Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Real Madrid: kings of possessions resulting in attempts on goal

Carlo Ancelotti’s boys are in fine form in front of goal, but are also excelling in terms of possession built through combination play. The Madridistas boast the best ball circulation rate in the Spanish top flight, i.e. the number of passes per minute. In addition, the Chamartin-based outfit are one of the division’s top two teams when it comes to the number of passes per possession. What’s more, it’s also worth pointing out that the Merengues are the competition’s bridesmaids when it comes to overall possession, recording 57%. The ultimate aim of attacking moves is to pose a threat on the opposition’s goal and they certainly do that. Ancelotti’s charges are the league’s top dogs for the number of attempts, chalking up an impressive 18.4 per game.

Remarkable Coach

Derby win offers Alguacil’s men timely boost ahead of Atletico clash

Following their 3-0 triumph in the Basque derby, Real Sociedad continue their climb up the standings and are looking increasingly self-assured. This impression is reflected in the statistics, with Imanol Alguacil’s troops posting the second-best shot conversion rate in the competition, which is based on the number of attempts they require to find the back of the net. The boys from San Sebastian trouble the scoreboard once every 5.25 attempts. In addition, almost 20% of their attempts result in a goal. As if that weren’t enough, La Real are well placed in second in the LaLiga EA Sports ranking for possession in the opposition’s half (33%).

It is also worth taking a look at the team’s defensive stats, where they rank as the league’s fifth top-performing team in the recovery time stakes (3.3 per minute). Regaining possession so soon after relinquishing it allows them to see more of the ball and to amass the possessions that are such a hallmark of their game.

Key Player

All-action Budimir is key cog in Osasuna system

In this week’s Key Player analysis, we take a look at Osasuna’s Ante Budimir, whose influential performances are backed up by the stats. He lies top of the Navarran outfit’s ranking when it comes to high-impact actions (11), while he records more attempts on goal than any of his teammates (1.5 per game). What’s more, he also leads the way in the team goal charts (two) and lies joint-top of the team assist standings.

Remember his name

Abde: dangerous runs and efficiency to boost Betis cause

Abde’s arrival at Real Betis sparked plenty of excitement and he is very much living up to expectations. Despite having only clocked up 250 minutes, he is top of the Sevillians’ attempts on goal charts, averaging 3.6 per game. While registering an attempt on goal is clearly the ultimate aim of any move, Abde is also a pivotal figure in the build-up phase. Only one of his teammates records more successful dribbles than the talented wideman, whose 2.5 per outing represent a 50% success rate.

Metric of the week

Key passes

For many a year now, we’ve calculated and analysed goal assists as a central element of the game. However, we shouldn’t overlook the fact that in these cases, the passer’s success is entirely dependent on the teammate applying the finishing touch. That is why it makes a lot of sense for us to shine the spotlight on key passes, regardless of whether the move ends in a goal or not.

In this department, the division’s standout player is Iago Aspas, who racks up 3.75 key passes every time he crosses the white line.

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.