Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Possession holds key to Barça threat.

For quite some time now, possession has been about far more than just a percentage figure, with this metric encompassing a whole series of other elements. By way of example, we’re able to measure the number of players per possession, with FC Barcelona leading the way in the Spanish top tier in this department. The Catalan giants come out on top for the average number of players involved in each attack. This strategy reaps its rewards both in numerical terms and efficiency, with the Azulgranas posting the highest percentage of dangerous possessions (8%). This metric also results in the Camp Nou-based outfit recording the most passes in the final third and contributes to their status as the league’s bridesmaids when it comes to attempts on goal. These metrics clearly complement and go a long way to explaining each other.

Remarkable Coach

Valverde’s boys’ crosses are on the money.

Athletic Club are the league’s top dogs when it comes to the number of crosses completed, racking up almost 24 per outing. Crosses are a go-to strategy for Ernesto Valverde’s troops, as they allow them to create goalscoring chances and attacking depth. What’s more, the Basques sit in fourth spot in the league standings for the number of passes played in the final third, which serves to show that crosses are not an isolated strategy in the attacking phase but are accompanied by combination play in advanced areas. The Bilbao-based side also claim fourth spot for the amount of time spent in the final third in proportional terms, with 20% of their play coming in this area of the pitch. If we turn our focus to the defensive phase, Athletic are the fourth-top performing side when it comes to the number of attempts required to score. In short, the boys from San Mames are formidable and solid in both boxes.

Key Player

Joselu shines as chance creator.

Real Madrid frontman Joselu is not only finding the back of the net, he is also recording many attempts on goal and showcasing some serious positional nous that presents him with better goalscoring opportunities. The sharpshooter features amongst the top 10 players in the Spanish top flight for the number of attempts on goal, registering over three per match. He lies in third position for the number of attempts on target across the whole division, with two dangerous attempts per outing. His two-goal haul sees him grab a spot amongst the league’s top 10 goalscorers. It is worth bringing these statistics together in graphic form to take a closer look at his attempts on goal. The graphic enables us to identify the areas of the pitch in which they occur, as well as the area of the goal to which they are directed.

The Match up

Atletico Madrid & Real Madrid in battle for bragging rights

The Spanish capital is gearing up for what promises to be a thrilling contest between these old foes. If we compare a number of their statistics, we can see that Real Madrid record more attempts, both in general terms and in the per-minute stakes. Meanwhile, if we shine the spotlight on goals scored and shooting efficiency, i.e. how many goals each team score per attempt on goal, it is Atleti who have the upper hand. Elsewhere, the difference between goals scored and expected goals, which relates to the number of goals each team have scored compared to the number they were expected to score from their chances, the boys from the Metropolitano again come out on top, although there isn’t much separating the sides. One area in which Los Blancos excel is the number of dangerous possessions, where they lead the way in the league standings.

Remember his name

Fran Garcia: the ultimate high-intensity performer.

Real Madrid’s fresh-faced Fran Garcia is turning in some really strong all-round performances for the Chamartin-based outfit. The distance he covers on the pitch makes him a regular passing option, with the youngster boasting fine ability when it comes to moving the ball around. The graphic shows the actions that he completed at over 24km/hr in the team’s latest outing, against Real Sociedad. Not only did he chalk up an impressive number of such actions, but they reflect both impressive depth and verticality. He currently occupies fourth position in the league charts for the number of actions at this level of intensity. In terms of the defensive side of his game, none of his Real Madrid teammates record more total recoveries or recoveries per game, while he claims the league’s final podium place in this facet.

Metric of the week

Shooting efficiency: fewest attempts required to score.

Attempts on goal is one of the most attractive metrics in the game and the one that is most closely linked to goals. What’s more, this metric leads into a number of others. If we take goals scored and the attempts required to score, we’re able to calculate a team’s shooting efficiency. The lower the score, the more efficient the team in front of goal. For example, Atletico Madrid sit pretty in second spot in the LaLiga ranking when it comes the number of attempts required to find the net, with the Colchoneros troubling the scoreboard once every 4.7 attempts. The quality of those taking the attempts on goal can clearly boost a team’s performance in this metric.

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.