Alexander Isak D.O.B – 21/09/1997 (Age: 21) Height – 6’2” (190 cm) Nationality – Sweden League – La Liga, Spain Current club – Real Sociedad Preferred foot – Right Position – Striker; Centre forward SCOUT REPORT – Alexander Isak’s rise to the top of his game came last season when he moved to Real Sociedad from Borussia Dortmund. The big Swede is a strong presence for any team upfront due to his physique and ability to read the game with ease. At only 21, Isak is now one of La Liga’s hottest strike properties and has played a key role in keeping La Real in line for a European spot. He is a traditional old-school No.9 with the ability to transform his game to help out fellow wingers and midfielders by dropping deep between the lines and follow through with key passes. Isak likes to take defenders head-on by making unpredictable runs through defences that leave them helpless due to his quick acceleration and steady pace, outrunning defenders in a blink of an eye. However, his decision making in the final-third can certainly do with some improvement as he sometimes tends to be a bit wasteful with the finalization of passes. His athletic physique makes it hard for defenders to mark him, making it easy for him to take advantage of set-piece situations from corners and free kicks. So far, this 2020/21 La Liga season has seen him play to the best of his abilities. With adequate support from the wingers around him and the midfielders behind, Isak can focus much more on banging in goals when it matters the most. PHYSICAL ASPECT – Standing tall at 6’2” (190 cm), Isak’s imposing presence gives an additional advantage to Real Sociedad’s attack due to his ability to take on defenders without fear. The opposition find it hard to contain his movements because of his quick acceleration and pace, along with his physique that allows him to shrug off defenders in one go. He has a good header of the ball due to his tall reach and poses great threat through set-pieces. ATTRIBUTE RATING – Attributes Rating Passing 7.5 Finishing 8.0 Dribbling 8.0 Speed 8.5 Tactics 7.5 Heading 8.0 Endurance 7.5 Physical 8.5 Crossing 7.5 Defending 6.5 Overall 7.5 Potential 8.5 STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES COMPARISON – Here is a small comparison of Alexander Isak’s most desirable qualities and certain weaknesses he can build and improve upon - STRENGTHS – WEAKNESSES – Athletic & imposing presence Defensive contribution Aerial ability; threat from headers Weak left foot Fearless ability to take on defenders head-on Potential to improve his work rate Quick pace & acceleration Good ball control Mikel Oyarzabal D.O.B – 21/04/1997 (Age: 23) Height – 5’9” (181 cm) Nationality – Spain League – La Liga, Spain Current club – Real Sociedad Preferred foot – Left Position – Left winger; Inverted winger (Attacking midfielder) SCOUT REPORT – 23-year-old Oyarzabal is one of La Liga’s brightest attacking prospects with his flair and attacking skills. His presence in the La Real squad has turned the team into one of La Liga’s most thrilling teams in 2020/2021. Oyarzabal is a tricky winger capable of doing damage from any of the attacking positions up front, including as an attacking midfielder or a support striker, who can rake in the assists. He also excels as an inverted winger and often does so by drifting out of his traditional left wing role, sometimes even dropping in deep to assist the central midfielders. His clever style of play involves swift movements that help exploit open channels, leading to potential goal scoring opportunities. Arguably, his greatest asset is his spatial and positioning sense that allow him to be an exceptional threat to defences – especially without the ball. While he may not be the strongest and most powerful player out there, the winger’s technique and skill on the ball more than makes up for his lack of imposing presence. He has scored 12 goals already this season, with ten of them coming in La Liga, along with 6 assists across all competitions. Ever since his first appearance for Real Sociedad, coming through their youth ranks, Oyarzabal has gone on to make more than 200 caps and scoring 60 goals for the club The Eibar-born attacker has the potential to become one of the world’s best wingers with his skills, technique and flair on the ball. PHYSICAL ASPECT – The Spaniard is 5’9” (181 cm) and although his presence is not as imposing as it seems, defenders find it hard to handle his movements due to his quick movements and ability to involve in transitional play very easily. His aerial and heading abilities are not his strongest points, but he certainly can improve those points in the coming years with additional effort and training. When he combines his determination and skill, Oyarzabal is very well capable of becoming one of the world’s best wingers. ATTRIBUTE RATING – Attributes Rating Passing 8.5 Finishing 8.0 Dribbling 8.5 Speed 8.0 Tactics 8.5 Heading 6.5 Endurance 7.5 Physical 7.5 Crossing 7.5 Defending 7.0 Overall 8.0 Potential 8.5 STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES COMPARISON – Here is a small comparison of Mikel Oyarzabal’s most desirable qualities and certain weaknesses he can build and improve upon - STRENGTHS – WEAKNESSES – Technique; on-the-ball movements Defensive contribution Exceptional positional sense Reliance on left foot Team work; pressing ability Aerial threat & heading abilities Usefulness in counterattacks; seamless transitional play` Pace, acceleration & ball control Christian Portu D.O.B – 21/05/1992 (Age: 28) Height – 5’5” (168 cm) Nationality – Spain League – La Liga, Spain Current club – Real Sociedad Preferred foot – Right Position – Right winger; attacking midfielder SCOUT REPORT – The Real Sociedad No.7 is one of La Liga’s most underrated players, mainly due to his ability to go unnoticed during matches – but always making a difference. The 28-year- old is a fast paced right winger who prefers playing on the right side of the pitch, delivering pin-point crosses, most of which have translated into goals. He excels most right behind the main striker, providing defense splitting passes, some of which are combined with good dribbling runs. His accurate passes serve the team with confidence to knock the ball around in the final-third – keeping possession - as is the playing style of La Real. Portu can easily transition between his traditional role as a right winger and as a support striker/attacking midfielder in the center of the pitch, as a supporting arm for the main forwards. However, he struggles sometimes to make key decisions that may have well translated to better goal-scoring opportunities. Nonetheless, he is a key factor in Real Sociedad’s pressing style of play where they try to squeeze the ball out of the defenders and hit on the counter attack. The 28-year-old has regularly appeared for Real Sociedad since moving from Girona in 2019. Overall, he has capped more than 70 times for the Basque club, scoring 13 goals and registering 12 assists in the process. PHYSICAL ASPECT – At only 5’5” tall (168 cm), Portu’s is one of Real Sociedad’s shortest players, but nonetheless he is one of the club’s most agile and physically strong players too. Portu’s fast-paced game play along with his physique permits him to take on opposition with quick pace and acceleration. However, he struggles to win aerial duels due to his short stature, which makes him a liability during set-pieces. ATTRIBUTE RATING – Attributes Rating Passing 8.0 Finishing 7.0 Dribbling 8.0 Speed 8.0 Tactics 8.5 Heading 6.5 Endurance 8.0 Physical 7.5 Crossing 8.5 Defending 6.5 Overall 8.0 Potential 8.5 STRENGTHS & WEAKNESSES COMPARISON – Here is a small comparison of Alexander Isak’s most desirable qualities and certain weaknesses he can build and improve upon - STRENGTHS – WEAKNESSES – Team player; crossing ability Weak left foot Agility; quick movements Aerial ability; threat from headers Defensive contribution; pressing Pace & acceleration Presence of mind David Silva D.O.B – 08/01/1986 (Age: 35) Height – 5’7” (170 cm) Nationality – Spain League – La Liga, Spain Current club – Real Sociedad Preferred foot – Left Position – Attacking midfielder; left winger/midfielder SCOUT REPORT – David Silva is an already established legend, who has the ability to change the face of any match. Silva is a game changer whose technicality is unparalleled. Very few possesses the ability to read the game like he does, with utmost grace and composure. His excellent first touch, combined with his dribbling ability and quick acceleration makes him an instant threat against any kind of opposition. He does his best in teams that prefer a counterattacking style of play – contributing with his electric pace and unmatched ability to pick out key passes. But, now at 35, he does equally well in teams adopting a possession-based style with continuous passes and breaking up defences with constant movement on the ball. Although he serves primarily as a left winger/midfielder, he tends to prefer the playmaker role behind the main forwards. His versatility allows him to be deployed in several offensive positions upfront – sometimes even as a deep-lying central midfielder. Arguably, his main asset is his skill to control the tempo of the match by being constantly involved in build-up play. Silva’s intelligence in the final-third has come about to rank him as one of this generation’s greatest ever players and one of the best midfielders in Premier League history with Manchester City.