Pablo Martín Páez Gavira, also known as Gavi, has made a sensational start to his career. The youngster is experiencing his first full season as a Barcelona player at the age of 17. He has also made his international debut for Spain and is becoming a top talent in the country. Gavi has featured regularly for the Spanish club this season and has given impressive performances.
The midfielder featured in every UEFA Champions League match this season. He started in four matches and was subbed on in the other two. Gavi is yet to open his goal-scoring account in UCL.
The above viz shows the heatmap of Gavi in the UEFA Champions League. Gavi has featured as a central midfielder in midfield three, and sometimes played in front of the midfield and behind the striker. In the above viz, we can notice that he likes to play more towards the left side. He has also tried to get inside the box from the wider position and has taken nine touches inside the opposition box.
Gavi has attempted 167 passes and averages 36.13 passes per 90. His pass accuracy rate is 88.02%, and from the above viz, we can identify that Gavi has played a lot of balls towards the wings. The 17-year-old has attempted six crosses and averages 1.3 crosses per 90. He has also attempted two smart passes. Gavi’s ten passes have landed inside the opposition’s penalty box, of which two landed inside the opposition’s six-yard box. From the above viz, we observe that Gavi attempted very few passes inside his half, and most of the passing is done inside the opposition’s half.
The midfielder has attempted the most passes towards striker Memphis Depay and left-back Jordi Alba. Gavi has attempted 24 passes each towards them, and the highest threat rate is created from passes towards Depay. Other than this, he has also shared passes with Sergio Busquets, de Jong, and other Barcelona players.
The above viz shows the duels contested by the midfielder on the pitch. The blue dots represent loose ball duels, orange dots represent aerial duels, and red dots represent defensive duels. Most of the loose ball duels have been contested towards the left side, and the defensive duels have been contested towards the right side. No duel was contested around the centre circle.
Gavi has earned the trust of his managers and has made a sensational start to his career. He is now playing under a Barcelona legend and will look to improve his game by taking Xavi’s guidance. His impressive performances can make him a future leader at the Spanish club in the upcoming years.
