Comparing Ronaldo’s 2014/15 statistics to his 2013/14 statistics: What do they tell us?

Cristiano Ronaldo

Footballers constantly undergo evolution from the moment they start kicking a ball till the moment they retire. Each year in a footballer’s development represents a change in the way a footballer approaches and plays the game. However some points in their development stand out more than others.

For Cristiano Ronaldo, some of them would be his step up to the Sporting first team (after bypassing all their youth sides in the same season), his call-up to the Portuguese National squad, his 2006-07 season with Manchester United, and his incredible burst in ability after joining Real Madrid. After watching Ronaldo in the 2014/15 season, it looks as if once again we are witnessing a key change in the way Ronaldo plays the game; so let’s take a closer look.

(All statistics are taken from Squawka.com and include only La Liga and the Champions League)

Shooting

Cristiano Ronaldo - Heading

2013/14 Season

Total Shots: 292

Total Goals: 48

Shots per goal: 6.08

Goals from inside the box: 41

Percentage of total: 85.42%

Goals from outside the box: 7

Percentage of total: 14.58%

Headed Goals: 5

Percentage of total: 10.42%

2014/15 Season

Total Shots: 296

Total Goals: 58

Shots per goal: 5.10

Goals from inside the box: 53

Percentage of total: 91.38%

Goals from outside the box: 5

Percentage of total: 8.62%

Headed Goals: 16

Percentage of total: 27.59%

What does this tell us?

Ronaldo’s shooting statistics are the most interesting and probably the most pertinent of all the statistics to look at. Straight off the bat you notice that Ronaldo’s shots for each of the two seasons are virtually the same (Ronaldo actually took 4 more shots this season!). This might actually surprise and disappoint some, but it should be seen as a good thing. Why? Because Ronaldo scored 10 more goals with virtually the same amount of shots. 

This not only means that Ronaldo on average needed one less shot to score (meaning his efficiency is up significantly), but it also means that Ronaldo didn't have to sacrifice any of his shooting to achieve greater efficiency.

The next most interesting set of stats are his long-shots and heading numbers. From glancing at the figures it is quite clear that Ronaldo was better from range in the 2013/14 season, with 2 more long range goals. He also scored a higher percentage of his goals from range (at almost 15%, significantly higher than his 2014/15 percentage at almost 9%) in the 2013/14 season. 

Again this might seem disappointing for Madridistas, but look at what he has traded it for. In the 2013/14 season Ronaldo "only" scored 5 headed goals, which was still a significant 10.42% of his goal total. However in the 2014/15 season Ronaldo netted a mind-blowing 16 headers: 27.59% of his goal total. It is clear from these figures the transformation Ronaldo has made. 

The Portuguese hitman has consciously taken less attempts from range in order to get into the box more. The trade-off is statistically brilliant: Ronaldo reduced the long-range impact of his total goal tally to about 6% less than last season but improved his heading goal impact by about 17%. Thus Ronaldo has still managed to keep himself deadly from range whilst making himself one of the all-time greats in the air. Now that is something to get excited about!

Passing

Cristiano Ronaldo - Passing

2013/14 Season

Total Chances Created: 69

Assists: 13

Average Pass Accuracy: 82%

Average Pass Length: 14 Meters

2014/15 Season

Total Chances Created: 89

Assists: 19

Average Pass Accuracy: 81%

Average Pass Length: 12.5 Meters

What does this tell us?

The immediate observation of these statistics is that Ronaldo’s assists for this season are significantly higher when compared to his last (6 more in fact). His increase in chances created (20 higher than last season’s total) indicate that it is Ronaldo’s own improvement in the creativity department and not his teammates improved finishing that has led to such an increase in his final third output. To put it another way, Ronaldo created more chances in the league alone (73) in the 2014/15 season than in the Champions League and La Liga combined (69) in 2013/14.

However, Ronaldo has managed this massive improvement with a negligible lower passing average in the 2014/15 season than the 2013/14 season (down by 1%) and a slightly more significant lower average pass length (down by 2.5 meters) (which probably demonstrates Ronaldo’s closer positioning to goal).

So what can we conclude by this? It’s that Ronaldo has improved even more remarkably in his passing then in his shooting. Ronaldo is creating so many more chances for his teammates than last season whilst maintaining a comparable passing average. His only real decline is in passing length, but this is not a huge criticism of his game due to his re-positioning on the field as a number 9 in the 2014/15 season.

Dribbling

Cristiano Ronaldo - Dribbling

2013/14 Season

Take-ons attempted: 164

Take-ons completed: 88

Take-on success: 53.66%

2014/15 Season

Take-ones attempted: 152

Take-ones completed: 79

Take-on success: 51.97%

What does this tell us?

This is one area of the game that CR7 has taken a lot of flak for this season. Many fans and pundits alike believe Ronaldo’s impact across the pitch has decreased due to his sudden lack of dribbling ability. While it is true that Ronaldo now rarely charges from deep towards opposition territory (as evidenced by his 12 less dribbles this season), the belief that Ronaldo has become a "worse" dribbler is false. His take-on success (1.69% less)is only marginally smaller than last season and Ronaldo executed an impressive 60% of his take-ons this season in the Champions League. 

Thus when it mattered, Ronaldo clearly upped his level to drive his team forward single-handedly. Consequently, when examining how all the statistics point to Ronaldo’s evolution as a number 9, it is evident that Ronaldo dribbles less now by choice but still has the ability to up his game (in regard to dribbling) when it matters. Thus Ronaldo and Madrid fans alike can relax, Ronaldo is still as good a dribbler as we expect him to be.

Conclusion

So after the analysis of Ronaldo’s shooting, passing, and dribbling statistics we get a pretty clear picture of who Ronaldo is now and what he will be like in the future. It is clear that right now Ronaldo is a much better player than last season. He shoots more accurately and efficiently, he has tripled his headed output in a trade-off for a small reduction in his long-range output, he creates more chances, and he assists more.

As for the future, it is clear that Ronaldo’s transformation will continue to make him more efficient and deadly. We can expect to see less shots per goals, more headed goals, more goals inside the box, more chances and assists, and the continuation of his famed dribbling ability.

Thus while many claim to be seeing a Ronaldo in decline, the statistics point to something else entirely; a Ronaldo on the incline and a Ronaldo that just keeps getting better, and better, and better…

source: managingmadrid.com

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