Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

Top-ranking Bellingham continues to shine

The Englishman has kicked off the season by recording some impressive statistics in build-up phase. Although what instantly comes to mind are his goalscoring exploits, there are a whole host of statistics that have cemented his status as one of the standout players in the opening rounds of games. He leads the way in the league’s scoring charts and has landed the final spot on the podium for high-impact actions, with which he records an attempt on goal or an assist, where he averages almost five per game. He also occupies third place for the total number of attempts on goal and no other player in LALIGA EA Sports has registered more attempts on targets than Los Blancos’ new recruit.

Remarkable Coach

Baraja’s off to a flyer

Although the 2023/24 season may only be in its infancy, Valencia’s early results have given the club’s fans plenty of reason for optimism. It’s two wins in as many games and although the side haven’t recorded overly impressive statistics in the build-up phase, they have struck a balance in terms of efficiency that has seen them start in such impressive fashion. Ruben Baraja’s boys excel in the intensity stakes, where they claim a spot in the top four for in-possession actions performed at over 28km/hr, while they clinch a place on the podium for distance covered at over 28km/hr.

Key Player

Gundogan already making his mark

The statistics corroborate the impression that Barcelona’s summer signing has created in the early weeks of the season. His latest assist, in which he picked out Pedri with a delicious through-ball into the box, was a taster of the sort of thing we can expect from the talented German. The new arrival lies third in the LALIGA EA Sports standings for the total number of attacking actions, which is a reflection of his new employer’s playing style. Gundogan also secures a spot amongst the leading ten players in the Spanish top flight for the number of high-impact actions, which result in an attempt on goal or a goalscoring opportunity, posting six per game. The following graphic shows where these actions occur on the pitch.

The Match up

Villarreal host Barça in Matchday 3 cracker

In this week’s article we look at two exceptional individual players and their stats: Ilkay Gundogan and Baena, and it’s now time to focus on the collective. When it comes to the Catalan giants, it’s worth analysing their various attacking weapons, one of which are carries. The Camp Nou-based side have amassed more carries that overcome the opposition’s midfield line than any other LaLiga side. It’s these carries and other transitions that create their numerous attempts on goal, where they rank amongst the division’s top three, with almost 20 per outing. Meanwhile, the Azulgranas clinch a spot in the two top for attempts on target, averaging seven per match. In addition, they comprehensively lead the way for the number of passes in the final third, with 190 per outing. As can been seen in the graphic below, while Villarreal don’t create as many goalscoring opportunities, they are more efficient in front of goal than the visitors.

Remember his name

All about the impact for sharpshooter Baena

An attacking midfielder who not only applies the finishing touch to moves, but helps to create them too, Alex Baena has started the season in fine fettle in both the assist charts and attempts on target, where he also occupies a spot in the top three. However, the Villarreal ace really shines when it comes to high-impact actions, and he lies at the top of the pile for goalscoring chances and attempts on goal created in the Spanish top tier. He chalks up nearly five high-impact actions and is a reliable performer in the Yellow Submarine’s ranks.

Metric of the week

Opponents beaten per pass

This metric measures the directness of a team’s attacking play. In general, a high score in this department signals a side that adopt a direct attacking game. Such teams play long balls directly into the attacking third, bypassing many members of the opposition’s defensive unit in the process. Meanwhile, a low score would indicate an outfit that seek to retain possession and dictate proceedings.

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.