So finally after dedicating considerable time and effort, I'm excited to share my latest piece and is by far my most detailed one.

Here's my words on Xabi Alonso's invincible Bayer Leverkusen's principles of play using detailed data from @statsbomb.com 360
🔗 link.medium.com/VAlMwZ5zLQb

the idea of both Wirtz & Xhaka's viz was inspired from @johnspacemuller.com article on importance of far foot receptions from here: www.nytimes.com/athletic/521...

Here's something similar for Xhaka. Even though, he primarily picks the ball from the CBs and advances play, a lot of times he is also useful in circulating the ball. The viz on the left really just demonstrates that role and how he sets up attacks targeting half space channels.

Like I mentioned above, he often receives line breaking passes which are often launched with high-velocity and hence require great technique to control (and often utilise) the momentum in progressing and accelerating attacks. Utilisations of half-turn body orientation...

bsky.app/profile/tayy...
I did touched upon the importance of interiors in Alonso’s system where supporting the ball carrier and having substructures is of great importance. So, someone like Wirtz who is capable operating in the tightest of spaces thanks to his...
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Huge fan of how Wirtz links play for Leverkusen. His far foot receptions on vertical line breaking passes and receiving high-velocity passes even in tight spaces is really wonderful. We can see his affinity to target the box when receiving such passes.

📊 Heres Xhaka’s progressive carries. Notice the large spaces (right graph) which show these movements where he’s responsible in carrying the ball in the final third to create the substructures which Leverkusen utilise for progression.
(data via @statsbomb.com )

During a more ‘transitional phase’ or when the state of game is more in ‘motion’, its more common the the # 6 being responsible to advance the ball higher up (in to out carries), which mostly creates a diamond/triangles in the wider lanes like in the below examples
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These connections/substructures also, help in creating space for third man runs: the close connections allow quick exchange of passes which along with simultaneous movements from the neighbouring players serve as decoy movements opening up critical space for the third man run
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For example, vs a more settled block:
Here, Hofmann placed in the half space channel experiences tight pressure. Still, by utilising wall passes, body orientations and supporting movements from the ‘substructure’ Leverkusen are able to set up their attack.
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How I see it is that Alonso’s system heavily depends on the interiors on how Leverkusen construct their attacks. The system is reliant on having different substructures/connections to progress play in which the interior occupying the half space channel almost always...
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Did something similar for Tapsoba and trying to visualise his unreal ball playing ability.

been recently playing around
@statsbomb.bsky.social 360 open dataset on Bayer Leverkusen, I tried to create a metric which measures space for a pass upon reception.
Feedbacks appreciated!

Introduce yourself with four footballers.