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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.
Real Sociedad
RC Celta
SAT 08.01.2022
15:15
Season 2021/2022
Reale Arena
Granada CF
FC Barcelona
SAT 08.01.2022
17:30
Season 2021/2022
Nuevo Los Cármenes
Real Madrid
Valencia CF
SAT 08.01.2022
20:00
Season 2021/2022
Estadio Santiago Bernabéu
CA Osasuna
Cádiz CF
SUN 09.01.2022
17:30
Season 2021/2022
Estadio El Sadar
Real Sociedad
RC Celta
SAT 08.01.2022
15:15
Season 2021/2022
Matchday 20
Reale Arena
Imanol Alguacil’s charges occupy second spot in the LaLiga Santander standings for team spacing in possession or, in other words, they have registered the second-widest convex hull when they have the ball, with the team covering a breathtaking 1,117m2. Meanwhile, the Basques also boast the best points-per-goal ratio in the division (1.43).
The San Sebastian-based outfit sit in fifth position in the standings for successful dribbles and the percentage of shots on target, whilst they are handily placed in third in terms of the percentage of recoveries made in the opposition’s half (26%). As we can clearly see from these statistics, striking that all-important balance between attacking and defensive play is one of the hallmarks of La Real’s playing style.
Meanwhile, RC Celta have earned themselves a place in the higher reaches of a number of the league’s rankings. The Galicians’ impressive fitness sees them bag third spot in the standings for distances covered at over 21km/hr, whilst they sit one spot lower in the charts for the number of sprints completed at over 24km/hr.
As if that wasn’t enough, the Vigo-based side enjoy a high percentage of possession in the opposition’s half, with their performance in this department earning them second spot in the league ranking, whilst only four sides have posted more recoveries in the opposition’s territory than Eduardo Coudet’s men.
Celta’s passes beat an average of 2.89 opponents, with the team’s ability in this facet of the game illustrated in the video below. However, one of Celta’s main tools when it comes to breaking lines and posing a threat on the opposition’s goal are their carries, which are supported by the impressive speed and distance stats highlighted above. The Galicians sit proudly in second spot in the league standings for the number of carries that break the opposition’s defensive line (4.67 per game). What’s more, the Celestes lie top of the pile when it comes to distance covered after losing the ball.
As for Real Sociedad, they combine their ability to use the whole width of the pitch when in possession by occupying a reduced area in the defensive phase, where they record the fourth-narrowest team spacing in the Spanish top flight. The Basques occupy 1,117m in possession and this figure drops to 708m when the opposition have the ball.
The Real Arena-based outfit display great intensity in their defensive transitions and lie in third spot when it comes to the distance covered after losing possession.
Not only does the Swede speedster weigh in with his fair share of goals, four of which have come in open play, he also boasts a 12% shot conversion rate, which places him amongst the top 10 players in LaLiga Santander in this particular department.
Opposition defences are wary of Isak’s considerable talents and it’s little surprise that he features on the podium for La Real players who register the shortest distance to the opponent when receiving the ball, as illustrated in the video.