Real Madrid’s New Tactical Sequence: Up, Back, And Through To Bypass Opposition Press

Madrid—Real Madrid’s 1-0 victory over Real Sociedad at the Reale Arena was less about the scoreline and more about the blueprint. Faced with Matarazzo’s 4-4-2 diamond press, Alvaro Arbeloa’s side unveiled a rehearsed “up, back, and through” progression that repeatedly prised open the space behind La Real’s last line, turning what looked like a trap into a launchpad.

From the opening whistle Sociedad funneled play to the left, allowing Los Blancos possession wide while Oyarzabal or Soler jumped on centre-back Dean Huijsen and Herrera shadowed Tchouaméni. The scheme produced a seventh-minute warning: Huijsen split the strikers to find Carreras, Vinicius dropped to drag Aramburu, Camavinga darted wide, and a four-v-four appeared until Vinicius’ final pass drifted beyond Gonzalo Garcia.

The pattern crystallised ten minutes later. Courtois rolled the ball to Tchouaméni, who bounced it first-time to Huijsen. Three blue shirts converged, yet Camavinga’s decoy run pinned Jon Martín, Carreras ghosted infield, and Garcia’s simultaneous drop freed the left half-space. Carreras carried, Garcia clipped the up-back-and-through return over the top, and Sociedad’s press was bypassed in three touches.

Arbeloa’s men recycled the same mechanics whenever a spare man appeared. At 19’ Tchouaméni again played a one-touch pass; Huijsen found Carreras; Vinicius pinned the full-back; Gonzalo Garcia sprinted into the void behind Zubeldia. Seconds later Carreras’ vertical run forced Marin to follow, Huijsen advanced, and only a last-ditch interception prevented Vinicius from racing clear.

Post-match the coach underlined the tweaks made after the mid-week stumble at Mestalla. “We have to be faster, make opponents run behind us, and swap positions with clearer ideas,” Arbeloa said. Federico Valverde echoed the sentiment: “The manager asks for constant movement.”

With Alexander-Arnold restored and a full week on the training ground, Madrid’s left-side overloads and rehearsed rotations turned Sociedad’s high line into a high-risk gamble. The goals did not flow, but the mechanism did: up, back, and through—an elegant answer to the modern press.