Finding Defensive Patterns With Pass Clustering
Arsenal, Brentford, Köln, Freiburg, and Forest
I clustered all passes into 150 different pass types so we can look closer at how teams defend.
We will be looking at two things on the field charts here: one is how often a certain type of pass is played and the other is how often a pass type is completed, both are compared to league average.
One thing to keep in mind in 4-game samples is of course that there is a large opponent influence here, even more so defensively than offensively as the offensive teams generally have more control driving the game.
Brentford: the honey trap outside the danger zone.
No team has a higher ratio of advanced midfield passes (25-50 yards from goal) to danger zone passes allowed (25 yards and in). Lots of sideways passes in the advanced midfield zone as the Bees stall opponents forward progress.
It’s basically a funnel to the center of midfield, they allow opponents to complete a ton more passes than expected there. These passes are not under pressure at all (71% completion rate is highest by an opponent), Brentford think they can control opponents shot and goal rate by slowing them down in their honeytrap in advanced midfield. Opponents play 16.5% of their passes from the middle of this advanced midfield zone, only Spurs opponents play a higher share from this zone.
Trying to go vertical out of this zone does not seem to work out well for opponents, you see the gold lines here but overall opponents actually complete a high % of their passes in the danger zone, Brentford just make them make a huge amount of midfield passes to even reach the danger zone.
Next time you watch Brentford, keep an eye out for this funnel.
Union Berlin: the wall is built higher an der Alten Forsterei.
Opponents play 1.8% of their passes in the Union danger zone, the lowest share in the league. They win the ball back and key their counter attack using Sheraldo Becker.
While Brentford allow opponents into the advanced midfield area, Union hold them at bay in the more withdrawn area.
Especially when opponents try to complete passes around and in the box down Union’s left side (LWB Julian Ryerson, LCB Diogo Leite, and LCM Janik Haberer) have been very much up to the challenge. Something to keep an eye on going forward.
Nottingham Forest, English forest has no wall, but a sign telling opponents to come through the moss is quite comfortable on the feet.
Forest are easily moved through, allowing the highest rate of shots per pass and the highest share of passes against that come inside the Danger Zone. The average team plays 11 advanced midfield pass for every pass they play in the Danger Zone, vs Forest that number is just 6, the lowest in the league. What is interesting is Forest have actually seemed to try and press high, opponents completion % in withdrawn midfield is well below the league average (5th lowest in Bundesliga/Premier League). They didn’t come into the league with a reputation of a pressing team, now it sort of looks like they are trying to press and failing horribly and then face opponents playing lots of small passes around the Forest box.
Arsenal: the textbook back to front defense.
Look at that touch map
Almost looks like a color scale from back to front. Arsenal are the toughest team to get a shot against in possession so far this season, opponents take 53 passes per shot vs a leagues average of 36. Man City is 2nd while Forest, Bochum and Man Utd populate the other end of that table
Köln and Freiburg, the opposite ends of centrality
Freiburg allow the highest rate of central passes in the two leagues (66%) while Cologne are the lowest (53%). Unsurprisingly for a club led by Christian Streich, this does not seem to be an accident. The danger ratio of wide to central passes is very high for Freiburg’s defense, meaning when opponents do have the ball wide their passes are roughly 12% more dangerous than central, usually the ratio is reversed. Only Everton have a higher discrepancy, this seems to be a Freiburg tactic to protect the center and funnel opponents there.