Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

The importance of putting balls into the box

For our stat of the week, we are highlighting one of Barcelona’s most important assets: passes into the box. Xavi’s side sit third in the competition on this metric and you can see this action in the video of Raphinha’s goal.

However, there are other actions which create a threat as close to the opponent’s goal as possible, such as carries, on which Barcelona hold the top spot in LALIGA. This has helped the team produce the second-most shots and high-impact actions. To generate shooting opportunities, the team need to maintain the effectiveness and quality of their build-up play.

Remarkable Coach

Jagoba Arrasate is working tirelessly

The manager announced that he will not remain at the helm of CA Osasuna next season, and today we shine a light on his work in the Standout Coach segment. There is no doubt that one of his calling cards is creating brave teams with a strong presence in the opposition half. So much so that his team spend the fourth-most time in the opposing team’s half with the ball, boasting 32% possession in this area.

What’s more, Osasuna lie second when it comes to recoveries in the final third, a fact that goes a long way to explaining this possession. It is worth noting that, on many occasions, these recoveries not only come from the high press, but also as a result of their route-one style of play. In other words, their long balls up the pitch force their opponents to clear the ball, allowing Osasuna to take advantage of their direct play to regain possession. We can see how this works in the video.

Key Player

Rodrygo offers Real Madrid much more than just goals

Rodrygo is currently the LALIGA player with the most passes in the final third, a key aspect when it comes to creating chances for his team. He is also the third-best dribbler, and if we take into account his action areas, these dribbles end up being vital for beating opponents in dangerous parts of the pitch.

The two previous stats not only highlight his exceptional performance for his club but position him among the top performers in the league. What’s more, he is the player who has taken the second-most shots. This means that he creates, finishes and scores, making him a key part of his club’s arsenal.

The Match up

Two of the most effective teams: Atletico and Girona

Fourth and third place go head-to-head in a match which will have a big say on who finishes third in LALIGA. El Cholo’s side have been excelling in terms of their effectiveness since the start of the season. They are the team who take the third-most shots and have scored the fourth-most goals, but are the team with the highest percentage of shots on target.

Girona, meanwhile, make the podium in terms of effectiveness in front of goal, and have also accumulated healthy figures for the number of shots taken. This suggests to us that we will see plenty of chances in what promises to be an open and hard-fought game.

Remember his name

Dovbyk, top scorer and much more

Artem Dovbyk continues to lead the charge and tops the most prestigious rankings in LALIGA EA Sports. With 16 goals, he is the top scorer in the competition, level with Jude Bellingham and Ante Budimir. If we focus solely on his per-game performance, he is also top for goals per game, with 0.72 goals per 90 minutes. He has reached these heights as the 10th most prolific shot-taker and the player who places the fifth-most shots on target.

Metric of the week

Goals from open play

These are the number of goals scored without including those originating from set pieces, or in other words, those that come from play with the ball in movement. The player who has scored the most goals in this category is Jude Bellingham, with 13. This metric is useful for identifying players who amass a lot of goals without relying heavily on penalty kicks.

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.