Technical performance analysis in six game areas

Introduction

This report presents the CIES Football Observatory's approach to assessing the level of performance of outfield players in six different areas of the game: ground defence, distribution, take on, chance creation, finishing and aerial play. For each of these areas, indices have been created by considering players’ related actions, both in terms of their frequency in relation to the minutes played and, where relevant, their success rate.

For greater comparability, in certain cases and as detailed below, the values for frequency or success have been related to those measured for the teams of employment and players in the same position. For footballers who played in more than one position, the ratio is calculated on the basis of the minutes played in each one according to the following categories: centre backs, full or wing backs, defensive or central midfielders, attacking midfielders, wingers and centre forwards.

All the data used was collected by our partners Wyscout and refers to domestic league matches played by footballers for their current club between the beginning of April 2023 and the end of March 2024. Only footballers who have played at least 1,000 domestic league minutes during this period for their current employer are included in the rankings. The sample of ‘eligible’ footballers therefore includes 13,132 players from 73 leagues around the world.

Ground defence

The ground defence index is calculated by adding up the defensive duels won by players below elbow height, pass interceptions and anticipations on loose balls (without clear possession) in relation to the average values measured at team and position level (on a pro rata basis of the different positions played). The value obtained is corrected by the success rate of ground duels undertaken and the sporting level of the matches played, according to the method explained in this note.

On a scale of 100 and by position, the highest average values for the ground defence index are recorded for centre backs, followed closely by full/wing backs and defensive/central midfielders. Figures below identify the players who performed best over the last year in this area for these three positions. Alessandro Buongiorno (big-5) and Daihachi Okamura (non-big-5) top the table for centre backs, Marc Cucurella and Mehmet Aydin for full/wing backs, as well as Nicolò Rovella and Florentino Luís for defensive/central midfielders.

* All the tables in the report show for each footballer the index value, the domestic league minutes played in the last year for the current employer, and the percentage of these minutes played in the main position: centre back (cb), full back (fb), defensive midfielder (dm), attacking midfielder (am), winger (wi) or centre forward (cf).

Distribution

The distribution index takes into account players' passes received by a teammate in the opponent third, compared with the average recorded for the employer team in order to control, at least to some extent, the effect of the level of collective domination on individual performances. The result is corrected by the success rate of the passes made by players into the opposing third and the sporting level of the matches played, using the same method as above.

By position, the highest values for distribution were observed for defensive/central midfielders, followed by centre backs, full/wing backs and attacking midfielders in similar proportions. Across these four positions, the best distribution indices were recorded for Toni Kroos, Granit Xhaka (big-5) and Álvaro Fidalgo (non-big-5) for defensive/central midfielders, Daley Blind and Olivier Boscagli for centre backs, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Márcio Rafinha for full/wing backs, as well as Téji Savanier and Ganso for attacking midfielders.

Take on

The take on index is computed from the frequency of successful dribbles achieved by players, corrected by their success rate. A dribble is considered successful when the team of the player who attempted it maintains possession by approaching the opponent's goal or when the dribbler is fouled. Here too, values obtained are weighted according to the sporting level of the matches in which players have taken part.

The highest average take on values per position were recorded for wingers, followed by attacking midfielders, centre forwards and full/wing backs. For each of these positions, the best indices were measured for Jérémy Doku (big-5) and Francisco Conceição (non-big-5) for wingers, Isco and Emanuel Reynoso for attacking midfielders, Vinícius Júnior and Mohamed Amoura for centre forwards, as well as Noah Weisshaupt and Luca Zanimacchia for full/wing backs.

Chance creation

The chance creation index is calculated by adding the frequency of passes leading to a goal or a clear chance, passes made to the assistman (second assist), as well as passes breaking the opposition's defensive line received by a teammate. As in previous cases, the result is weighted by the sporting level of the matches in which footballers have participated, in proportion to the minutes played in each game.

By position, the top average values for chance creation were measured for attacking midfielders, followed by wingers and, further back, defensive/central midfielders, centre forwards and full/wing backs. The best players for each of these positions, in order of appearance, are Florian Wirtz (big-5) and Emanuel Reynoso (non-big-5), Ousmane Dembélé and Ángel Di María, Rodrigo de Paul and Joey Veerman, Deniz Undav and Alejandro Pozuelo, as well as Trent Alexander-Arnold and Marcelo Vieira.

Finishing

The finishing index considers the shots taken by players and their success rate as a corrective factor in relationship to the average conversion rate observed for all players. As with all the other indices, the sporting level of the matches played by footballers is taken into account in order to ensure a better contextualisation of individual performances.

The highest average values for finishing per position were logically observed for centre forwards, followed by attacking midfielders, wingers, and, at a greater distance, defensive/central midfielders. Harry Kane (big-5) and Cristiano Ronaldo (non-big-5) top the list for centre forwards, Justin Kluivert and Sem Steijn for attacking midfielders, Mohamed Salah and Anderson Talisca for wingers, as well as Harvey Elliott and Kevin Castañeda for defensive/central midfielders.

Aerial play

The aerial play index is calculated from the ratio between the frequency of duels above elbow height won by the player and the average frequency of aerial duels for the team as a whole. This makes it possible to mitigate, at least in part, the effect of the differences in playing styles between leagues and clubs of employment. The result is corrected by the success rate of aerial duels performed by the footballers and the sporting level of the matches played.

The aerial play index highlights footballers who play as centre backs and centre forwards. In the first case, Juanmi Latasa tops the list for players in the European big-5 leagues and Lucas Jutkiewicz for those outside these competitions. In the second case, Virgil van Dijk heads the rankings for the big-5 and Antonio Briseño at the level of the other leagues surveyed.

Conclusion

The aerial play index highlights footballers who play as centre backs and centre forwards. In the first case, Juanmi Latasa tops the list for players in the European big-5 leagues and Lucas Jutkiewicz for those outside these competitions. In the second case, Virgil van Dijk heads the rankings for the big-5 and Antonio Briseño at the level of the other leagues surveyed.

By taking all these factors into account, the method explained in this report makes it possible to compare players' performances in the six principal areas of the game in a robust, transparent and objective manner. This approach is an invaluable tool for identifying players whose technical profile and level of performance allows envisaging an advantageous recruitment process, while greatly reducing the risk of error.