Stop Being A Servant Of Statistics, Football Is Not Math

Federico Valverde (Twitter @realmadrid)

JAKARTA - Match statistics may be important. Likewise with the record for meetings between clubs that will compete. Sometimes, this can be a yardstick to read your opponent's strength. But honestly, on the pitch, it really doesn't matter.

For us, sticking to statistics is a big mistake. You see, the players who play and the conditions on the field are not the same between the past and the present. For example, the history of meeting Real Madrid and Barcelona in El Clasico may always take place at the Santiago Bernabeu and the Camp Nou. However, the atmosphere before and now was definitely different. The strength of the two teams has also changed drastically. And most importantly, the field conditions will also not be the same.

So, what determines the final result in every match is not the statistics or the meeting record. But the condition and readiness of the team at that moment. If the team's condition is 'sick', especially if they don't have a distinguishing figure like Cristiano Ronaldo when he played at Real Madrid or Gabriel Batistuta when he was a Fiorentina player, don't hope that the meeting record can help.

In more detail, we take Real Madrid's statistics for this season. Los Blancos have suffered 3 defeats so far this season, all when James Rodriguez played from the early minutes of the match. Most recently, when El Real were eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Copa del Rey from Real Sociedad, 7 February.

Rodriguez failed to give the best for his team. He was even replaced at the start of the second half. Then, does Madrid not need to play Colombian players again in the following matches to avoid defeat? Are you sure that without Rodriguez Madrid will continue to win? Therefore, it all depends on Zinedine Zidane's strategy. It doesn't depend on statistics.

Then, statistics also note, Real Madrid were unbeaten when midfielder Federico Valverde played from the start. In all 18 matches, Los Blancos scored 42 goals and conceded only 6 goals. Without Valverde, Real Madrid only scored 22 goals and conceded 17 times.

This is a fact before Los Blancos took on Real Sociedad in the Copa del Rey. The proof, in the match which ended 4-3 for the victory of Sociedad, even though Valverde played from the start, Madrid actually conceded three goals first in the first half. The Uruguayan midfielder was replaced by Luka Jovic in 76 minutes.

There is one more example. Since defeating Atletico Madrid in early February, defender Ferland Mendy's statistics are very impressive. Of the 11 LaLiga Santander matches he played in the early minutes, Real Madrid only conceded 3 goals.

Then, from the 1003 minutes he has played in LaLiga, Real Madrid's defense has only conceded 1 goal every 334 minutes. Real Madrid went without conceding even 715 minutes in all competitions with Ferland Mendy. If calculated by the match against Osasuna, Sunday, February 9, with Mendy, Los Merengues have conceded only 14 goals in LaLiga, this is the fewest among Europe's top 5 leagues.

Until when will the French player's fine statistics last? No one knows. Because football is not math. From now on, stop being a statistics slave. Except for those of you who like gambling. Statistics can help determine which team you will be on. Although in the end it doesn't necessarily win either.