Renato Veiga: Hitting the ground jogging in LaLiga

• Comparing Renato Veiga’s physical demands from LaLiga to Serie A presents clear differences in his Kognia centre back physical data profile

• Veiga’s adaptability may stem from his variety of footballing experiences in different European leagues

• With midfield experience, Veiga has used his ability to progress the ball through his passing to the benefit of Villarreal’s results this season

Kognia's Ryan DeFreitas applies tactical data to analyse Renato Veiga's impact in Spain in further detail in his latest article. Ryan joined Kognia earlier this summer, having spent time as an analyst at Derby County, Manchester City and Leicester City.

While Marcus Rashford and Antony have picked up headlines after their moves from the Premier League to LaLiga, another player has quietly followed that same path this summer: Chelsea’s Renato Veiga.

After a successful loan spell last season at Juventus in which he helped the team retain their Champions League status, he secured a permanent move to Villarreal where he has hit the ground "jogging" (I’ll explain the joke later) and at the time of writing, his team sit in a very impressive 3rd place in the table.

Adjusting to the physical demands of (another) new competition

Perhaps unsurprising for a player who has played football in six different countries despite only turning 22 in the summer, Veiga has adapted well to life in LaLiga. Compared to Serie A, LaLiga matches can experience more intricate possession building and ball movements, and there has been a clear change in Veiga’s physical profile and subsequent output when comparing his early season performances with his time at Juventus.

In Serie A, Veiga was in the 96th percentile for metres covered walking (4840 metres per 90) and 92nd for the number of walks per match. He was only in the 34th percentile for metres covered jogging (3650 metres per 90) which means he “jogged” over 1000 metres per game less than he “walked”. Tactically, Veiga was in the 82nd percentile for squeezing up the pitch when his team initiates an organised press. 

These metrics and data points all indicate towards matches that demand small and low intensity adjustments to defensive shape rather than direct defensive actions against an opponent or quickly squeezing the pitch to win the ball high up.

Compare that to the physical demands placed upon Veiga in LaLiga and the opposite of his Serie A experience is true. Now only in the 17th percentile for metres covered walking (3800 metres per 90) and in the 55th percentile for number of walks per match and moving up to the 69th percentile for Metres covered jogging (4000 metres per 90), you begin to see a more intense physical demand on him this year. 

This continues to translate into the defensive line with Veiga now being in the 100th percentile for squeezing up the pitch when his team initiates an organised press. 

Interestingly, in both Serie A and LaLiga, the number of accel/decels (40), the distance covered sprinting (80 metres) and high intensity distance (400 metres) Veiga is performing remain approximately the same. This suggests that despite the perception of the demands of each league the moments of defensive emergency remain consistent.

Veiga in possession

As mentioned, LaLiga is known for its intricate possession building with a high number of passes. Only Ligue 1 has seen more passes per match than La Liga. Renato Veiga will once again be able to lean on past experience and draw upon his time playing from either playing in Chelsea’s midfield or coming inside from left back. What we find from Veiga’s passing profile is a proficient passer who can progress the ball for his team.

Watching his clips you will find a left footed centre back that completes forward passes (88th percentile) and overcomes opponents with vertical passes (90th percentile). This is often with passes around the outside of the opponent’s shape finding the left back on the next line. However, Veiga is very capable of filtering passes that break lines (78th percentile) - like the video above shows - or completing a pass behind the defensive line (82nd percentile). Watching the video also shows he can do all this whilst under pressure from opponents. 

In Renato Veiga, Villarreal have found a player who can not just keep the ball but can also create from deep whilst taking pressing opponents out of the game and can perform the demands of a variety of match scenarios. The £26 million fee looks like it could end up being a real bargain for Villarreal.