Beyond Stats

Fact of the week

The Pucela excel in opponents beaten per pass to record first win on the road

As we can see in this video, the efficiency that R. Valladolid displayed in the opposition’s box at the Coliseum was preceded by the quality of their passes. So far this term, the Castile and Leon-based outfit’s passes have beaten an average of over three opposition players.

Oscar Plano, Kike Perez, Sergio Leon and Alvaro Aguado all played instrumental roles in ensuring that the three points headed back to Valladolid.

Remarkable Coach

Alguacil instils high-impact style

Real Sociedad currently occupy fourth spot in the LaLiga Santander standings for the number of high-impact carries, which are those that result in a goalscoring opportunity or lead to an attempt on goal. The Basques use this tool to pose a threat on average three times per outing. This is one of the key elements of the team’s direct attacking play, while the boys from the Reale Arena sit in third place in the league ranking for distance covered.

Despite having focused on carries and the distance covered, we must also shine the spotlight on the San Sebastian-based side’s combination play. The Basques occupy the final place on the LaLiga Santander podium for the number of passes per possession, which means that they feature amongst the teams with the most intricate build-up play.

We mustn’t forget that, to build up possession, a team has to commit to winning the ball back in the first place. Imanol Alguacil’s charges do just that and have chalked up the third-most presses after losing possession, with 13.5 per game.

Key Player

The name on everyone’s lips: Nico Williams

The Athletic Club speedster has been in devastating form and is quickly becoming a key man in the Basques’ ranks, with his performances earning him a call-up to the senior Spain side. One of the major hallmarks of his game is his intensity and he features amongst the league’s top six players for the number of actions completed at over 28km/hr and is amongst the leading five top-flight stars for the distance covered at this speed.

Williams also bags himself a place amongst the top six players for high-impact attacking actions and his name is to be found amongst the leading four players for carries that beat the opposition’s defensive line.

This season, the fleet-footed flanker has been able to combine his intensity levels and efficiency and success in front of goal, with his intensity and quality going hand in hand to produce some seriously eye-catching displays.

The Match up

Barcelona & Celta prepare to go head-to-head

Our analysis of these two teams focuses on their ability to regain possession of the ball. The Matchday 7 opponents feature amongst the top six teams in the competition for the number of dangerous recoveries and both claim spots amongst the league’s leading four sides when it comes to the press after losing possession. They are both strong in possession and are comfortable creating possession high up the pitch and, as a result, enjoy quick and accurate defensive transitions.

With regards to their positioning on the pitch, the Catalans and Galicians feature amongst the top five widest teams when in possession, i.e. with the largest convex hulls.

Remember his name

Riquelme establishes himself as one of Girona’s rising stars

Roro Riquelme’s emergence as a top-flight star has created no shortage of excitement. While the up-and-coming midfield ace was already known for his considerable quality, despite having been hampered by injury last term, his performances so far this season have sent the excitement levels through the roof.

He features amongst the top five players in LaLiga Santander when it comes to the number of carries that beat the opposition’s midfield line and also the number of dribbles completed. If we focus on his contribution in the final third, he has earned a spot amongst the division’s top 15 players for attempts on goal and attempts on target.

As we can see from these statistics, the budding star is certainly establishing himself as one of the brightest young things in the top tier.

Metric of the week

Percentage of forward passes following a turnover

The objective during the defensive phase is to regain possession. Once the ball has been won back, there are a whole host of ways in which a team can approach the attacking phase, with the direction of the pass representing one of the most influential aspects.

One option is to play the first pass back, i.e. towards your own goal, which usually involves a lower level of risk. However, a player also has the option to play forward in an effort to capitalise on the spaces that the opposition may have left as they attacked. While this is an option that can create a threat, it is not easily executed. To measure what we’re discussing here in a player or team, the following metric has been created: percentage of forward passes following a turnover. Players or teams that play a higher percentage of forward passes display a more aggressive approach towards the opposition’s goal after regaining possession.

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.