Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Real Madrid build their goals based on quantity and quality

The key to Los Blancos’ performance levels, in the broadest of terms, lies in the observation that they are the team who concede the least combined with being the second-highest scorers in the competition. We can explain these summary stats by digging a little deeper and taking a look at more datapoints. It is also notable that they are the side who take the second-highest number of shots, both in total and in terms of shots on target. They get into these shooting positions based on solid build-up play, as evidenced by the fact that they lie fourth in LALIGA EA Sports when it comes to passes in the final third.

But the question remains: What effect do these figures have on their shooting effectiveness? Well, we can conclude this section by confirming that Carlo Ancelotti’s men are the team who need the fifth fewest shots to score a goal, with an average of just 7.9 shots per goal scored.

Remarkable Coach

Valverde raises Athletic’s league position and their game

One of Athletic Club’s calling cards in recent years has been their leadership when it comes to high-intensity actions, and this remains just as true today. They are the team in the division with the third highest number of actions at over 21 km/h, with more than 100 per match. They also claim third spot on the podium spot for actions at over 24 km/h, with almost 74 per match. These physical performance stats fit perfectly with their style of play, which is all about having the ball at their feet. And in order to ensure that this is the case, they are extremely proactive when it comes to winning the ball back, particularly in aerial duels. Valverde’s outfit top the competition on the percentage of possessions won in attacking aerial duels, with 61.6%. Without a doubt, their balanced playing style has been reaping ever greater rewards as the season has progressed.

Key Player

Pepelu leads the upturn which is revolutionising Valencia

The first name on the team sheet in Valencia’s midfield berths has been helping to ring the changes at the club. Currently in ninth place, Valencia CF continue working hard to nail down their style and improve their effectiveness. Pepelu is the player in the team with the most attacking actions in total, with over 55 per game. He also leads the Valencia ranks on high-impact attacking actions. One of his best and most frequently used skills is his crossing ability. He is the player who puts in the most crosses for Valencia, having amassed a total of 68 so far this season. He also completes the most successful crosses, with an effectiveness of almost 34%. This means that more than one in three of his crosses ends in a shot by one of his teammates. There is no doubt that he is the team’s standard bearer in midfield and is contributing to the uptick in their fortunes.

The Match up

A decisive derby showdown, as fourth and sixth place go head to head

Both teams have been showing off their powerful and effective styles of play one matchday after another. Their stats are convincing, as is their form, but what are the similarities and differences between the two teams? In the figure accompanying this section, we can see how Athletic Club rank higher on crosses in open play leading to shots, unleashing more of them and scoring more. They also stand out, as we underscored in the section devoted to Marcelino, on metrics covering physicality, such as distances covered at over 21 km/h and 24 km/h. However, when we analyse aspects relating to build-up play and possession, Real Sociedad come out on top, performing better on passes per possession, possessions in general and also long possessions. Apart from crosses, the two teams have been registering similar metrics in comparative terms for LALIGA.

Remember his name

Camello gets the nod, and he is returning the favour

The young player plays a major role both as a starter and a super sub. His presence on the pitch helps his side to create danger and goalscoring chances. This is not just a question of his goal haul, with the player standing out on a number of metrics. He is Rayo Vallecano’s second-highest scorer and he boasts the third-highest shot conversion, with more than 15% of his shots bulging the back of the net. However, there is one other stat worth stressing: He is the second most prolific player on his team when it comes to forward runs, with over 10 per match. This stat is one of the most representative of his all-round game and the one which best describes the essence of this footballer.

Metric of the week

Distance of carries

Carries are movements of the ball when the player remains in control of the ball by dribbling with it from one point to another. The distance which the ball travels in these moves is the focus of this metric. And the distance can be measured both for individual carries, as well as cumulatively. Currently, the LALIGA player who has amassed the greatest distance through carries is Girona FC’s Savio.

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.