Mikel Oyarzabal: Scout Report

Mikel Oyarzabal is a 23 year old forward who plays for Real Sociedad. The Spaniard has a unique skillset which allows him to play anywhere across the front three. He is very versatile having played 15% of his 244 career games at right wing and 11% as a #10.

In the current Sociedad setup, as a left footed left winger, Mikel Oyarzabal often provides width on the wing. Most players in this position like to beat their opponent in a 1v1 but that is not Oyarzabal's specialty. His lack of pace does limit him in this regard.

Oyarzabal usually does one of three things. He will link up with an underlapping #8, dribble into midfield or link up with the left back. In this situation he decided to dribble into midfield

This setup of traditional wingers and underlapping midfielders is very similar to Pep's 2-3-5 in 17/18 except it's not exactly like that. Real Sociedad players are more flexible with their positions, Monreal often overlaps when Oyarzabal drifts into midfield.

Oyarzabal's dribbling is built on his great movement skills, finding space and exploiting that space. When Merino underlaps Mikel moves into the space created and switches play to the right wing before making a run

Oyarzabal isnt the best on the ball but his awareness and movement help him play between the lines. In this situation Real Sociedad just won the ball back. Oyarzabal takes one look at the space behind him before receiving the ball on the half turn, facing the goal.

In both these examples Oyarzabal has showcased his understanding of space but there are weaknesses that we shouldn't ignore.

In the first example, Oyarzabal's decision making is frustrating. Rather than passing to David Silva who is running at the edge of the box he decides to switch play to the opposite wing.

In the second example, Oyarzabal cannot avoid the pressure on time due to his lack of burst speed. He manages to shield the ball from the press but things would be much better if he could exploit that space.

To make use of his intelligent movement Oyarzabal is often used as the 3rd man in Alguacil's system while the more technical midfielders help get the ball out of pressure.

When he eventually receives the ball he has tons of time and space to pick out Januzaj's run after taking two touches.

Despite playing a perfect through ball I wouldn't say Oyarzabal is good on the ball. He always struggles in tight spaces and under pressure. Here he failed to play a simple return pass to his underlapping teammate

When under pressure and having no space he will usually pass back. He knows his strengths and weaknesses so he decides to play disciplined. Such maturity is rare among young players.

Mikel Oyarzabal's unique profile makes him an interesting player but not one that every manager can make use of. Oyarzabal should be given a free role that allows him to find and create space in a system where his roaming will not disrupt the balance of the team shape

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