Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Rojiblancos display goalscoring efficiency & ruthlessness

Atletico Madrid sit pretty in second spot in the LaLiga ranking for the number of attempts required to score after performing consistently in this department in the early weeks of the season. However, the Colchoneros are not handily placed in the standings for the total number of attempts or attempts on goal, but the statistics show that when they create a goalscoring opportunity, their quality shines through. Carries are a go-to strategy deployed by Diego Simeone’s men to give them the best chance of scoring. Indeed, Atleti claim a podium place for the number of carries that beat the opposition’s midfield line, while they feature amongst the top four for carries that overcome the opposition’s defensive line. In short, the Madrilenians boast quality aplenty to carry the ball into the opposition’s box.

Within this analysis, we shouldn’t forget Atletico’s trademark defensive transitions, where they are the fifth top-performing team in the league in terms of the press after losing possession, while the boys from the Metropolitano bag third place for the number of recoveries with a numerical advantage. These statistics just go to show how impressive the capital club are in both the possession and defensive phases of the game.

Remarkable Coach

Michel is the man behind LaLiga’s surprise package

Michel’s Girona side are flying high in second place in the league standings, with the statistics and general impression given by his team going hand in hand to offer a very positive overall image. The Catalans are the top dogs in the league when it comes to the number of attempts required to score, finding the net once every 4.2 attempts, whilst the league average is 10.2. What’s more, almost half of their attempts are on target and they boast the fourth-highest pass completion rate in the division. If we delve a bit deeper with our analysis, we find that the men from Montilivi feature in the division’s top five teams for forward passes, with over 76% of the team’s forward passes being successful. These statistics, along with a handful of others, reflect the fact that Girona aren’t occupying second spot in the league by pure chance.

Key Player

Unstoppable Morata extends purple patch

The Atletico sharpshooter features amongst the top scorers in the league, but we shouldn’t just focus on the number of times he has found the back of the net. Instead, we want to shine the spotlight on just how effective he is as an attacking force. Indeed, 45.5% of his attempts end up troubling the scoreboard, which places him amongst the top five players in the league in this facet. Interestingly enough, Morata posts these figures without being one of the competition’s top 10 players when it comes to the total number of attempts on goal. However, his accuracy and efficiency in front of goal mean that he is the league’s front runner when it comes to attempts on target.

The Match up

Contrasting styles clash as Barcelona meet Sevilla

One of the hallmarks of FC Barcelona’s game is passes in the final third, with the Camp Nou-based outfit lying top of the pile in this department. Meanwhile, Sevilla are no slouches themselves and rank in fifth place. There is a more marked difference when it comes to the number of crosses recorded by each team. The Andalusians lead the way in the league charts, whilst Xavi’s charges come in eight places behind this matchday’s visitors. If we take a look at other areas in our effort to identify the sides’ playing styles, we note that Barcelona have the upper hand in possession and attacking build-up, while Sevilla excel in recoveries in the opposition’s half, percentage of long passes, as well as the aforementioned crosses. One thing’s for sure and that is that these two heavyweights will serve up a thrilling encounter on Friday night.

Remember his name

Sancet, impacto y conducciones al servicio del Athletic

Se trata del jugador que más balones conduce de todo su equipo, con casi 12 traslados de balón en conducción por encuentro. Este recurso le permite cubrir de forma amplia el centro del campo y ayudar a su equipo a generar espacios y favorecer el progreso del balón durante el juego. En la imagen podemos ver esas conducciones de más de cinco metros plasmadas en el terreno de juego. Además, destacamos que se trata del segundo jugador del Athletic, tras Iñaki Williams, con más acciones de alto impacto ofensivo.

Metric of the week

Possession in the opposition’s half

During the course of a game, the amount of time that each of the two teams spend in possession is measured and presented as a percentage figure. In addition to this statistic, we can also measure what percentage of possession occurs in a team’s half or the opposition’s half. The latter percentage is the focus of our analysis this week. It offers us a strong insight into a team’s playing style and the height of its block. For example, Sevilla are the LaLiga EA Sports leaders when it comes to the percentage of possession in opposition territory (36%), or in other words, Jose Luis Mendilibar’s troops spend 36% of the game on the ball in the opposition’s half.

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.