strategy that seemed like a thing of the past. Between one thing and another, the 0-2 score in the 33rd minute left the contest ready to be decided with an hour left.

A messy Real in the splits

1In football, splitting is understood as the movements made by the attacking team to maintain a rational occupation of the field that protects it against a loss and subsequent loss against an opponent. La Real started with 80% possession trying to move an Osasuna that, positioned in a low block in 1-4-4-2, was waiting for the moment to steal and go on the attack with the speed of Bryan Zaragoza.

Imanol’s team tried in the offensive phase to widen the interiors Brais and Sucic so that they could attract Cruz and Areso on the wing and so that Oyarzabal and Barrenetxea could find one-on-one situations against Torró and Moncayola. Although they were already losing 0-1, the best chance came before the break in Oyarzabal’s attack against Moncayola on the left for Aguerd’s header that Herrera saved. The problem was that La Real was very poorly positioned to prevent the first rival offensive action and with its back unguarded.

Double error in defending the corner for 0-1

2As things stand, the team with 20% possession was more comfortable in the game. A ball held by Budimir in front of Aguerd that Sergio involuntarily touched Oroz became Navarrese’s first warning, because Bryan found a corridor that only Aramburu managed to cover in the end. Another red counter ended in a corner and there the error was multiple. Óskarsson, the one in charge of the short, took a while to come out when Bryan plays short towards Moncayola and enables the former when the ball is returned to him. Barrene and Sergio jump to cover the 2×2. La Real is left with five to individually mark the five rivals who enter the auction, but when the play starts short the defensive device breaks and Cruz and Torró have superiority over the Brais zone. A corner in which the blue and white team were in trouble and that forced them to row against the current.

Aramburu and Sergio are open and do not return

3The blue and white team tried to get into the game with that chance from Aguerd. He tried to move Osasuna with different offensive variants but at the back it was a drain. Not because the defenders were bad, but because they were inferior. So after half an hour a loss between Brais and Oyarzabal against Juan Cruz unleashed the perfect storm. Because? Because Aramburu was open as a winger – presumably with the mission of forcing Bryan to work backwards – and Sergio the same on the opposite flank. So Vicente Moreno’s men caught the heroic local defenders in a 4×3. Cruz took Zubeldia, Bryan fixed Zubimendi with his leadership, the incorporation of Oroz attracts Aguerd and Budimir is left alone to score against Sergio Gómez who takes forever to return. With such slow defensive transitions you cannot compete in First Division.

Empty the ‘9’ area to arrive from behind

4After the break Imanol opted to remove Óskarsson, place Oyarzabal up front and bring on Kubo to double the threat on both wings. It was not a bad shot because a ‘nine’ against Catena and Boyomo in intensive withdrawal did not have much future and what he intended was to empty that area with Oyarzabal so that people would arrive from behind, in addition to threatening from the outside with the Japanese. La Real had a good quarter of an hour with chances from Zubimendi, Sucic, Brais – it was noticeable that the second line arrived with greater fluidity – and two more from Kubo and Barrene, but between Herrera and the poor aim it was impossible to get hooked on the goal again. game.

Half an hour of final helplessness that worries

5However, the worst thing was that the game seemed eternal because after that moment of inspiration, Real deflated as the minutes passed. Kubo, Sadiq and Becker ended up playing up top, but by then there was no longer any faith in the comeback. Neither on the field nor in the stands. Any piece of equipment under construction can cause backfires like this, but precisely because of this lack of stability, it is advisable that they do not proliferate too much so as not to call everything into question. And it is not a problem of lack of attitude or quality of the players, but of playing as a team and thinking as a single player. Yesterday, without meaning to, many made war on their own. Perhaps with the best of their will, because Aramburu and Sergio Gómez are being among the best, to give two examples, but it must be integrated into a clear idea. And La Real was disorder and lack of control. Just the opposite of what it usually is.