Brasileirão’s week 11 is over and we bring you some of the highlights of this week. If you would like a more detailed explanation of the graphs used, please see this text here. Let’s check out the matches!
Vasco 2 x 1 Fluminense
- Vasco beat Fluminense by attacking more frequently from the right side (where Pikachu, Yan Sasse and Bruno César were). The team shot mostly from 2 regions: outside of the box slightly to the right or inside the penalty box on the left side during set pieces (with defenders).
- Fluminense was already struggling to create chances due to important absences (Goose, Allan and Yony) and it all became more difficult with 2 red cards. Fluminense needs to improve its squad with key signings so as not to overload their young players.
- Expected Goals:
- Vasco = 2.04
- Fluminense = 0.14
Botafogo 0 x 1 Santos
- Botafogo had very poor shots, most of the finishes were either out of target or blocked, just one shot was on target. The team attacked with few players. Botafogo needs to have more offensive volume at home, or play with faster players to exploit counter attacks.
- On the Santos team, when the ball reached one wingers (Soteldo or Marinho) it was hardly passed, the players would try to dribble and finish. Santos still seeks to involve the center forward Uribe more in the game, the Colombian participated very little and was substituted.
- Expected Goals:
- Botafogo = 0.2
- Santos = 0.88
Bahia 0 x 0 Cruzeiro
- Bahia usually has Arthur Victor very active in the attack. The striker received passes from Gregore, Ezequiel and Flavio and made 5 passes for shots. Juninho showed he is probably a great signing and very strong in the aerial game (he can be a nightmare on corners at the near post). Lucca was subbed in and played well on the left.
- Cruzeiro used their reserves and could have better exploited the spaces after the sending off of the opposing striker Artur Caike. Too few shots for a team that played a half with an extra player. Cruzeiro has pretty much given up on the Brasileirão and is focused on other tournaments.
- Expected Goals:
- Bahia = 0.62
- Cruzeiro = 0.56
Ceará 2 x 0 Palmeiras
- Ceará made Palmeiras taste their own medicine and used a very efficient reactive game. None of Ceará’s chances of goals involved conventional assists, all of them were in individual dribbling plays or taking advantage of defensive mistakes.
- Palmeiras used the fullbakcs a lot to build up play, with Diego Barbosa and Marcos Rocha being the main assistants for Deyverson and Dudu. Deyverson has been the main finisher of the team and Zé Rafael has not been very active in Palmeiras’ attack.
- Expected Goals:
- Ceará = 0.39
- Palmeiras = 1.42
Internacional 1 x 1 Grêmio
- Internacional rested many players on the derby and had Rafael Sóbis as their main offensive player. The veteran was centered in the attack and acted between Grêmio’s lines; he was the player with most shots (6 shots) and most passes for shot (3 passes).
- Grêmio produced little in the derby full of reserves and few goal chances. The team passed frequently on the left side, especially with Juninho Capixaba and Thaciano. Diego Tardelli, who played as center forward, managed only one shot.
- Expected Goals:
- Internacional = 0.77
- Grêmio = 0.41
Atlético MG 2 x 2 Fortaleza
- Atletico MG had several good opportunities within the penalty box but several were out of target (or saved by goalkeeper Felipe Alves). Vinicius played well, creating and moving towards the box to finish. The team was winning 2-0, but allowed too many shots and ended up with a draw.
- In Fortaleza everything involved Juninho (including a very unusual own goal). The tricolor central midfielder had frequent pass combinations with many different players, took the set pieces and finished 4 times. The team managed to create good chances even behind on the scoreboard and got a great result.
- Expected Goals:
- Atletico MG = 1.9
- Fortaleza = 1.33
Corinthians 1 x 1 Flamengo
- Corinthians uses areas closer sidelines very frequently, the wingers (Clayson and Pedrinho) are always close to the fullbacks (Danilo Avelar and Fagner) in attack and defense.
- Flamengo moving the ball more on the left side: Renê, Gerson and Diego passed to each other within that region and Rodrigo Caio started the plays from the back. Without Bruno Henrique, Arrascaeta and E Ribeiro the team created and finished less than usual.
- Expected Goals:
- Corinthians = 0.74
- Flamengo = 0.8
Avaí 0 x 0 Goiás
- In the Avai team, the newcomer Gustavo Ferrareis has been the most active player. After the Copa América stop Avai has managed to finish more and in this game several submissions were from within the area, but many were blocked.
- Goiás is a team that does not pass the ball a lot, especially playing away. The team bet on long balls for Renatinho, Kayke and Michael.
- Expected Goals:
- Avaí = 1.07
- Goiás = 0.55
São Paulo 4 x 0 Chapecoense
- São Paulo created a lot of chances, especially in the second half after Cuca’s substitutions. Antony was very active and played well, always supported by Igor Vinicius. Raniel showed that he might be a good option in attack: played near the area, finished and pressured Chapecoense’s defense when they had the ball.
- Chapecoense had difficulty creating plays against SPFC. The team always looks for Everaldo in front and the striker always attracts the opponents attention. It would be interesting to have other players approaching to pass and move, exploring spaces.
- Expected Goals:
- Sao Paulo = 2.14
- Chapecoense = 0.25
CSA 0 x 4 Athletico PR
- Unfortunately the game was not televised, so Instat could not collect match data. In cases like this it won’t be possible to write the analysis.
Observations:
Own goals and penalties were not considered for expected goals calculations
Algolritmo's founder. I have a bachelor's in Computer Science and a master's in Analytics. My goal is to bring a new perspective into Brazilian football. I'm particularly interested in communicating complex ideas through simple data visualizations.
I graduated in Computer Science and Business Administration at the University of Southern California and got a masters degree in Analytics at the same institution. I have worked as a Data Science intern at companies such as Facebook, Itaú and Looqbox.