The maturity of Rafinha Alcántara

Category: Player Analysis

The ball is sounding again in La Liga. It was more than three months off, but that doesn’t seem to have affected some players. A good example is Rafinha Alcántara, who was already performing at a high level in the early months of 2020. The player on loan at Celta Vigo is showing a regularity […]

Published:25/06/2020

The ball is sounding again in La Liga. It was more than three months off, but that doesn’t seem to have affected some players. A good example is Rafinha Alcántara, who was already performing at a high level in the early months of 2020. The player on loan at Celta Vigo is showing a regularity that has not been seen for a long time. It is possible to think that the main reason of it was the lack of minutes that has suffered in other stages, but we should not ignore that their averages are being more complete.

Although his figures of created chances or expected assists have decreased, if we take a look at the three seasons prior to this one, we can see that the player has grown a lot in different aspects, having a bigger influence on the collective. He is dribbling more often (and with an awesome effectiveness: 68%), pressing more, recovering more and even has improved his numbers in the aerial disputes. In this graph we can see some of his averages compared to all the players of La Liga who have played at least 800 minutes this season. Rafinha is among the best in terms of xG build up, participating in the 0.48 per 90 minutes construction. Partly because of the frequency with which he serves passes that end up in the last third of the field.

One of his essential improvements is in the defensive tasks. Rafinha is maintaining a top average of tackles per 90 minutes (3.48) and is also intercepting above average, something he had not done in the previous three campaigns. That’s why he is among the best of the competition in terms of ball recoveries.

Another aspect he has evolved in has been in ball progression. He’s usually helping the team to move forward by filtering passes to teammates in more advanced positions, but also by carrying the ball toward the last third. In this map we can see the 162 carries he has made this season, losing the ball only in 15% of those occasions.

We are Driblab, a consultancy specialized in the statistical analysis of players and teams; our work is focused on advising and minimizing risk in professional football decision-making in areas related to talent detection and footballer evaluations. Our database has more than 130,000 players from more than 120 competitions, covering information from all over the world. Here you can learn more about how we work and what we offer.

Autor: Driblab
For Player Analysis we also recommend you:

‘Expected Passing %’: between accuracy and difficulty

How complicated is the pass I just saw on television? It is a question as simple as it is complex. With your powers of analysis and perception you may conclude that it is easy or difficult, or you may put an adverb in front of it to add some degree of difficulty or...

‘driblabPRO Scout’: under-23 left-footed centre-backs with a market value of less than 7M

We use all our filters to find left-footed U-23 centre-backs with good ball handling and aerial skills, with a market value of less than 7 million.

Belgium and Netherlands U21 fullbacks ready for a bigger challenge

We are looking for full-backs in Belgium and the Netherlands who meet the defensive requirements that would allow them to make the jump to a big league.

‘Through balls’: Messi’s latest impossible statistical peak

Leo Messi has no rival in this aspect of the game where he has always been the best. We compare him with other great players.

A goalkeeper today: visualizing his passing ability

We visualize which goalkeepers make more passes in different situations through different goalkeeper-specific metrics.

How the coveted Iván Fresneda plays

We analyse one of Europe’s most promising full-backs. We look at where he stands out and what makes him so sought after.

Counterpressing LaLiga 22/23: Agressive Actions & Quick Recoveries

Counterpressing measured through two specific metrics developed by Driblab at the request of our customers: aggressive actions and quick recoveries.

Darwin Nuñez, beyond a matter of time

The problems in Darwin Nuñez’s definition contain some nuances that the data show in this article.

The seven players who are dominating the World Cup

Ahead of the World Cup quarter-finals, we highlight seven players who are dominating this edition by one metric.

Qatar 2022: Potential signings for Serie A

We list ten players present at Qatar 2022 who could be very interesting options for Serie A teams.

Driblab

Información corporativa

Somos una empresa con sede en Madrid fundada en 2017 por Salvador Carmona y Cristian Coré Ramiro. Desde nuestros inicios nuestro trabajo se ha centrado en el análisis estadístico de datos para ayudar a los clubes en la planificación deportiva. Somos una consultora big data que ofrece servicios personalizados para cada cliente y defiende un modelo de gestión mixto y una comunicación constante para acompañar el día a día de las instituciones. Nuestro punto fuerte es la más amplia cobertura disponible en número de torneos profesionales y juveniles. Para más detalles, póngase en contacto con nosotros.

Colaboramos con:

           

Hemos aparecido en: