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This video illustrates how recoveries can be distinguished not only in terms of their effectiveness, but also their quality. Barcelona record the fourth-most advantageous recoveries in the league, i.e. situations that involve a numerical advantage and where the side in possession has more players ahead of the ball than the opposition.
Given the importance of build-up play in the system deployed by Xavi’s troops, the team’s set-up at the start of the attacking transition is key. This video shows how the Barcelona players react in these situations. It’s worth pointing out that 15% of the Catalan giants’ recoveries put them at an advantage.
Real Madrid are the LaLiga Santander front runners for the number of carries leading to shots, with four per game to their name. Carries can be analysed from a whole host of angles, but in this case we’re keen to look at their outcome, i.e. shots.
There’s no question that Ancelotti’s charges are capable of making the most of these actions, as illustrated in our Clip of the Week. The players’ ability to go past their man, their skill level and decision-making ability are key to the success of such actions, which can reap rich rewards for the capital club.
As we can see in this clip, Simeone’s boys post an average of two carries that lead to shots per game. Indeed, this is one of Atleti’s favourite tactics to pose a threat on goal. If we dive deeper and take a look at what the Wanda Metropolitano-based outfit do in possession, we learn that they feature amongst the league’s top five teams for the number of players per possession (almost three), whilst they find themselves amongst the division’s leading five teams for the number of dangerous possessions per match (4.6).
When it comes to possession, there are a whole host of aspects that we can analyse, with one of them being the degree of danger created. When we speak of dangerous possessions, we’re referring to those that end in a goal or a goalscoring opportunity. This video features a dangerous possession put together by Manuel Pellegrini’s charges. Betis excel in this department and lie second in the LaLiga standings for the number of dangerous possessions (5.7 per outing).
The Real Madrid players ensure that their team balance enables them to consistently produce and improve on their statistics as the games goes on. As we can see in the latest instalment of Clip of the Week, the Blancos record more dangerous possessions than any other side in the league (6.76 per game) and, crucially, they make them count.
Athletic Club
Granada CF
VIE 26.11.2021
20:00
Season 2021/2022
Estadio San Mamés
RCD Espanyol de Barcelona
Real Sociedad
DOM 28.11.2021
15:15
Season 2021/2022
RCDE Stadium
Cádiz CF
Atlético de Madrid
DOM 28.11.2021
17:30
Season 2021/2022
Estadio Nuevo Mirandilla
Real Madrid
Sevilla FC
DOM 28.11.2021
20:00
Season 2021/2022
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
Athletic Club
Granada CF
VIE 26.11.2021
20:00
Season 2021/2022
Matchday 15
Estadio San Mamés
Marcelino’s Athletic Club show no shortage of faith in their playing style and system. In all of their outings so far this term, they’ve set up in a 4-4-2 formation and haven’t strayed from this blueprint during the course of the games. They lie in third place in the LaLiga standings for the team with the highest backline, whilst they boast a compact unit with the ability to apply a high press and have posted the fourth-best figures in the division for recoveries made highest up the pitch.
All of this combines to make Marcelino’s troops an efficient side in the defensive third. Indeed, the Basques lie top of the pile when it comes to the number of shots the opposition need to score.
In the fitness stakes, nobody can live with the sprightly Bilbao outfit, who cover the most distance in the league and the most ground at high intensity and have registered the most sprints of all of the teams in division.
Granada CF lie near to the top of the league standings for the percentage of play near to its own area, both in terms of the average positioning and the height of the defensive line. In this sense, the Andalusians’ positional data contrasts greatly to that we’ve just examined in relation to Athletic.
The team’s proximity to their own goal and on-pitch positioning help to explain why the Nazaries are the side to have enjoyed the most possession in their own half. Robert Moreno’s men operate with a compact block and frugal space between their low lines. The team’s depth is amongst the lowest in the league and the same applies to their positional width.
Granada’s playing style could be described as being direct, with long passes accounting for 20% of the team’s total passes, although this figure has fallen in recent games.
They’re not a side that build play up at high speed and have registered the second-slowest ball circulation speeds in LaLiga, with 12.6 passes per minute.
Granada lie top of the division’s charts for the number of shots received. However, their goalkeepers deserve a shout-out, especially the performances of the reliable Maximiano, who boasts the fifth-best statistics in the division for the percentage of saves and yet it still takes the opposition 10.4 shots to break Granada’s resistance.
Granada’s compact defensive block sees the team record one of the smallest convex hull ratios in this phase of the game. Moreno’s charges focus on closing out spaces in the inside channels.
When in possession, Granada have earnt themselves the reputation as being a pragmatic side and are one of the teams to involve the fewest players per possession. Meanwhile the visitors are amongst the top five sides in LaLiga in terms of distance gained in possession, which is a key factor when it comes to preventing the opposition from gaining advantages in transitions.
Meanwhile, this Athletic side display some of the hallmarks of Marcelino’s sides in the shape of quick transitions and mobility. The Leones lead the way in the division’s charts for high-intensity actions and sit pretty in third place for the number of opponents beaten by carries.
The Spanish centre-back occupies third place in the LaLiga standings for clearances made per game. In addition to the stopper’s determination to play an influential role in his team’s defensive solidity, he’s also a real presence in the air. The Basque defender claims a place amongst the top 25 players in the Spanish top tier for success in aerial duels. There can be little question that Martinez plays a pivotal part in Athletic’s status as the best team in the league when it comes to efficiency in preventing the opposition from scoring.
His impressive ability in terms of his defensive duties are complemented by an aptitude to break lines with passes that allow his team to build from the back. Indeed, Martinez outperforms all of his teammates when it comes to the average number of opponents beaten per pass.