Tag Archives: Tito Vilanova

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Stat of the Day: 10 and counting

FC Barcelona’s new manager Tito Vilanova has gotten the team off to its best Liga start in the history of the club. 10 matchdays: 9 victories, 1 draw, 28 points. This is a feat that not even Rijkaard or Guardiola could match. And with Atletico going down on Saturday to Valencia, the team from Catalunya now find themselves alone at the top of the table with a three point gap on second place. And an eight point cushion over Real Madrid. And no: I’m not talking about Espanyol [you’ll find them at the other end of the table]

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Stat of the Day: More Direct

vilanova

Stat of the Day: More Direct

Pundits and fans alike have noticed, but here are the numbers to back it up. Statistics on FC Barcelona’s football this season under Tito Vilanova point to a more direct approach. Possession and total number of passes per game have not fluctuated in any significant way from other recent season, remaining around 70% and 700 respectively, but there has been a key variation specifically related to territory.

Tito Vilanova’s team thus far are playing higher up the pitch and in a more vertical manner. Only 9.7% of total passes are within the defensive third versus 13% under Pep Guardiola. This territorial advancement has seen an improved number of touches in the opponent box with 33.6 touches per game this year versus 31 last season. In order to accelerate movement up the field, Barça this season are attempting 9.6 “long balls” per game, a 1.2 increase from 8.6 in 2011/12.

Source: GuillemBalague.com; Image:fcbarcelona.com