Scouting Villarreal: Real Madrid’s first rival after the international break
In the last five games – two consecutive wins after three consecutive defeats in LaLiga – as they brace for Real Madrid up next
Villarreal CF have commenced their season under manager Iñigo Pérez, playing seven LaLiga matches thus far. The Spanish side has managed two victories, two draws, and three losses in total. They have managed to score 13 goals while conceding 12. Three of Villarreal's goals have been penalties, and one has been scored through an own goal.
The team has created 13.9 non-penalty expected goals (npxG) per match, ranking third in La Liga. On average, they score 4.9 fewer goals than the value of their chances. Their best performance came in their sixth and seventh matches, with an average of 3.14 npxG per game. Ayoze Pérez, Georges Mikautadze, and Alberto Moleiro are the top performers in terms of npxG, contributing 3.6, 2.8, and 1.6 goals respectively.
Defensively, Villarreal has conceded 8.5 npxG per match, ranking ninth in La Liga. The team's defensive actions, such as tackles, interceptions, recoveries, clearances, and blocked passes, occur on average 36.9 meters from their own goal line, placing them fourth in the league. Villarreal's center-backs receive the ball, on average, 40.2 meters from their own goal line, placing them sixth in the league.
In possession, Villarreal have a field tilt of 67.0%, placing them second in La Liga. They have controlled more than 55% of the touches in six of their seven matches. With a PPDA of 9.8, Villarreal presents a more intense pressing game than the rest of the league, which averages 12.1. They complete an average of 511 open-play passes per match, ranking second in La Liga. Of the passes received, 29.0% occur in the final third, also the second highest in La Liga.
The preferred formation for Villarreal is 4-4-2. The two players who have passed to each other the most are Pape Gueye and Renato Veiga, with 84 passes between them. Villarreal's completed passes add 13.7 expected threat (xT) per match, the most in La Liga. Pape Gueye contributes the most with 1.47 xT, followed by Renato Veiga with 1.33 and Alberto Moleiro with 1.18.
The team takes an average of 109 non-penalty shots per match, with an average shot distance of 16.8 meters, ranking third shortest in La Liga. They have also scored three penalties across the 696 minutes of play. Villarreal were winning for 20.3% of the time, level for 52.3%, and losing for 27.4% of the matches. Their winning minutes rank 14th in La Liga.
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