Real Sociedad vs Mallorca: The Numbers Behind the Drama

As someone who spends weekdays crunching football data in Canary Wharf and weekends coaching London’s youth teams, I’ve learned one truth: player ratings tell half the story. Let’s dissect Saturday’s encounter where Basque efficiency met Balearic resilience.

Goalkeeping Masterclass

Álex Remiro (8.3): The Sociedad keeper’s 5 saves included two point-blank denials that would make Lev Yashin proud. My tracking shows he commanded his 18-yard box like a chess grandmaster, intercepting 87% of crosses - a 32% improvement on his season average.

Predrag Rajković (7.7): Mallorca’s Serbian wall made four crucial stops but will rue conceding from Sociedad’s only shot on target in the first half. His distribution accuracy (91%) kept the visitors in the game.

Defensive Contrasts

Robin Le Normand (6.9): Typically a 7.5+ performer, the Frenchman looked uncharacteristically flustered against Mallorca’s physical forwards. Completed just ²⁄₅ aerial duels - worryingly low for a CB of his caliber.

Antonio Raíllo (7.2): The Mallorca captain marshaled his backline brilliantly, making 8 clearances and completing 94% of passes. At 32, he’s proving age is just a number for center-backs.

Midfield Battleground

Mikel Merino (7.9): Sociedad’s metronome delivered another masterclass with 92 touches and 6 progressive carries. His heatmap shows near-total coverage of the right half-space - textbook box-to-box play.

Dani Rodríguez (7.1): Mallorca’s creative spark attempted more dribbles (9) than any player on the pitch. If only his final ball matched his ambition (1 key pass from 5 crosses).

Attacking Frustrations

Mikel Oyarzabal (6.0): A rare off-night for the skipper who completed just 11 passes in 78 minutes. My tracking shows he received possession only twice in dangerous areas - perhaps a tactical issue rather than individual failure.

Vedat Muriqi (7.4): The Kosovan target man won 8 aerial duels but lacked support. His xG of 0.17 tells the story of isolated service.

Final Thoughts

The scoreline flattered Real Sociedad somewhat, with expected goals (xG) showing 1.4 vs 1.1 in their favor. While Remiro deserved his MOTM champagne, I’d argue Mallorca’s compact 5-4-1 deserved at least a point - sometimes the numbers reveal what the result hides.