Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Matchday 12 data that offers Cadiz hope

Although the Costa de la Luz-based outfit aren’t having the best of times right now, the win over Atletico Madrid sent a wave of optimism throughout the squad. The Andalusians’ meeting with the Rojiblancos served up one very significant piece of data across the latest round of games: Cadiz CF finished joint-top of the league charts for dangerous possessions after chalking up seven (the same as CA Osasuna) and even toppled Real Madrid, the serial top dogs in this department.

However, this figure would appear to be an exception to the rule. If we look at the average of dangerous possessions across the whole season, we can see that Cadiz languish amongst the competition’s bottom three, recording an average of 2.3 per game. The data from Matchday 12 could well indicate a shift in the team’s attacking system for a side that is in dire need of goals and shows of defensive solidity.

Remarkable Coach

Rubi oversees fine play & high-intensity system

UD Almeria rank second in the league for the number of actions at the highest intensity levels (28km/hr), clocking up almost 30 per outing. Indeed, this feature has become a hallmark of the Andalusians’ play and crucially, this high-tempo football provides the perfect match for the technical and tactical aspects of the game.

Rubi’s charges are the division’s runners-up for the percentage of forward passes after regaining possession (almost 60%). In addition, the Almeriensistas excel when it comes to crosses, where they feature amongst the league’s top four sides for successful crosses (26.3%). Putting your chances away is, of course, key and Almeria rank amongst the top six teams in the league for attempts on goal, with almost 37% of their attempts ending up on target.

Key Player

Moreno is Betis’s assist king

As we can see in this video, attack-minded full-back Alex Moreno plays the game at great intensity. Indeed, he features amongst the top 10 players in the Spanish top flight for distance covered at over 28km/hr and bags a spot in the 15-man standings for distance covered at over 21km/hr. The most significant aspect of his game is the contribution he makes in the attacking third with assists, where he occupies the final place on the LaLiga podium, with three to his name. This return makes the Catalan stopper one of LaLiga’s top-performing defenders when it comes to involvement in goals and the team’s attacking play.

Any analysis of Real Betis’s game must highlight the significance of carries that beat the opposition’s lines and it is well worth noting the decisive role played by Moreno in this respect. He features amongst the top 10 players in the league for the number of carries that beat the opposition’s midfield line. There is no question that much of the attacking threat posed by Pellegrini’s charges comes down Moreno’s flank.

The Match up

Sampaoli’s side head into Seville derby in drop zone

The two teams’ fortunes couldn’t be much more different ahead of the eagerly anticipated grudge match. While Real Betis have earned their place in the European reckoning, for the first time in almost two decades, Sevilla find themselves in the relegation zone. Let’s take a look at several statistics that could help us to understand their situations.

Pellegrini’s troops create play without involving too many players per possession. Indeed, the Verdiblancos occupy seventh spot in this metric. In contrast, their cross-city foes lie in fourth position in these standings, although this is currently doing little to help them in the attacking phase. Indeed, Jorge Sampaoli’s side need over 12.5 attempts to score, a figure that places them amongst the LaLiga Santander’s worst-performing sides. As for Betis, only three other sides need fewer shots to score, with the boys from the Benito Villamarin requiring eight. One of Sevilla’s major issues arises when breaking lines with carries. The Nervion-based side sit rock bottom for carries that beat the oppositions’ defensive line, while Betis are the division’s runners-up in this particular area.

Remember his name

Juan Cruz carries Betis hopes

The starlet’s stunning start to the season for the club’s second string saw Manuel Pellegrini draft him into the first-team squad, a decision the Chilean is certainly not regretting. He dazzled on his debut and went one better in his second outing by hitting the winner. Let’s take a look at the academy graduate’s game by analysing his statistics.

He lies top of the pile in the Betis charts for distance covered at over 21km/hr per game. If we continue to base things on the game time he has had so far, he also tops the side’s attempts charts, racking up almost three per match. The up-and-coming star excels in terms of shot conversion, with a rate of 25%, landing him a spot on the Betis podium. What’s more, he also features in the LaLiga goal charts, where he lies amongst the top 10 for the number of goals per game (0.73).

Metric of the week

Number of players involved in the press after losing possession

Before shining the spotlight on this week’s metric, we need to define what exactly we mean by the press after losing possession. This refers to a press applied to recover possession from the very moment that the ball is lost. In addition to counting the number of such presses, we’re also able to analyse and assess them on the basis of the average number of players involved. This allows us to identify whether a team presses frequently and to measure how many players take part in the press. Real Sociedad lead the way in these standings as the side with the most players involved in the press after relinquishing possession.

Beyond Stats ofrece métricas increíbles en la industria del fútbol: no se limita a recopilar los datos que se suelen usar para los análisis estándarque llegan a los aficionados, sino que va más allá, recopilando una cantidad ingente de información durante el partido, casi en tiempo real, gracias a la herramienta Mediacoach de LALIGA, que es capaz de revelar nuevas percepciones sobre el juego a un nivel más profundo permitiendo trazar patrones y obtener proyecciones de futuro.

Los datos brutos recogidos (Raw Data) son tratados para su análisis por un equipo multidisciplinar compuesto por expertos en Business Intelligence & Analytics y análisis futbolístico de LALIGA a través de procesos de Machine Learning e Inteligencia Artificial que se han hecho posibles gracias a la tecnología Azure que provee Microsoft, capaz de procesar grandes volúmenes de datos. Tras su tratamiento, se genera un algoritmo que permite la visualización de las métricas que llegan al aficionado por medio de Beyond Stats. Estas estadísticas permiten a los aficionados entender mejor por qué su equipo ha ganado un partido, lo ha perdido, o tener una visión panorámica de su rendimiento y expectativas, lo que permite una inmersión inédita en la experiencia del espectador de fútbol.

En todos los estadios de LALIGA encontramos hasta dieciséis cámaras perimetrales fijas de alta resolución para el tracking óptico que siguen en el terreno de juego la situación de jugadores, árbitros y balón, recogiendo datos físicos y técnico-tácticos a un ritmo vertiginoso de 25 veces por segundo.

“Encontramos hasta dieciséis cámaras perimetrales fijas de alta resolución para el tracking óptico”

Estos dispositivos permiten la integración, a través de la herramienta de análisis Mediacoach, de dos tecnologías: tracking y eventing. El tracking se apoya en la información de seguimiento recogida por las cámaras perimetrales del estadio, y permite elaborar métricas como las referidas a distancia recorrida, velocidad máxima y media, o número de sprints. Mediante el eventing se registran los eventos más objetivables: número de pases, córners, o faltas cometidas y recibidas. La información captada a través de tracking y eventing se integra y almacena en el sistema formando un conjunto de datos de gran volumen.