By arlington 
So I got curious about how Real Sociedad stacks up against Real Madrid this season. See, I always felt Sociedad played tough but couldn’t find good comparisons. Figured I’d dig into stats myself.
Started by grabbing my laptop around 10 AM. Opened a spreadsheet – messy way but works. Searched for “current season stats” on my regular football sites. Took forever ’cause stats were scattered all over different pages. Screamed at my browser when pages kept reloading mid-copy.
The Data Hunt
Wrote down key stats I wanted:
- Goals scored/conceded
- Shots on target
- Possession percentages
- Passing accuracy
- Fouls and cards
Spent like two hours jumping between tabs. Almost threw my coffee when I realized some sites counted home/away stats differently. Had to redo Madrid’s defensive numbers three times.
Spreadsheet Wrestling
Pasted everything into columns. Color-coded: blue for Madrid, green for Sociedad. Immediately saw Madrid’s attack numbers were insane – double Sociedad’s goals! But here’s what shocked me:
Sociedad actually had BETTER defensive stats! Fewer goals allowed per game. Their goalkeeper saves percentage was way higher too. Made me rethink their whole underdog status.
Biggest surprise? Possession. Always thought Madrid dominated the ball. Nope – Sociedad averaged 54% possession this season! Madrid was at 52%. My whole understanding flipped right there.
The Ugly Truth
Worst part was card comparisons. Sociedad gets booked way more – 78 yellows versus Madrid’s 49. Explains why they keep losing leads late. Also found:
- Madrid takes twice as many shots per game
- Sociedad commits 50% more fouls
- Passing accuracy almost identical (weird!)
My dog tripped over the charger cable halfway through. Lost 20 minutes of work. Wanted to cry but just restarted.
Finished by making side-by-side charts. The differences jumped out:
- Madrid’s offense crushes everyone
- Sociedad’s defense is actually elite
- But those damn yellow cards kill them
Took six hours total. Realized why pundits oversimplify – this stuff’s exhausting! But now when someone says “Sociedad just parks the bus,” I’ve got cold hard stats to shut ’em down.