Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Villarreal get back on track

Football isn’t just about winning; it’s about doing so convincingly. And that’s exactly what Quique Setién’s charges seek to do every time they cross that white line. The Yellow Submarine’s 2-1 triumph over Valencia CF saw the hosts return to action following the World Cup in fine fettle. And the Castellon-based outfit really do have a lot going for them. As we can see in this video, they claim the last spot on the LaLiga Santander podium for the number of players involved per possession, averaging 3.11, while they secure fourth place in the possession percentage stakes. These statistics mean that Villarreal perform impressively in the attacking phase in both percentage terms and the number of players involved per move.

Remarkable Coach

Ancelotti balances quality & quality to perfection

The Italian tactician ensures that his team win and do so in style. Not only are the Blancos effective, but they also occupy the top spots across a whole host of statistics. Carries are one of the main hallmarks of the Merengues’ game, with Carlo Ancelotti’s troops lying top of the pile for the number of high-impact carries, which are those that result in an attempt on goal. Meanwhile, Madrid’s passes also help to ensure that they’re a formidable force in the attacking phase. The boys from the Bernabeu are second in the league charts for the number of forward passes and no other team play more passes in the final third. When we take a look at Madrid’s efficiency, their ratios also make for impressive reading. They lead the way in the LaLiga standings for attacking efficiency, i.e. they require the fewest number of attempts to score.

As we have highlighted, the team’s threat in the final third is based on some eye-catching ratios in the build-up phase, with Real Madrid’s balance the secret to their success.

Key Player

Ballon d’Or winner already on the goal trail

Just in case there were any question marks over Karim Benzema, he quickly silenced them by notching another goal. While it certainly wasn’t one of the frontman’s most dazzling displays, he always delivers when called upon and there’s simply no questioning his efficiency in front of goal. It is worth noting that the Frenchman features amongst the top 15 players in the standings in terms of being under pressure when playing a pass. Despite facing this pressure and how it impacts on the opposition’s defence, the Real Madrid goal-getter is one of the top 10 players in the competition for the number of high-impact actions, the second for goals per game and is the division’s bridesmaid for the number of attempts on target, with Robert Lewandowski pipping him to the post in these last two criteria.

The Match up

Atleti set for Barça test

Diego Simeone’s Atletico feature amongst the top four most compact sides in the league in the defensive phase, while FC Barcelona retain their width when they look to regain possession. Although it may initially appear that the two teams have two contrasting styles on account of their positioning, there are some parallels to be drawn between the sides. They feature amongst the top three in the competition for the number of presses applied after losing possession and both sides secure a place in the top five for the number of actions completed at over 28km/hr. In sum, although the sides don’t occupy the space in the same way, their approach to regaining possession is similar and their tempo levels are comparable. When it comes to their passes, there are similarities in terms of their quantity and the areas of the pitch in which they are played. The Matchday 16 opponents are amongst the league’s standout teams for the number of passes and passes played into the opposition’s half.

Remember his name

Simply no stopping speedster Thierry

Thierry’s name is synonymous with blistering pace down the flank. He ranks in second spot in the Spanish top flight for the distance travelled at over 28km/hr and features amongst the top 15 players for the distance covered at over 21km/hr. These are just some of the statistics that reflect the Portuguese speedster’s importance to Valencia’s play. Correia’s ability to eat up the ground helps the team to bring the ball out of their own half, but he also contributes a lot in the defensive third. He is Valencia’s top dog when it comes to breaking down opposition attacks and only one of his teammates has chalked up more recoveries than the jet-heeled Portuguese ace.

Metric of the week

Average passing distance

This metric relates to the average distance that each team’s passes travel. Although, as we already know, any completed pass counts in statistical terms, not all passes have the same value and their characteristics help us to understand each team’s playing style. In addition to the distance of the passes, we can also shine the spotlight on the direction in which passes are played. It clearly makes a big difference when the majority of a team’s passes or an individual player’s passes are played forward compared to when this figure is lower. This video shows exactly why CA Osasuna are the division’s runners-up on passing distance, averaging a score of 20.43m. The Pamplona-based side lie in fourth place for the number of opposition players beaten by their passes, which clearly reflects their direct playing style.

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.