Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Difference maker Abde shines brightly

When we analyse Abde’s game, we come across a whole host of factors that make him a difference‑maker, with many of these elements involving creating numerical advantages for his team: CA Osasuna. As we can see in the following video, he lies fourth in the league standings for the number of high-impact carries, a return that places him hot on the heels of the likes of Vinicius Jr. and Samuel Lino. The graphic below shows us where these carries originate and what a dominant force he is down his flank, while the video reflects the goalscoring impact of these moves. The fresh-faced starlet also occupies a top‑six spot in the LaLiga Santander table for carries that break the opposition’s defensive line. These statistics, along with his goalscoring prowess, show that Abde is fast becoming a force to be reckoned with.

Remarkable Coach

Mendilibar pulls off unlikely turnaround

When Jose Luis Mendilibar took up the reins at Sevilla FC, the team were on the brink, but he has managed to turn things around in remarkable fashion. The Andalusians are unbeaten under the Basque tactician’s tutelage and have rediscovered their spark in front of goal. Since the change at the helm, the Sevillians boast the best shot conversion rate in the Spanish top flight (12.8%). This is some improvement considering that they were languishing down in 14^th spot with a 5% shot conversion rate prior to his appointment. The Nervion-based outfit are the league’s top dogs when it comes to successful attempts on goal (20%), whereas they previously ranked 14^th in this department (8.9%). The graphics reflect the team’s performance in the final third, highlighting the attempts on goal and those that result in goals, while the video footage shows how this impacts on the team’s play.

Key Player

Sevilla’s top goal-getter breathes life into team

Eight‑goal Youssef En-Nesyri currently tops Sevilla’s goal charts with more than a goal per outing to his name. However, most importantly of all, the Moroccan marksman’s form is on the up, with most of his goals having come in the team’s last 10 games. He claims top spot in the Sevillians’ goal charts, both from open play and set pieces. He also leads the way for attempts on goal and he outperforms all of his teammates when it comes to attempts on target, as reflected in the video. Indeed, an impressive 16% of his attempts result in a goal. The statistics speak volumes, but his overall performances are symptomatic of a side that has enjoyed a new lease of life following the change in the dugout.

The Match up

Barcelona & Betis collide in high stakes bout of contrasting styles

We mustn’t forget that FC Barcelona lie in pole position in the LaLiga Santander table not only on account of their defensive solidity, but also their form in front of goal. The Catalan giants boast the best shot conversion rate in the competition and the video offers a fine example of this. However, in our current analysis, we wish to hone in on the contrasting styles implemented by Real Betis and the Azulgranas, who have the upper hand in the goal stakes and the percentage of goals scored in open play, attempts on goal and attempts from set pieces. Meanwhile, the Verdiblancos come out on top when it comes to goals scored from set pieces and the percentage that such goals make up of their tally. This Matchday 32 showdown promises to be a thrilling encounter between sides with contrasting footballing philosophies.

Remember his name

Lee Kang-in propels Mallorca up the league

The Mallorca frontman’s presence on the pitch boosts his team in a number of areas and he dovetails perfectly with the side’s leading goalscorer, Vedat Muriqi. The South Korean hotshot tops his team’s ranking for the number of high-impact actions and sits second in the islanders’ goal charts. He also occupies second place for the number of goalscoring attempts created and no one has more assists to their name than the pacy front runner. The graphic displays his attempts on goal and the various distances from which his attempts originate, while the video allows us to relive one of his most recent strikes.

Metric of the week

Passes per possession

For some time now, possession has been far more than a simple percentage figure and there are many metrics that we can spotlight in this area, with passes per possession being one such example. This criteria measures the number of passes a team play in each attacking phase and it can help us to determine a team’s playing style. Real Madrid lie top of the tree in this department with an average of almost seven passes per possession and the capital club also lead the way for passes per minute, racking up over 17.

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.