Brasileirão’s week 12 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!
Fluminense 1 x 2 São Paulo
- Fluminense continues with the playing style of keeping possession and applying a high pressure. Yet, the team is not converting the created chances and has been lacking defensive intensity. If the team wants to play this way it is necessary to increase the pressure intensity and reduce spaces while defending.
- Reinaldo, the left back, was the hero of the match, but São Paulo attacked more frequently through the right side again with Antony, Igor Vinícius and Tchê Tchê. The team got a great result but had some defensive issues. Dani Alves, the biggest signing of the Brazilian transfer window should help a lot.
- Expected Goals:
- Fluminense = 1.95
- São Paulo = 0.5
Internacional 1 x 0 Ceará
- Internacional played used the reserves and created their most significant scoring chances on the left side. Wellington Silva played in that region and had a good match, he may be a good offensive option for the remaining of the season. It was also a good opportunity for young players such as Sarrafiore, Bruno Fuchs and Nonato.
- Ceará had difficulties shooting against Inter and was defeated. The team has been missing the intensity of Thiago Galhardo. Before the Copa America break, the attacking midfielder was more participative and was the team’s main weapon in attack.
- Expected Goals:
- Internacional = 1.56
- Ceará = 0.56
Chapecoense 0 x 0 Bahia
- Chapecoense only shot from areas of low scoring probability. Many shots from a long distance, which is evidenced by the fact that the team’s main finisher was the defensive midfielder Márcio Araújo. Camilo and Everaldo played close to each other, but found no space within the area to shoot.
- On Bahia, Lucca and Moisés worked hard on the left side with 9 total shots. Another important team highlight is Gregore; Bahia’s team is very solid defensively when the defensive midfielder plays.
- Expected Goals:
- Chapecoense = 0.39
- Bahia = 0.9
Palmeiras 1 x 1 Vasco
- Palmeiras had Gustavo Scarpa as the central man in attack against Vasco. The midfielder received passes from all players on the defensive line and was the one who created the most opportunities (3 passes to finish). Most of the shots came on the right side with Hyoran.
- Vasco took the lead early on, but after that did not have control of the ball and took few shots. Richard was the one who started the plays, passing mostly to the fullbacks.
- Expected Goals:
- Palmeiras = 1.27
- Vasco = 0.43
Flamengo 3 x 2 Botafogo
- Flamengo had several shots inside the box and made the lives of Botafogo defenders very hard With their main playmakers injured, the players who gave more passes to shots where central defensive midfielders and full backs (Arão, Cuéllar and Rafinha). B Henrique was the main finisher.
- Botafogo had an unusual shot pattern against Flamengo. There were 2 types of shots: either very close to the 6-yard box or from very far away. The team played deep in defense back in moments of the match and ended up conceding many chances.
- Expected Goals:
- Flamengo = 1.97
- Botafogo = 0.96
Cruzeiro 0 x 2 Athletico PR
- Cruzeiro was the team with the least shots this week. Even with a reserve squad, having only 4 shots at home is very sub par. The minas gerais team has decided to prioritize other competitions, but they still need to accumulate some points to have a end of season in December.
- Athletico played well in this away fixture and had another great Bruno Guimarães display. There were 5 shots and 4 passes for shot executed by the midfielder. Athletico managed to passes very frequently and turn possessions into scoring chances (it was the team with the most shots this week).
- Expected Goals:
- Cruzeiro = 0.12
- Athletico PR = 1.23
Santos 3 x 1 Avaí
- Santos won the game against Avai with a lot of offensive volume on the left side, especially with Soteldo and Felipe Jonatan present in that region and taking many shots. The team had a lot of mobility with Sasha playing centrally and Derlis González open on the right.
- Avai tried a more direct and vertical playing style against Santos. Lourenço, who acted as center forward, received frequent long passes from Lucas Frigeri, Betão and Léo Morais. The team conceded early on, managed to equalize and tried to hold on to the draw. However Avaí ended up attracting the good Santos attack, which was very costly.
- Expected Goals:
- Santos = 1.5
- Avaí = 0.6
Goiás 0 x 0 Atlético MG
- In this week, Goiás’ players seem to have been instructed to shoot whenever possible. The team took a lot of shots from afar, and did not cause goalkeeper Cleiton any problems. Only 2 out of the 16 shots were on target.
- Atlético had many players on midfield, all of them linked frequent passes frequently with full backs defenders Fábio Santos and Patric. The Minas Gerais team created most of their chances on the left side and got interesting opportunities within the area, but failed to convert them.
- Expected Goals:
- Goiás = 0.66
- Atlético MG = 1.07
Fortaleza 1 x 3 Corinthians
- Fortaleza attacked with many players but ended up conceding too many spaces for Corinthians’ attack. Juninho is literally the centerpiece of the team, he distributes most passes in midfield and most plays go through him.
- O Corinthians jogou com um time misto e criou mais pelo lado esquerdo, com Everaldo e Matheus Vital (e Clayson no 2oT). Pedrinho fez boa partida, jogando na direita e se movimentando para o meio. Boselli conseguiu 4 finalizações e fez uma de suas melhores partidas pelo Corinthians.
- Corinthians played with mix of regular starters and substitutes, and created more chances on the left side with Everaldo and Matheus Vital (and Clayson in the second half). Pedrinho made a good start, playing on the right and constantly moving to the middle. Boselli got 4 shots and made one of his best matches for Corinthians.
- Expected Goals:
- Fortaleza = 0.7
- Corinthians = 1.67
CSA 0 x 0 Grêmio
- Jonathan Gómez was CSA’s main player: The Argentine had the most shots and passes for shot. In general, the team seeks to pass to Ricardo Bueno, who plays as a target man in attack. It is necessary to involve Maranhão more often and use him as an active second attacker.
- O Grêmio concentrou seu jogo na esquerda, com Pepê, Luan e Tardelli próximos. O time poderia ter explorado melhor as beiradas do campo, coisa que Everton Cebolinha (no banco boa parte do jogo) sabe fazer. O tricolor claramente está priorizando outros campeonatos.
- Grêmio concentrated their playes on the left side, with Pepê, Luan and Tardelli positioned close to each other. The team could have explored the wings of the field better, something that Everton (who was on the bench for much of the game) usually does very well. The tricolor is clearly prioritizing other tournaments.
- Expected Goals:
- CSA = 0.58
- Grêmio = 0.81
Observations:
- Own goals and Penalties where not included on 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.