Arsenal v Barcelona: passing statistics
We were told constantly before the game that Arsenal against Barcelona was a clash of two sides who play football ‘the right way’ – short, quick passes from excellent technical players comfortable in possession. And that proved to be correct, although this graph shows a stark contrast between the sides.
Xavi’s dominance on the field of play transfers to an incredible dominance on this graph, with Sergio Busquets not far behind. The fact that Barcelona have the top 8 players in this graph rather sums up the way the game went.
It is interesting that Seydou Keita completed so few passes despite remaining on the pitch for the whole game, and it is also telling that Denilson completed the most passes of any Arsenal player, despite being on the pitch for only 46 minutes. This is in line with his good recent form, including his incredible 100% passing display against West Ham.
An asterisk denotes players who did not complete 90 minutes. Stats courtesy of UEFA.
Full match analysis here
Arsenal v Barcelona: passing statistics
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It’s such a shame to see Denilson’s name up there even after coming on as a substitute. He did have a relatively good game after he came on but he’s definitely the black sheep among the white of Arsenal. Arsenal need a good DMC to assist the defense and he clearly isn’t. He is also the one of the main reasons Vermaelan gets caught out of position on innumerable occasions.
This graph also demonstrates Pique’s importance to Barça. They will need Marquez in top form in the return leg. Without one of those two starting plays out of the back, it becomes impossible for the rest of the team to play as high.
I also wonder: had Iniesta played, would Arsenal have seen the ball at all?
Good point about Pique, not sure if ZM or Jonathan Wilson wrote about him as an example of a center-back moving forward a-la-Beckenbauer in response to the predominance of 4-5-1 formations. He was practically an auxiliary attacking midfielder/center forward for Spain in the 2007 U-20 WC, sort of a good-in-the-air Sevilla-era Dani Alves straight through the middle.
Incidentally, Marquez isn’t as well respected on this side of the Atlantic due to his regularly poor displays for Mexico against the USA, stemming from his inability to deal with either pace or power. There was extensive discussion in the Mexican press about removing him from the side after the most recent qualifier/red card in the USA.
If Arsenal can weather the storm and maintain some possession–however unlikely–Walcott and even Bendtner should have their chances.
If Iniesta had played tonight? He can finish too, you know.
The Denilson stat is the most interesting. If I recall correctly, he was the player who made the succesful passes all of last season in the Premiership too, beating even Xabi Alonso
If I recall correctly he also:
- Had the most interceptions
- Top 5 tackles won (/ percentage won)
- One of the most fouled
Basically last season he was amazing, until he got burnt out (Around CL Quarter/FA Cup Semi etc). But all the Arsenal fans hated him anyway because he wasn’t running about fouling people like Song was.
I’ve always felt that Denilson was the next Xavi, and the stats are encouraging. Assuming Arsenal keeps all their central midfielders, it’s going to be tough to fit everyone in, especially if you add Ramsey and Wilshere to the equation as well.
Denilson, the next Xavi? They don’t even play in the same position. And that isn’t the problem.
Statistics tell only half the story. There’s none for most 50-50 balls or unnecessary back passes or voids in midfield in front of the back four. I don’t see him break up much of the play close to his own box. His tackles are usually irrelevant and is fouled so many times because his first touch is horrendous and also because he needs light years to turn and look for an attacking outlet. And Arsenal fans love Alex Song because of his skill, vision(though needs improvement), confidence and commitment, the exact same qualities Denilson lacks.
It was not burn out, it was a case of severe nerves in big matches, something that Denilson is extremely prone to.
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For me personally, Xavi is the first player into a world XI.
Where did you get the statistics and that graph?
Stats are from UEFA, graph is original.
Why have I only discovered this site now? Brilliant stuff.
Agreed.
It’s interesting to see Denilson there. He sometimes looks like he gets muscled off the ball too easily in midfield, but I think these stats and his growing goal return (1 in 3 starts this season?) show that the 22 year old(?) is really developing into a top class player.
For some reason, in England, the prime measure of a midfielder is not getting muscled off the ball easily. If Xavi or Iniesta played in the Premier League, they’d be muscled off the ball no end.
Great analysis and site – keep up the good work!
A bit of heresy now;
Xavi is immense but I think Cesc Fabregas is a better passer of the ball. Consistently he gets more assists, and he’s every bit as accurate as Xavi.
I have to disagree here Cesc isnt a better passer than Xavi, he just takes more risks, whereas Xavi doesn’t risk as much not because he can’t but because its not what we need.We have Iniesta for that
Neat
Xavi is fantastic. He’s just a pure class midfielder.
I wonder… When he retires in a few years, will Busquets be expected to replace him?
cesc’ll come, if he doesn’t we’ve got jds,thiago,sergi roberto..
I agree with Ole Gunner, Denilson gets knocked off ball in EPL. His game is also very different, helping to switch point of attack in deep areas. A lot of sideways passing from Sagna and Clichy to other midfielders/wide players as a result of the Arsenal formation.
Denilson was quality last season and does what he is supposed to do the majority of the time. Would you mention him with the likes of Gerrard and Lampard? No, but what about Obi Mikel? He was made to be massive for the Russians but you rarely hear his name unless there is a fight.
Arsenal switched their play up for the majority of the game opting for longer passes either directly into Bendtner or down the line for Walcott. This was to try and stretch Barca at first but became effective as well as gave Arsenal the chance to push forward. We were def outplayed and outpassed that game due to a slow start which helped Barca play with tons of confidence. GAME ON AT THE NOU CAMP THOUGH!
Fantastic stats. Still a 2-2 draw despite overwhelming Barca possession and super passing. I told my daughter via text while watching the game that Denilson had grown during this game alone and the stats prove it, at least in passing terms. He and Nasri are the key to the next game…although it’s very unlikely Arsenal can pull it off..
Something I’ve noticed in Arsenal’s play for a long time now. They’ve become fond of the slow throughball down the flank when there’s no need for it (such as when the target player is right next to the passer), and the ball is easily intercepted in most cases, or goes so far that the only option is to cross it. Far too predictable.
I expect Rosicky to be involved in the next game, since he is good at keeping the ball, something Arsenal lacked. Perhaps a 4-6-0 formation to stifle Barcelona?
[...] the football world by declaring that Barca dominates the midfield with their passing. Hell, at Zonal Marking they make a point of proving it. So if everyone knows they do, and we’re all aware that it’s the source of their power, than [...]