Thanks to the wonder of Opta Sports, we now have near real-time feedback on player and team performances during Champions League matches. The iPhone application Total Football packages this information in a way that allows mere mortals to make sense of it. So what do the stats say about Wednesday’s clash with Arsenal? Read on for some interesting conclusions.
If you saw the game the way I did, you will have taken two big things out of it on Wednesday: First, Barcelona dominated possession, especially in the first half, but failed to make that possession count. Second, our attack had a collective bad day at the office. Both these conclusions are largely supported in the Opta match data on passing, attacking and overall player influence.
Passing in the midfield
Xavi: passing king!
Busquets: total passes
Iniesta: total passes
The graphic depictions of the passing in our midfield paint an amazing picture of Barcelona’s game. The slides featured here demonstrate not only the efficiency of our passing, but they also tell the story of just how we were able to dominate possession against a team like Arsenal who thrive on it themselves. Xavi completed 114 out of 121 passes on Wednesday; Sergio Busquets 96 out of 107. In contrast, Cesc Fabragas completed 45 out of 56 passes, and Jack Wilshere 43 out of 48.
Wilshere: total passes
Fabregas: total passes
What Barcelona did with their possession is quite another story. There were moments in the game when it felt like we were protecting a 3-goal lead, rather than teetering on the brink of defeat. If you look at the passing chart for Messi in particular, you’ll see that many of his passes went to players who were behind him on the field. While this per se is not that unusual, it does point to a lack of incision in our attack, and in our possession of the ball in general.
Messi: total passes
Barcelona’s anemic attack
Messi: total shots
Villa: total shots
Pedro: total shots
Despite our domination of possession, and Villa’s opener on 26 minutes, it was clear that our attack collectively was not going to produce a sparkling performance. The stats for total shots tell one part of this story: in 90 minutes we had eight shots on goal; only two of those shots were on target. More revealing are the passing statistics for a few key players. Villa, in general, had an excellent match, but he wasn’t very involved in the buildup. Pedro was more involved with his teammates, but many of his passes were back-passes that merely kept the ball in circulation. The slide showing where Messi received his passes also shows just how deep he was playing.
Villa: total passes
Pedro: total passes
Messi: passes received
The final image below charts player influence during the second half, a period in which Arsenal came back into the game. Our attacking trio during this crucial period had largely faded from view, either because of fatigue or disinterest.
Player influence second half
Digging into these statistics is fascinating. Do you see anything in the data from this game that is revealing? If so, be sure to share your insights in the comments. And watch out for a similar write-up after the return leg of this tie in two weeks.
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