Maand: oktober 2021

ALEXIA PUTELLAS – SHOT ANALYSIS

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I’ve promised myself not to choose any players to analyse who are aesthetically pleasing in their game. I wouldn’t. However, in this article, I will analyse a player who is equally aesthetically pleasing to the eye in terms of her game, as well as one of the top players in the world: Alexia Putellas. UEFA player of the year and part of the UWCL winning Barcelona side.

That was easier said than done. I usually use a lot of data to incorporate into my analysis, but there’s not much data available in the Primera Iberdrola which makes it incomplete and analysis via data is quite impossible. Well, not impossible but it does give a wrong representation of reality. In light of that, I’ve chosen to look at the shots by Putellas as well as her chance creation.

The data and video uses are from the 2021/2022 season and will involve the Primera Iberdrola, the UWCL and the Spanish National team. This has all been retrieved on 30 October 2021.

Biography

Alexia Putellas Segura was born on 4th February 1994 in Mollet del Valles, Spain. He was raised/educated for the most part in Espanyol academy before moving to Barcelona and has played there since the 2012/2013 season, for the first team. In this particular season Putellas has played in 12 games in the league, UWCL, World cup qualification games with Spain and friendlies. Putellas has scored 12 times.

Shots

In the image above you can see Putellas’ shotmap of the season so far. There are 48 shots conducted, but some shots have been done from approxiamtely the same location, hence only 42 are visibly plotted. Of those 48 shots, 12 were converted into a goal – as you can see above (red=goal, grey=shot). 5 shots were blocked, 16 shots were wide and 27 shots were on target. Putellas’ conversion rate from to shots to goal is 25%.

When we look at expected goals we see that Putellas has an xG of 8, with an xG per shot of 2,6 in total. Her actual goals are 12, so she’s overperforming her xG by 4.

Putellas averages 4 shots per game this season and 1 goal per game this season, which is quite prolific for any player, but especially for a midfielder. Sidenote to this, Barcelona is by far the best team in the league at the moemnt – but still very impressive. It’s quite early in the season to be make any representative conclusion, but the fact remains that Putellas has had a terrific season so far.

If we look at the locations of the goals, you can see that 9 goals have scored within the penalty area, 2 on the edge of the penaly area and 1 deep on the half. In the videos below, I will use video to demonstrate some of the varied goals she scored.

In the video above we see Barcelona in their UWCL game against Arsenal where Putellas scored the 2-0. In this situation she progressed as the player in the central zones in which she assumes to come on the end of the cross from the flanks. In different strategies to strikers, she doesn’t sprint herself to come in the six-yard box, but does arrive a little late – giving herself time and space in front of the goal. She gets the ball as a cut-back and as result of that she can score the goal quite composed.

In the video above you can see Putellas in the game with the national team of Spain against the Faeröer. In this specific example we see her receiving the ball on 20 meters from the goal and this illustrates how she’s aware of where the goal and the opposition is. She brings the ball slightly more to the middle, beating three opponents in the process after which she places the ball into the far corner. The effect and the bounce the shot has, makes it even more difficult to get behind it for the keeper.

In the video above you can see Barcelona in their game against Valencia. In this particular example we see Alexia again in zone 14, where she does combine with hear teammate, before getting it back and beating a defender. In doing so she creates space for herself to the left and that angle gives her a good chance of scoring this goal. She does shoot in the far corner and low, giving the goalkeeper no chance of saving this.

In the video above we see the Spanish national team against Ukraine, with Spain having an attacking from the right. The cross cannot be attacked by the most forward players, but the second ball is for Alexia. She progresses herself to the position on the edge of the six-yard box in order to always be in the area of where the ball will come. Eventually, this means that she can finish the second ball and scores again.

In the video above we see Barcelona in their game against Villarreal. The forwards will go into the penalty area, but Putellas does arrive late into zone 14 and makes herself available for a pass without being pressed instantly. She gets a hard pass with her body focused on the right flank, but turns and opens her body towards the goal and in doing so, swiftly makes herself ready for a shot. She managed to get her body low and behind the ball, and scores a very good goal with her left foot, outside the penalty area.

Final thoughts

Alexia Putellas is an amazing player and can dictate the midfied with her runs and passes, but her added quality can be found in the way she shoots, the quality of her shots and the ease she uses the technique to score goals. She arrives in zone 14 a lot and there is where she executes her passes and tries to score – if she keeps arriving in that particular zone, she will have many more goalcontributions in the rest of the season.

JACK HENDRY – KEY PASS ANALYSIS

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The Jupiler Pro League has established itself from a lesser-known league to a relevant league with huge talents, progressive clubs, and a ground for young prospects to develop themselves. In this article, I will look at one of those players that has grown in the league: Jack Hendry.

The player moved to Club Brugge this summer which sees the Scotsman be on the national top in Belgium and participating in the Champions League. In this analysis, we will focus on his key passing during the ongoing season.

I will use Wyscout data and video to assess how well Jack Hendry does perform in the 2021/2022 season so far. In the end, I will use video to look at some of their through passes in this season.

If we look at the progressive passes per 90, we see that Hendry has 5,78 progressive passes per 90 in the 2021-2022 season in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. When we look at the passes to the final third per 90, we see that Hendry has 4,84 passes to the final third per 90. In terms of performances against his peers, he has average stats as a central defender, but he is definitely not the worst in terms of those metrics.

If we look at the key passes per 90, we see that Hendry has 0 key passes per 90 in the 2021-2022 season in the Belgian Jupiler Pro League. When we look at the through passes per 90, we see that Hendry has 0,28 through passes per 90. In terms of performances against his peers, he has below-average stats as a central defender. For a central defender that many passes forward and to the final third, his actual key passes are not included in this season – he didn’t attempt them according to Wyscout.

In the image above you Jack Hendry from Club Brugge, compared to central defenders in the 2021-2022 Jupiler Pro League. This shows us the rank of his key passing data compared to his peers. He scores way below average on most metrics, only three metrics are in the region of average: Assists per 90, xA per 90 and passes to the final third per 90.

Now I will look at the passes from the last 4 games Hendry has played in Jupiler Pro League to assess his passing qualities: Charleroi (A), OH Leuven (H), Anderlecht (A) and Antwerp (A).

These are the last four games played by Jack Hendry in the Jupiler Pro League with Club Brugge. These colormaps show us where Hendry operated in those fout games and give us a heatmap of the central defenders. As you can see in all of the maps, Hendry is a progressive central defenders who loves position himself high up his own half to progress the play as directly as possible.

This can also be seen in the passmaps of Hendry during those four games, which can be seen below:

You can see the passes conducted by Hendry in the games against Charleroi, OH Leuven, Anderlecht and Antwerp. You can see that he likes to pass to the right, especially to any right back making runs down the line or wide midfielder. He attempts to reach those players on the flanks and usually tries to attempt a progressive pass: the passes progress the play and it means that the ball will go from the defensive third to the middle third, initiating attacking sequences.

Video analysis

In the four fragments below you can see four different types of passes that Jack Hendry has made in the last four games. It illustrates the way he contributes to this Club Brugge side and where his passes come from.

In the video above you see Club Brugge in their game against OH Leuven with Club Brugge in possession of the ball. They are dominant on the ball and that means that their back four will have a high line. By doing so the quality on the ball of the central defenders need to be there. Hendry gets the ball in the middle third and his pass here isn’t progressive in terms of meters, but his pas leads to the next phase of the build-up: constructing the attack. That pass is positive in the sense that it doesn’t go to a left/right back.

In the video above you see Club Brugge in their game against OH Leuven with Club Brugge in possession of the ball. They are dominant on the ball and that means that their back four will have a high line. By doing so the quality on the ball of the central defenders need to be there. This is a similar kind of pass going forward, but Hendry immediately receives the ball back and looks for the long pass to the left flank in order to go the attacking third on the flank.

In the video above you see Club Brugge in their game against Charleroi. Again, Club Brugge is dominant on the ball and play with a high defensive line, which means that Hendry gets the ball in the middle third. In the aforementioned examples he progresses the ball through the central zones, but this time he progresses it via the flank on the right. This is a good pass, because it’s not sideways, but moves the play into the attacking third via his right back.

In the video above you see Club Brugge in their game against Charleroi. Again, Club Brugge is dominant on the ball and play with a high defensive line, which means that Hendry gets the ball in the middle third. This time Hendry is put under pressure by the opposition’s pressing, but he remains calm and still executes a pass through the central zones, which potentially can lead to another positional attack.

Final thoughts
Jack Hendry has moved to Club Brugge over the summer and some people have questioned his ability to keep up with the level that is asked of him. Looking at the data and video, one can say that he’s doing reasonably well so far, but he has not been outstanding – however, if his key passing can progress, he might be one of the better players for the club in the near future.

SET PIECE ANALYSIS: KAS EUPEN ATTACKING CORNERS

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The season has well started in most of the leagues and that means that set-piece analysis of goals from attacking corners can be done. My attention goes to the Belgian Jupiler Pro League and I will analyse KAS Eupen’s attacking corners in the 2021/2022 season.

KAS Eupen is one of the suprising performing teams of the Jupiler Pro League and one of their remarkable performances can be found in the execution of their set pieces. In this analysis I will look at two of their successful attacking corner routines.

KAS Eurpen vs KRC Genk

In the video above we see KAS Eupen in their game against KRC Genk. They have a corner from the left and it’s taken by a left-footed player, meaning the ball will swing out towards the penalty spot, rather than towards the goalkeeper. KRC Genk employs a seven-player zonal structure, meaning that KAS Eupen will do something different in the six-yard box.

There’s one player on the left, being used as a short option and there are two units of three that have attacking options going forward. The first trio is situated on the penalty spot and is tasked to move as close as possible to the six-yard box and attack the ball when it comes in that specific zone of the pitch. The other trio consists of two players on the edge of the box and one player who stands a bit deeper. Two of this particular trio are tasked with cleared balls and/or the rest defence.

As soon as the ball is kicked the ball moves towards the penalty spot. The trio on the penalty spot spreads wide in order to enhance goalscoring opportunities, but also to make it more difficult to defend this corner. At first Genk can deal with the ball, but the cleared ball comes back to a player from the deeper trio who has made a run forward, and has a quality finish from that second contact.

KAS Eupen vs OH Leuven

n the video above we see KAS Eupen in their game against OH Leuven. They have a corner from the right and it’s taken by a left-footed player, meaning the ball will swing in towards the six-yard box, rather than towards the penalty spot. OH Leuven employs a four-player zonal structure, meaning that KAS Eupen will do something different in the six-yard box compared to their game against KRC Genk.

We have one player in the six-yard box who’s man-marked by the opposition. There are four player zonally marking against a trio of runners who are trying to break into the six-yard box. There is one player concerned with a short corner option and there are two players outside the penalty area who are tasked with cleared balls and/or rest-defence.

As soon as the ball is kicked, there are three different movements happening. The first one is that the player for the short corner option will move into the penalty area, meaning there is one more player in the penalty area. Secondly, the trio splits again, one to the front post, one to the goalkeeper zone, and one to the far post – the far post has two players because the player already in the six-yard box goes to there as well. Thirdly, we see the front post player moving forwards as well which means he has an inch of space that gives him an advantage. That advantage is enough for him to head the ball into the far corner and score.

DATA SCOUTING FINNISH VEIKKAUSLIIGA: FINDING A DEFENSIVE MIDFIELDER

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I think that many scouting pieces or analysis pieces love to look at Scandinavia, but that Iceland and Finland are hugely underrepresented in those pieces. In this piece I will look at the Finnish Veikkaussliiga and concentrate on finding a defensive midfielder.

In this scouting piece I’m going to look for a defensive midfielder with an accent for defensive capabilities. There are different types of defensive midfielders, but I’m looking for a profile that fits a defensive midfielder who can carry the ball and thinks progressively.

The data
The data used in this analysis comes from Wyscout. In the dataset for the defensive midfielders, I’ve selected each player who primarily plays on the defensive midfield position. Obviously, there are other players who have played in this position, but I’ve only selected the players that have played as a defensive midfielder as a dominant position in the current season. This leaves me with 27 players who qualify in the Veikkausliiga Lig 2021.

Because I’m looking at the current season, which is a full season, I want to make a selection for players that played a decent amount of games for me to assess them. For me, it’s important that they played at least 900 minutes in this season. After looking at that I’m left with 21 players in my dataset and they will go through my analysis process. The data was retrieved on 16th October 2021.

I will look at the following categories and metrics to assess their abilities through data:

  • Defensive abilities:
  • Ball-carrying abilities
  • Passing abilities

After going through the data analysis and visualisation, I will make a shortlist of players who I think are worth keeping your eye on.

Defensive abilities

The importance of defensive duels is evident. It’s to measure the physicality of defensive midfielders and the ability to win defensive duels to assess how well a player defends in defensive situations. T

The most defensive duels conducted per 90 are by the following players: Purme with 10,04 defensive duels per 90, Malolo with 10,25 defensive duels per 90, and Arifi with 10,72 defensive duels per 90.

If we look closer at the players that have the highest percentage of won defensive duels, the following players stand out: Alejandro Sanz with 67,30% defensive duels won, Popovitch with 70,50% defensive duels won, and Adjei-Boateng with 70,94% defensive duels won.

The importance of aerial duels is to assess two things. Firstly, to look at how many times a certain player conducts in an aerial duel during 90 minutes of football. And secondly, to assess how many of those aerial duels are won per 90. The aerial capability can be a contributing factor in the defensive strength of a defensive midfielder.

The most aerial duels conducted per 90 are by the following players: Asier with 2,28 aerial duels per 90, Nurmela with 3,51 aerial duels per 90, and Bushue with 3,75 aerial duels per 90.

If we look closer at the players that have the highest percentage of won aerial duels, the following players stand out: Bushue with 64,58% aerial duels won, Annan with 72,73% aerial duels won, and Laaksonen with 76,47% aerial duels won.

Ball-carrying abilities

Ball-carrying is a valuable thing for a midfielder to have. The ability to literally carry the ball from the defensive third to the middle or attacking third is not to be underestimated, and this is not different for defensive midfielders that I’m scouting. In what manner do they conduct themselves in progressing the ball? This can translated via data with the metrics dribbles per 90 and progressive runs per 90.

If we look at the dribbles per 90 metric, we can see that three players really stand out from the crowd here. Laaksonen has 2,68 dribbles per 90, Purme has 3,18 dribbles per 90 and Ramandingaye has 2,42 dribbles per 90. They attempt to dribble a lot more than the average player does, which is near 1,66 dribbles per 90.

When we look at the progressive runs per 90, we see a similar kind of top-3. The top players in this metric are the same as above, but in a slightly different order. Popovitch has 1,25 progressive runs per 90, Ramandingaye has 1,32 progressive runs per 90 and Purme has 1,49 progressive runs per 90.

Passing ability

Passing abilities. I could focus on the percentage of successful passes, but that doesn’t say a lot in itself. I want to see how well they progress the ball as well as without the ball. I’ve looked to the progression with the ball on their feet, but I also want to see how well the progression in passing is. That’s why I chose to look at progressive passes per 90 and passes to the final third.

Looking at the progressive passes we see three players stand out: Adjei-Boateng with 8,89 progressive passes per 90, Nurmela with 9,15 progressive passes per 90, and Lingman with 9,38 progressive passes per 90.

If we look closer to the passes to the final third, we see some of the same names featured at the top. Arifi has 8,82 passes to final third per 90, Adjei-Boateng has 10,34 passes to final third per 90, and Lingman has 10,59 passes to final third per 90.

Short list

This data can change within a few weeks, but looking at the data at hand and the above visuals – I’ve made a shortlist of five players who are worth scouting a bit more in terms of video scouting:

  • Bismark Adjei-Boateng (27) – KuPS (now Cluj)
  • Tino Purme (23) – FC Haka
  • Anselmi Nurmela (24)- AC Oulu
  • Johannes Laaksonen (30) – FC KTP
  • Anton Popovitch (25) – KuPS

In my opinion these players would be up for further investigation and research in terms of videoscouting and profiling within the Finnish league.

Sources

Data: Wyscout
Visuals: Tableau Public

MATTY CASH’S IMPACT THROW-INS AT ASTON VILLA

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I love set pieces. I’m absolutely thrilled and hyped every time I see one. It’s something I cannot explain – well at least the feeling. What I can explain is what makes them great and entertaining to me. Set pieces are so much more than just looking at corners – as this article will look at. This time I will look at attacking throw-ins.

To illustrate that I’m taking Matty Cash as an example who’s attacking throw-ins that generate an attacking threat with his side, Aston Villa. I will use data through visualizations and video, to analyse his attacking throw-ins.

Attacking throw-ins: placement

In the image above you see every throw-in made by Matty Cash in the first 7 games of the Premier League 2021/2022 season. As you can see the majority of his throw-ins came from the right side, as he also played on the right. What’s particularly interesting, is the way the throw-ins change when the throw-ins are taken from more progressive places. The throw-ins are in the final third and assume the role of an attacking corner. As you see the throw-ins reach the front post area and even the goalkeeper zone. The ability to deliver a throw-in as an attacking corner creates threat.

Attacking throw-ins: first contact

In the image above you can see the attacking half of the pitch where Matty Cash operated with his attacking throw-ins for Aston Villa. His throw-ins were conducted from the left side and the placement of those throws, as illustrated above.

In the image above you can see the attacking half of the pitch where Matty Cash operated with his attacking throw-ins for Aston Villa. His throw-ins were conducted from the right side and the placement of those throws, as illustrated above.

As you can see in both the images, Cash can reach a variety of areas on the flanks, but his main threat comes from the placement in the penalty area. From those zones, you can generate shots just like you can do from attacking corners or free kicks.

Attacking throw-ins: Expected Threat (xT)

In the image above you can see the throw-ins from Matty Cash in those 7 games, that were considered progressive. Just like progressive passes. 31 throw-ins out of 55 were progressive, which is a percentage of 56,4%. These do definitely add to the attacking pressure of Aston Villa, but we want to measure how much the actual threat is. This can be done by looking at the Expected Threat or xT of those progressive throw-ins. The total xT of these progressive throw-ins, is 0,58. This means that the average xT per throw-in is 0,019 xT.

Attacking throw-ins: video

In the videos below you can examples of Matty Cash’s throw-ins which are placed in the penalty area and in doing so, create the most threat.

Final thoughts

Matty Cash has many qualities and he is not defined by his attacking throw-ins, but the very fact he has these qualities, makes it an extra weapon for him and Aston Villa. It illustrates that more teams could do well with a player that can throw the ball a long distance and effectively change a throw-in into a corner or freekick. Aston Villa will profit hugely from this.

MAGDALENA ERIKSSON – DEFENSIVE ACTIONS

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In my opinion, what deserves more attention, is the way we scout/recruit central defenders. They aren’t as popular to write about as strikers, because goals add more to entertainment value – that’s also why it is harder, as you quantify their qualities in a different way. In my experience, it’s harder to look for a good central defender, but it’s incredbily satisfying to find the perfect fit for your team.

In this article I will not look at recruiting someone for a team, but I will look at what a good central defender can contribute to a team, with the idea that that certain profile can be used for recruiting a similar player. As an example I will look at Magdalena Eriksson, a central defender from Sweden playing for Chelsea Women.

In this analysis, I will use data and video to look at her performance in the WSL with Chelsea. The data has been retrieved from Wyscout and will contain the data from the year 2021, as the WSL hasn’t had many games in the current season, and therefore it won’t give us a good representation of the performances. The videos are from Wyscout and are from this particular season.

Defensive duels

In the graph above you can see how the central defenders performed in the defensive duels metric. This tells us how many times they engaged in a defensive duel and how high the percentage of wins was in those defensive duels per 90.

Magdalena Eriksson had 3,51 defensive duels per 90 in the 2020/2021 season with a win percentage of 64,79%. When comparing that to others in this specific position, she scores below average on both metrics. Now, this is not the whole story, because not every defender gets in the same position.

In the videos below you can see how she conducts herself in defensive duels during the current 2021/2022 season and what the consequence was of that.

In the videos above which only contain clips from the game against Manchester United, you see Eriksson marking hir direct opponent after which she engages in a defensive duel. She marks her opponent closely and when the ball comes to one of the attackers, she manages to get in front of the attacker with her head or one of her feet, in which she attempts to get the ball aways from the attack and give Chelsea the advantage in a possible transition.

Aerial duels

In the graph above you see the aerial duels per 90 vs aerial duels won in the 2020/2021 season in the WSL by central defenders. We use the metrics to measure aerial capability in terms of defending.

Magdalena Eriksson had 4,21 aerial duels per 90 in the 2020/2021 season with a win percentage of 61,18%. When comparing that to others in this specific position, she scores far above average on both metrics.

In the video below you can see a few aerial duels conducted by Eriksson.

Her aerial duels tell a lot about her strength in the air. She knows when to jump, times it correctly and uses her strength to win the aerial duels. Winning is one part of an aerial duel, but converting it into ball possession for your own team is even harder. In the examples above, she does very well.

Interceptions

In the graph above you see the metrics PAdj interceptions and PAdj tackles combined. They show us how many tackles and interceptions have been made by the specific players, while these stats have been possession adjusted.

As you can see, Eriksson does pretty well in the interceptions part of the graph with 8,29 interceptions. On the part of sliding tackles she scored below average with 0,23 sliding tackles. Interceptions tell us the story of anticipating an opposition’s action, while sliding tackles are the actions that are needed as a last resort.

Eriksson does really well with interceptions, as you can see in the videos above in the games against Arsenal and Manchester United. It isn’t only recognising where the pass will go, but also blocking passing lanes. It’s about stopping the opposition’s attack, but also about starting a transition – Eriksson does it well.

1v1

In the videos below we will look at the 1v1 situations Eriksson was in the WSL games of this season so far. We can see if she engages in a tackle or forces them to go to a less threatening situation.

Earlier, I had a look at the defensive duels and the interceptions, but in the examples above you see the 1v1 defences. In the first two videos we see that Eriksson marks closely to her direct opponent, but that does that too close to the opponent, which leads to the attacker gaining the advantage. Covering the ground is very hard for a player like Eriksson.

In the third video, this is different. She does keep er distance but forces the attacking to seek for an opportunity. Engaging in this situation will lead to 1 on 1 with the goalkeeper or giving away a free kick, which both could prove even more threatening.

Final thoughts

In the few examples above we have seen the defensive actions of Magdalena Eriksson both in the data and video. Magdalena Eriksson is a true leader and loves the physical confrontation with her direct opponent. This means that she is good in aerial duels, defensive duels on the ground and intercepting passes. This also means that the nature of her way of playing, can lead to spaces behind her which the opposition can utilise.