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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.
Elche CF
RC Celta
DOM 03.10.2021
12:00
Season 2021/2022
Estadio Martínez Valero
Atlético de Madrid
FC Barcelona
SÁB 02.10.2021
19:00
Season 2021/2022
Riyadh Air Metropolitano
RCD Mallorca
Levante UD
SÁB 02.10.2021
14:15
Season 2021/2022
Estadi Mallorca Son Moix
Villarreal CF
Real Betis
DOM 03.10.2021
16:30
Season 2021/2022
Estadio de la Cerámica
Villarreal CF
Real Betis
DOM 03.10.2021
16:30
Season 2021/2022
Matchday 8
Estadio de la Cerámica
The Chilean coach appears to have discovered the key to his players performing better than ever. Real Betis's start to the season sees them seventh in the table, looking like a well-oiled machine, especially going forward. In fact, Los Verdiblancos are one of the two best teams in LaLiga Santander in attacking build-up play, as well as one of the two teams who show the greatest initiative in the competition. In addition, Betis are the second team in the division when it comes shots at goal, letting fly a total of 16.4 times per game on average, only outgunned by Real Madrid.
They face a Villarreal CF side who remain unbeaten in the competition thanks to their defensive solidity and their ability to defend with the ball. It is no coincidence that Los Groguets have the third highest possession ratio in LaLiga Santander as a whole. They also stand out on various defensive metrics, such as prevention effectiveness: they are the team who most often prevent their opponents from scoring. In this regard, the team from Castellon have blocked the highest percentage of shots in the division. And when their opponents do manage to shoot unimpeded, they still have to get past Geronimo Rulli, the second best keeper in terms of the percentage of saves made.
Both Los Groguets and Los Beticos are among the five teams with the largest convex hull when they have possession of the ball. This helps them to circulate the ball among the players due to the greater distance between them, meaning that defenders may have to stretch themselves thinner. Villarreal CF are also the fourth team in the entire competition who involve the most different players in their possessions. Betis, meanwhile, show themselves to be a team who seek to play vertically: they are among the five teams who bypass the most opposing players per pass.
Sergio Canales oozes class and quality in every minute he plays in the Betis shirt. The number 10 is among the ten players who have performed the most high-impact actions, assists and passes in the attacking zone in all of LaLiga Santander. Not content with that, the Cantabrian midfielder is his team's top passer and the player who completes the highest number of long passes in the entire Betis squad. Canales is also the player from the Betis team who takes out the most opponents on average with his passes, with a total of 3.66 players per pass.