Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Villarreal’s possessions eat up the ground

A team’s possessions can be defined in a whole host of different ways. As well as looking at the number of players involved in each possession, percentage figures and areas of the pitch, we can also analyse the location and distance of a side’s possession.

Based on our analysis of this metric, we can see that Villarreal are LaLiga Santander’s top dogs when it comes to distance per possession, a feature of their game that helps them in the attacking phase. Indeed, the Yellow Submarine have already recorded several handsome victories so far this term and that comes as little surprise.

As well as making good ground, the Castellon outfit’s possessions are intricate, with only FC Barcelona stringing together more passes per possession. In sum, the distance covered by Villarreal owes to their passing and combination play.

Remarkable Coach

Gattuso oversees Valencia overhaul

If we compare the statistics from the opening four games of last season to the first four this time round, the difference is striking. So far this season, the Valencians have completed more passes, pressed more in the opposition’s half, registered more recoveries and chalked up more successful carries.

The difference is clear for all to see but let’s take a look at the state of play this season. How do Gattuso’s troops fare in the various rankings?

The boys from Mestalla occupy the final place on the podium for the highest average number of players per possessions or, in other words, their moves in the attacking phase involve many players. Not only have they recorded more carries, but they’re far more incisive. They lie in second position in the LaLiga Santander standings for the number of carries that break the opposition’s defensive line. Los Che also feature amongst the top four sides in the division when it comes to the number of attempts on goal.

Within our analysis, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that one of the hallmarks of Gattuso’s side is their ability to press. The team press in many situations and many players are involved in this phase. Indeed, the Valencians lead the way in LaLiga for the number of players per press (an average of almost four).

Key Player

Difference-maker Lino shines brightly

Not only did Samuel Lino weigh in with a goal in Valencia’s meeting with Getafe CF, his on-field positioning was spot on and he showed great determination, both on a team level and individually. If we take a look across the Spanish top tier, no other player has registered more high-impact carries than the Brazilian ace so far this term (six). The talented Valencia trickster also features amongst the top 10 players in the league in terms of successful dribbles per game (almost two). Both Lino’s carries and dribbles play contribute to the team’s progressive play.

As if that wasn’t enough, he generates an average of one attempt on goal per game and boasts a shot conversion rate of 10%.

The Match up

Atletico Madrid v RC Celta preview

This encounter pits two teams with clearly defined styles against each other, which means that they excel in different areas of the game. One of the most striking differences relates to the sides’ positional play and their convex hull scores. No team plays with more width in possession than the Galicians (1,125m²), while Atleti lie fourth from bottom in terms of team width when on the ball.

The boys from Balaidos lie top of the LaLiga Santander pile for the number of double-pressure passes. Despite their width when in possession, they come under the most pressure when playing a pass, with both the passer and the recipient receiving close attention from the opposition.

However, this does not have a direct influence on the threat posed by their possessions, which is an area in which Atleti impress. The Rojiblancos occupy fourth position in the LaLiga Santander table in terms of the number of dangerous possessions.

Remember his name

Abde stars & the stats back him up

Ez Abde left everyone in awe following his stunning solo run in his first outing in CA Osasuna colours. However, that carry was far from being a one-off and even the most fleeting of glances at the stats gives the El Sadar regulars plenty of reason for optimism.

Based on the statistics per game and in view of the few minutes he has amassed, we shine the spotlight on specific actions involving the up-and-coming star. He excels in actions completed at high speed, i.e. at over 24km/hr. He chalked almost 6.35 high-impact actions against Rayo Vallecano to bag a place in the TOP 5 in that department. Meanwhile, his sprints also leave him handily placed within the Osasuna charts.

In short, his first outing for the Navarrans got the fans off their seats and this is surely just the start of something very special.

Metric of the week

Press after losing possession

Teams looking to play possession-based football simply must have the ability to keep hold of the ball for as long as possible. A key element of this strategy involves winning the ball back quickly once it has been lost.

Counter-pressing is a tactic that sees a team’s players try to regain possession immediately after it is relinquished. As we can see in this video, possession continues to be a hallmark of the system adopted by Xavi’s men.

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.