Formed by Hammers supporters Jack Elderton and Callum Goodall to offer their fellow fans in-depth but accessible analysis of their team and its players, Analytics United provide content for the Club's official website, app, Official Programme and social media channels.
For their latest column, Analytics United use performance analysis and data to examine the contribution Guido Rodríguez could make to West Ham United...
West Ham United have confirmed the signing of Guido Rodríguez from Spanish outfit Real Betis. The Argentina international adds to the growing competition in a midfield department already containing Czech Republic captain Tomáš Souček, James Ward-Prowse and his 380 Premier League appearances (53rd on the all-time list), international starters for Brazil and Mexico in Lucas Paquetá and Edson Álvarez, one of the standout performers in the Austrian Bundesliga last season in Andy Irving, and a group of impressive youngsters all pushing for a spot in the matchday squad.
As discussed in previous articles, new Head Coach Julen Lopetegui is likely to introduce a more possession-focused style intent on controlling matches with the ball rather than without it. Shifting the approach in this way will require a number of tactical changes, many of which will centre on how the side builds up and retains defensive security when attacking. One such change we expect to see quite often is the deepest midfielder bisecting the centre-backs, forming a situational three-at-the-back, and allowing the full-backs to advance.
This shape doesn’t just help protect the side against counter-attacks but it also allows for greater press-resistance and control in build-up with the extra player on the deepest line helping to negate typical opposition pressing approaches. In the Premier League, we often see sides pressing from a 4-4-2 shape which naturally has two players on the most advanced line and, by switching to this situational three when trying to play out from the back, a numerical advantage is created in deeper areas that makes it easier to circulate possession without losing it.
This is where Rodríguez comes in. The 30-times-capped player is a specialist at this deep-lying role where he combines total reliability in possession with some outstanding destructive attributes defensively. Under former West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini at Betis, Rodríguez didn’t quite bisect the centre-backs but often dropped out to one side or sat close to the pair to help the side build-up by playing the simple give-and-take role. It wasn’t really his job to play the all-important line-breaking pass into the forwards but more to alleviate any pressure through always being available to receive and knowing where the next pass needs to go to render the opposition’s attempts to force a turnover fruitless.
This is summed up in the data where Rodríguez ranks in the top 7% for switches amongst midfielders in La Liga (1.02 per 90) and in the top 20% for short passing completion (91.8%). These two elements will be key for Lopetegui: Take the ball under pressure and find the right pass to negate that pressure without losing it.
Rodríguez also excels defensively, ranking second in the division and in the top 1% of La Liga midfielders for ball recoveries (7.56 per 90), in the top 4% for dribblers tackled (1.66 per 90), the top 5% for the success of those tackles (61.8%), and the top 7% for clearances (2.15 per 90). It’s clear that if the ball is loose in midfield or if anyone attempts to dribble through the centre of the pitch, it will soon be Rodríguez’s. Those clearance numbers are also a key positive, showing that when Betis have had to defend counter-attacks, Rodríguez can drop in and position himself correctly in the box to intercept dangerous attacks and clear the danger.
Speaking of interceptions, this is another area of the game in which Rodríguez performs well. The Argentine picks his moments to step forward and support the press brilliantly and wins the ball back in promising positions on a regular basis with 1.41 interceptions per 90 (inside the top 12% of midfielders in La Liga). And his 0.39 tackles in the attacking third per 90 (top 21%) show just how aggressive he can be for someone often sat in the deepest position in midfield – a figure that places him alongside the two top-ranked Real Madrid central midfielders in Eduardo Camavinga (0.4) and Jude Bellingham (also 0.39).
West Ham and Real Betis have exchanged players twice before with goalkeeper and penalty-scoring extraordinaire Adrián moving from the sun-baked cobbled streets of Seville to East London in 2013 and with ex-band member and hero of Alkmaar Pablo Fornals heading the other way. Hopefully, the fact that those two became fan-favourites during their time in Claret and Blue bodes well for Rodríguez who will aim to do the same at the start of West Ham’s exciting new adventure under Lopetegui.
*The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of Analytics United and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of West Ham United.
