Real Sociedad 2-0 Atletico Madrid: 3 Talking Points

The visit to Real Sociedad was billed as Atletico Madrid's toughest test to the perfect start they've made to La Liga so far. The home side justified that build-up entirely as they ran out 2-0 winners against Atletico Madrid to disrupt their start for the first time this campaign.

From the first minute at the newly renovated Reale Arena, Real Sociedad were on top in this tie. The likes of Alexander Isak, Portu, Mikel Oyarzabal, and Martin Odegaard were an absolute nightmare for the Atletico Madrid defence to cope with. They constantly bombarded the Atletico backline with through balls and smart runs but weren't able to break their iconic resistance till the second half.

Simeone brought on Marcos Llorente to try and exert some influence over the free reign afforded to the attacking unit of the home side. It didn't have the desired effect as Sociedad scored two goals in less than 5 minutes to race ahead. With Atletico playing catch up, they started to tray and create some more opportunities but in over 20 minutes only managed to truly test Moya twice.

Atletico can take solace in the fact that they're still top of the table, but their commanding lead is now cut short.

Joao Felix crowded out

Players were quick to surround Joao Felix to prevent him from doing any damage

Real Sociedad were imperious in attack but were just as good in keeping the big names of Atleti quiet while defending. They successfully managed to keep the threat of Joao Felix contained by doubling up on him every time he received the ball and tried to turn.

Atleti, whose attacking play seemed to flow through him were forced to re-route their play through Lemar and Vitolo who struggled to create. Despite the obvious tactic from Sociedad, Simeone stuck with Felix through the middle instead of allowing him more space on the outside.

Once Felix was replaced by Correa, he faced a similar issue, although he was able to use his quick feet on a couple of occasions and was a big part of a couple of plays that were Atleti's best attacking passages.

Also check out: Premier League Table La Liga Table Champions League Schedule

Martin Odegaard carves apart the Atletico defence

The Atletico defence could not contain Odegaard

There was plenty to appreciate about Sociedad's attack. Isak's willingness to come deep and run with the ball, Oyarzabal's linking up with other players, and Portu's movement and delivery. The crowning jewel of this attack, though, was Martin Odegaard.

The Real Madrid loanee was pulling the strings in attack, a light touch here and a through ball there that split Atleti's defence on plenty of occasions. It was a display that will catch the attention of his home club who could definitely use performances like that from the players they retained.

Odegaard scored on the 58-minute mark when he lost his marker and made a run into the box. The ball arrived at his feet and he wasted no time sweeping it home with his left foot via a deflection off Savic.

His delivery from set-pieces was another highlight of the night, and it delivered the second goa; of the night scored by new boy Nacho Monreal.

Atletico desperate for creativity and goals

Diego Costa was a peripheral figure for most of the game against Real Sociedad

Despite having Koke, Lemar, and Saul in midfield, Atletico Madrid struggled to create much at all in attack. Joao Felix was also crowded out and the substitute Correa was perhaps the only glimmer in an otherwise barren performance.

They could have done with some of the attackers on the other side as they went hunting for goals. It was a sign of how poorly they were attacking that it wasn't until the 75th minute that they truly tested Moya in Sociedad's goal.

Further, despite winning 3 of their 4 games so far, they have only scored 5 goals with their current top scorer Vitolo netting 2 of those. He is so far their only serious goal threat. The likes of Alvaro Morata and Diego Costa have applied themselves and are finding themselves coming up short. This was painfully evident against Real Sociedad, and it's an issue that needs addressing as soon as possible if they are to keep up this title challenge.