Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Rayo’s textbook press

When a team attempt to regain possession, it’s not all about pressing hard, but applying the press in the right way. One side that have got it down to a fine art are Andoni Iraola’s Rayo Vallecano, who lie second in the league standings for the number of recoveries per game. However, if we shine the spotlight on these recoveries, we can see that the Vallecas-based outfit claim the final spot on the LaLiga Santander podium for how high up the pitch the recoveries are made. The following graphic shows the areas in which the Rayistas make the most recoveries in the opposition’s half.

Remarkable Coach

Valverde’s bold style reaps rewards

It’s certainly no mean feat producing convincing and entertaining performances while also putting points on the board. And Ernesto Valverde is managing to do just that as he brings a balance and solidity to his Athletic Club side. The Basques are the Spanish top flight’s second‑top team when it comes to the percentage of recoveries in the opposition’s half, which clearly reflects their bold approach. However, the boys from Bilbao offer great intensity in pretty much all of their actions. They lead the way for the number of actions performed at over 21km/hr and those at above 24km/hr, while they clinch second spot for actions at 28km/hr. Meanwhile, no other side chalk up more recoveries than Athletic. These statistics are really eye-catching and are a faithful reflection of a side that is renowned for its intensity levels.

Key Player

Multifaceted Pedri is man for all occasions

The youngster plays a key role in FC Barcelona’s build-up play and is also one of the leading players in the league in terms of the number of passes he executes and their quality. However, his game isn’t just about creating play, he is also a fine finisher. As we can see in the following video, he tops the Azulgranas’ charts for the percentage of successful goal attempts and he lies third in this department across the whole division (35.3%). However, Pedri’s role within the Barça system extends far beyond pure statistics, regardless of how impressive they may be. It is worth noting that he features amongst the top 10 players in the Spanish top tier for the total number of attacking actions. The following graphic reflects the types of goals he scores and his preference for finding the net from the left.

The Match up

Atletico host Athletic as high-pressing sides collide

This promises to be an attractive encounter, not only given what’s at stake in the league table, but also because of the easy‑on‑the‑eye brand of football played by both teams. The hosts are the division’s top dogs for goals scored after regaining possession in the opposition’s half, despite the fact that nobody records more recoveries than their Matchday 22 opponents, Athletic Club. Meanwhile, although Diego Simeone’s charges receive more shots, the Basques concede more goals than their Madrilenian rivals. Elsewhere, Valverde’s recruits hold the upper hand on the number of actions completed at over 21km/hr.

The video shows just what a crucial role Nico Williams plays in terms of breaking the opposition’s line with his dribbling, a facet of his game in which he ranks as the third top-performing player in the competition.

Remember his name

Gil becomes Sevilla’s saviour

Bryan Gil’s arrival at Sevilla has injected a breath of fresh air into a jaded squad that endured one of the worst first halves of the season in the club’s history. Jorge Sampaoli’s men would appear to be seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel and the fresh-faced Gil has had a big hand in the turnaround. Although he has only recently checked in to the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan, he has already made a big impression, racking up more actions at over 21km/hr and 24km/hr than any of his new team‑mates in the Sevillians’ latest outing. The actions he completed at over 24km/hr are represented in the graphic below. The Spanish youngster is clearly making an impact in terms of his intensity levels, while he is sure to play an increasingly prominent role on the ball, where he has already weighed in with one goal.

Metric of the week

Distance to nearest opponent when receiving the ball

Distances are an important element that allow us to measure a range of aspects in a number of phases and areas of the game, offering us a fine insight into the on‑field action. In this instance, we focus on the distance to the nearest opponent when receiving the ball, which measures the space between a player when they receive the ball and the nearest opposing player.

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.