We’re 12 games into the season and La Liga is shaping up brilliantly.
Barcelona are hanging by a thread at the top of the table with 24 points as the sharks of Sevilla, Atletico Madrid and Alaves linger in joint second with 23 points.
From 120 fixtures so far, 304 goals have been scored and the strikers have been key to their team’s success. Here, we attempt to analyse the player’s proficiency and involvement in build-up play.
A graph analysing the top forwards in La Liga
The X-axis along the bottom is the ratio of goals scored by the player per 90 minutes to the expected goals per 90 minutes (G90/xG90).
Since xG gives information about the quality of the chances the player had, this ratio shows how clinical the player has been in front of goal. If a player has a high G90/xG90 ratio, it means he has latched onto half-chances and has a high probability of scoring from a relatively tough chance, based on his performance so far.
Conversely, a player with low G90/xG90 ratio has scuffed some of the easier chances and could have scored more goals, given the quality of the chances he’s had. A ratio of over one usually means the player has done justice to his chances.
The size of the bubble gives information about the involvement of the player in build-up play which is quantified by the number of touches by the player and the position of the player on the pitch when those touches were taken.
The Y-axis….
The data taken from understat.com is for all players in La Liga who have scored three goals or more.
PROFICIENCY
Iago Aspas and Maxi Gomez have clearly taken their chances very well. The pair have 14 goals to their name this season and are – in a way – carrying Celta Vigo.
Ousmane Dembele has been heavily and rightly criticised for losing possession very often. However, the Frenchman has been clinical in front of goal and has scored two of his four strikes from half chances.
His goal against Real Valladolid came from a low shot from the edge of the box. It requires excellent finishing ability to bury chances like that and boss Ernesto Valverde must consider playing him more often because of his threat.
Celta Vigo forwards have been clinical
Barca team-mate Luis Suarez and Sevilla’s on-loan forward Andre Silva sit at the other end of the spectrum. Both the players should have scored more goals for their corresponding xG.
This quantifies how wasteful Suarez was in front of goal during the first few matches. The Uruguayan has spilled quite a few chances provided to him, usually by Lionel Messi. The fact Messi has the highest xA (expected assists) in the league strengthens this argument.
The Real Madrid duo of Karim Benzema and Gareth Bale have been extremely poor in front of goal and find their data points in the bottom left corner. Antoine Griezmann has not had the best of starts either.
BUILD-UP PLAY
In Suarez’s defence, the Uruguayan has been heavily involved in build-up and has been crucial for Barcelona even when he doesn’t net the ball.
Philippe Coutinho has really stepped up in Messi’s absence. The Brazilian has provided a channel through which Barcelona’s attack can flow.
Messi alongside Sevilla duo Wissam Ben Yedder and Andre Silva have had their fair share of involvement in the build-up, too, and this says a lot about the style of play of the two sides who prefer to move the ball around in the final third before striking.
Suarez has been crucial to Barcelona’s build-up
Players like Roger (Levante), Borja Iglesias (Espanyol) and Cristian Stuani (Girona) are target men who lurk deep into enemy lines and latch onto the any chance they get.
With an appreciable xG90/G90 ratio and a high G90, Stuani can be considered as one of the best target men in La Liga and the late bloomer is delivering for the second season in a row.
