Thread: Data visualisations on Liverpool’s midfielders, 2019/20

Note: as with all stats, this is context dependent, and will need interpreting - the results are heavily reliant on a player’s role, hence the use of phrases such as “most effective” rather than “best”.

(Also, I’ll post a few pieces a day, rather than all at once)

To start; where are our midfielders most frequently in possession of the ball, (by touches)?

Attacking third = green
Midfield third = blue
Defensive third = red

They all profile more or less as expected

Keita is a ridiculously prolific ball carrier, averaging 170m of progressive carries per game. (His 238m in the PL is the highest for any midfielder).

He’s always looking to play forward, with 58.9% of the distance he moves the ball being towards the opponent’s goal.

On top of that, Naby is by far our most effective dribbler; he completes the most dribbles (2.5) and his dribbles directly facilitate the most shots (0.34) per game. He’s also the most successful dribbler, with a 78.6% success rate - the highest out of our midfielders.

Pressing is a key part of our play style, and Keita is the most effective in that respect. On average, we win the ball back directly after a Naby press over 8 times per game. He’s also our most efficient presser with a 39.2% success rate - better than any midfielder in the PL.

On top of his 8.3 successful pressures per game, Naby makes 2.84 tackles and 12 recoveries - he’s very efficient at winning the ball back.

Ox profiles similarly, with an impressive 12 recoveries and 1.08 interceptions per game.