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Player reportLa Liga 2025/26

Santi Comesaña

Villarreal
Ball-winning 6 (destroyer) DM
13.6 defensive actions/90
Capability Analysis
Breaking Pressure
no action recorded in any high-press match yet
Progression62%vs 36 central mids
"Can he move the team forward with a pass, not just recycle it sideways?"
Progressive passes /904.5765%
Line-breaking passes /901.8462%
Threat added by passing /901.02xT54%
Pass accuracy83.87%65%
Ball-Winning72%vs 36 central mids
"How actively does he win the ball back?"
Interceptions /901.1681%
Ball recoveries /904.5468%
Tackles /901.6359%
Duels won /901.0478%
defensive middeep-lying playmakerpress resistancescreening
2536
minutes
34 apps
1224
passes
82% completed
82%
pass completion
1224 passes
99
progressive passes
3.5/90
383
defensive actions
13.6/90
75
tackles + interceptions
52% tackle win
133
recoveries
4.7/90
84
line-breaking passes
3.0/90
Overview

The player

Who he is and how he compares with his peers.

01

What Patterns Define Him?

His repeatable signature. A step only appears if its reliability score (sample size × match coverage) reaches at least Medium confidence — pattern mining, not anecdotes.

RECEIVE
drop between the centre-backs — mostly in the middle third (55% of his 1224 passes)
82% completion · 1224× in 34/34 matches
↓
ESCAPE PRESSURE
turn out of a tight central area
42% won · 26× in 18/34 matches
↓
PROGRESS CENTRAL
break a line through the middle
3.5 prog/90 · 84× in 31/34 matches
↓
SCREEN / WIN BALL
protect the back four
7.4 ball-wins/90 · 208× in 34/34 matches
↓
RECYCLE / PROGRESS
keep it ticking, feed the final third
4.2 f3-entries/90 · 117× in 32/34 matches
Signature: drop to receive → escape the press on the turn → progress centrally or recycle → screen the counter. Block the central lane and press his first touch to force him backwards.
19

Where is he influential — vs where is he merely present?

Red fill = raw touch territory. Gold rings = zones where his influence (xT added, progression, line-breaks, key passes) outweighs how often he's actually there — one combined map instead of two separate maps to compare by eye. Red with no ring: present but not dangerous. A ring on faint red: rare touches, outsized impact.

own goal left, attacking →
36
passes / match
13.6
def actions / 90
7–77
pass range (matches)
57
clearances
Pass range = his fewest and most passes in any single match this season (7 at the low end, 77 at the high) — a measure of match-to-match involvement, not pass distance.
In possession

In possession

What he does with the ball: build-up, progression, creation, carrying and finishing.

11

How dangerous are his carries?

Real ball-carries

217 tracked carries (7.7/90, 42 progressive, 1977m total) — the ball moving with his touches, a different signal from dribbles below (beating an opponent 1v1). even a player who rarely dribbles past a man can still carry the ball forward constantly in build-up; this is that.

2%8%12%15%11%2%2%6%15%10%1%4%3%5%2%
progressivelateral/short% of his 217 carries originating in each zone · own goal left, attacking →
Every carry, exact path — median 7m, longest 36m
By zone — where the carry started → where it ended
24Outside → Inside
135Inside → Inside
47Outside → Outside
11Inside → Outside
First (68)Second (60)Third (57)Fourth (32)grouped by carry pattern (start + end position), largest group first
startendown goal left, attacking →

Beaten in the tackle

How often an attacker gets past him in a 1v1 defensive duel — the closest signal the data has to "dribbled past" (no attacker-beat-defender field exists directly, so this counts tackles he attempted and lost).

46
tackle duels
24
won
22
beaten · 48%
brighter band = more tackle duels · own goal left, attacking →
INSIDE 76%
OUTSIDE 24%
Tackle-duel location — 35 inside · 11 outside
Right Wing
9 · 20%
Right Half-Space
14 · 30%
Central
10 · 22%
Left Half-Space
11 · 24%
Left Wing
2 · 4%
Vision AI beaten in 22 of 46 tackle duels (48% loss rate) — a real defensive leak worth flagging.
Every tackle duel, exact location
wonlost — dribbled pastown goal left, attacking →

Dribbles (1v1s)

Can he escape pressure on the ball? His carries/dribbles in tight central areas, by channel. Season rate: 0.92 dribbles attempted /90.

brighter band = more dribbles · own goal left, attacking →
INSIDE 35%
OUTSIDE 65%
Dribble location — 9 inside · 17 outside
Right Wing
14 · 54%
Right Half-Space
5 · 19%
Central
3 · 12%
Left Half-Space
1 · 4%
Left Wing
3 · 12%
Vision AI 35% of his carries are central — he receives and turns in congested midfield zones rather than out wide.
03

How does he build & move the ball?

How does he escape the first line?

13%
vertical passes
67×
5%
switches
26×
22%
carries
114×
60%
short circulation
305×
Answer: he escapes the press primarily through carrying — stepping out with the ball.

How he moves the ball — his 4 busiest progression routes, not where every pass starts and ends separately. Arrow width = how often, colour = xT gained, dashed = switch of play. The full breakdown is in the lane matrix below.

own goal left, attacking →
Lane transition matrix — when he receives in a lane, where does it go?
TO →RWRHSCLHSLWRW20948%10035%7416%340%1RHS33128%9331%10432%1068%261%2C3199%3029%9235%11121%676%19LHS1121%112%1338%4229%3221%24LW373%130%1168%25FROM
Rows normalised: each row sums to 100% of that lane's completed passes. Grey number = passes from that lane.

Primary route: the right wing in the final third → the right half-space in the final third — 17 progressive passes (15% of his progression) at 0.074 xT each. He moves it inside.

His progression is inward: 58% of progressive passes move the ball toward the middle versus 9% going wider — he cuts in rather than holding width.

Only 8% of his passes switch play, so his threat is same-side — contain the flank he occupies and the route closes.

Quality behind the volume: 48 line-breaking passes and 117 final-third entries, 12.9 total xT added.

Origin and destination are measured on the same event row — no receiver inference. Receiver identity is not recoverable from this data source.
All passes — origin zone share
Filter: from to
1%8%13%12%11%3%1%10%12%11%4%1%0%3%3%4%2%0%
completedincomplete1224 passes · any zone → any zone · own goal left, attacking →
1224
passes
82%
completed
216
lost
Vision AIIn line with his 82% season completion rate.
02

How does he progress play?

How much he drives the ball forward. Progressive = completed pass advancing ≥15 toward goal.

99
progressive · 3.5/90
117
final-third entries · 4.2/90
18
box entries · 0.64/90
16
progression index /90
Progression index: one composite number — progressive passes + progressive carries + 2% of total distance progressed + 8× positive xT added, all per 90. Weights VOLUME and THREAT together rather than counting progressive actions alone.
12

How does he create chances?

23 key passes (0.82/90), 0 of them assists — where his chance creation specifically comes from, 18 zones (6×3), showing his share of key passes originating there.

Chance creation — key pass origin zone share
Filter:
9%17%43%13%4%4%4%4%
chance creation (23)assist (0)% of the selected group's key passes originating in each zone
14

Can he finish?

27 shots · 3.59 xG · 3 goals (-0.59 vs xG). Mostly right-footed. Circle size = xG.

shots  27
on target  13
goals  3
xG  3.59
xG on target  2.32
xG / shot  0.133
Where he shoots from — click an area of the box
06

Where does he become vulnerable?

231 times he gave the ball away. For a defender the danger is where — a loss in his own third can turn into a chance against; higher up it costs little.

69
attacking third (cheap)
95
middle third
67
own third (dangerous)
Vision AI 30% of losses are in the attacking third — a notable share happen deeper, which invites transitions.
Mistake danger (proxy): 3.11 danger-index/90 · 0.379 avg/turnover. Weights each loss by threat conceded at that location. True xT-conceded needs the opponent possession model; positional proxy.
07

What is his passing profile?

1224
passes attempted
42%
mostly forward
57%
mostly short
Direction
Forward
519 · 42%
Sideways
412 · 34%
Backward
293 · 24%
Length (completed)
Short (<15m)
575 · 57%
Medium
376 · 37%
Long (>30m)
57 · 6%
05

Preferred Progression Routes — xT-weighted

His progressive passes as zone→zone routes, weighted by expected threat (xT) added — arrow width and the number are the total xT generated on each route, not just how often he plays it. This is where he actually moves the needle.

1.820.740.690.490.450.44
own goal left, attacking →
Highest-value routes (xT)
1.82
Right Half-Space Mid third → Right Half-Space Att third
6 passes
0.74
Central Mid third → Central Mid third
7 passes
0.69
Right Half-Space Mid third → Right Wing Att third
7 passes
0.49
Right Half-Space Mid third → Right Half-Space Mid third
6 passes
0.45
Central Mid third → Right Half-Space Att third
3 passes
0.44
Right Half-Space Mid third → Central Att third
2 passes
09

Where Does He Receive?

The zones where Santi Comesaña gets on the ball — his top three ball-collection areas highlighted (gold = primary). Reception is proxied by where his on-ball actions begin (no explicit receiver is recorded).

123
1 = primary, 2 = secondary, 3 = third · own goal left, attacking →
His collection zones
20%
Primary
Right Half-Space, Middle third
18%
Secondary
Central, Middle third
10%
Third
Right Wing, Middle third
These are the zones where he collected the ball most.
10

Where Does He Operate? — Every Zone

Every on-ball touch (pass, dribble, shot) binned into a 6×3 grid — raw counts of where Santi Comesaña actually gets on the ball. Hover any zone for its breakdown by action type, its share of all touches, and the exact coordinate range it covers.

Filter:
53732473251811915313254301510416115613839
own goal left, attacking → · brighter + higher number = more touches

Passes only — completed vs incomplete, by zone

Same zone grid, restricted to passes so completed/incomplete and match filters actually mean something — a shot or a dribble has no "completed" in the pass sense.

1%8%13%12%11%3%1%10%12%11%4%1%0%3%3%4%2%0%
own goal left, attacking →
08

Every Pass This Season — completed vs incomplete

Every pass this season, plotted individually — green = completed, grey (dashed) = incomplete, gold = key pass. Filter by outcome or isolate one match below.

23Key pass
7Cross
12Cutback
99Progressive
84Long ball
42Switch
By zone — where the pass started → where it landed
121Outside → Inside
593Inside → Inside
125Outside → Outside
169Inside → Outside
By direction
519Forward
293Backward
412Sideways
own goal left, attacking →
04

Tactical patterns — how his football actually looks

Three clustered sequence diagrams from his own event data — his three busiest routes: the way he progresses, the pattern behind his chances, and where a turnover turns dangerous.

own goal left, attacking →
How does he progress the ball forward?
His most common route for progressing play: he plays straight through the right hs, advancing it forward in the middle third — 6 passes worth 1.82 xT.
Where do his chances come from?
Of 23 key passes, his busiest route is a delivery where he plays inside from the right hs toward the central in the final third — 5 times. The receiver isn't identifiable in this data, only where the pass started and ended.
Where does he lose the ball most?
This is a RATE, not a raw count — the share of his touches in each zone that end in a turnover, so a zone he simply plays in more often doesn't automatically look riskier. His weakest zone is the right half-space in the final third: 35% of his 81 touches there are lost (28 times).
33%14/43 lost18%15/83 lost22%23/106 lost20%8/40 lost21%3/14 lost15%17/114 lost14%33/243 lost11%24/221 lost14%10/69 lost23%6/26 lost16%16/99 lost35%28/81 lost25%13/52 lost16%4/25 lost25%2/8 lostRWRHSCLHSLWDEFMIDATT
13

Crosses & Cutbacks

7 crosses (0.25/90, 2 completed) and 12 cutbacks (0.43/90, 6 completed) — two separate wide-delivery patterns into the box, each its own map with a completed/failed filter. Neither is a tagged event, so both are inferred from pass geometry — the intended end point of a failed attempt is still real data (an interception doesn’t erase where the ball was aimed): a cross is a pass aimed into the box starting from a wide channel; a cutback starts almost on the byline but is squared back rather than driven forward, aimed centrally around the box. The completed-cross count was checked against this platform’s own real match-level cross totals and lands within about 1 cross of the true count.

Crosses — close-up on the final third
Cutbacks — close-up on the final third
completedfailed (dashed)close-up on the box — attacking ↑ toward goal
Out of possession

Out of possession

Where and how he defends and presses.

15

How & where does he defend?

383 defensive actions across the season (13.6/90). Where he wins the ball, and how — the core question for a defender. Aerial duels are not recorded for this competition, so aerial dominance is not measured here.

click a card to isolate that action type · own goal left, attacking →
46
tackles · 52% won
29
interceptions · 1.0/90
133
recoveries · 4.7/90
57
clearances · 2.0/90
25
blocks
36
avg action height
54
won high (att 3rd)
124
middle third
205
own third
Vision AI A mid-block defender. He wins the ball mainly by stepping in — tackles, interceptions & recoveries outweigh clearances. 208 proactive ball-wins (7.4/90), tackle success 52%. He defends mostly around the middle third.
16

Can he play under pressure?

Split by how hard the opponent pressed (opponent PPDA — lower = more intense press). Can Santi Comesaña still play out when the opponent presses high? His build-up quality split by press intensity — the key question for a ball-playing defender. Tiers of ~11-12 matches — directional evidence, not proof.

press tier
completion
prog /90
line-breaks /90
xT /90
High press (PPDA 4.2, 11m)
79%
3.4
2.4
0.84
Mid press (PPDA 5.6, 11m)
83%
3.7
3.3
1.00
Low press (PPDA 9.6, 12m)
84%
3.5
3.5
1.03
Team

Team context

How much of the team runs through him, and what changes without him.

17

Impact on the Team

Villarreal's output per match with Santi Comesaña (34 matches) versus without him (4 matches). Insufficient evidence — the without-sample is only 4 matches; treat every Δ below as noise until more games exist. What his own defending should move — goals conceded and results — leads; attacking output (largely out of a defender's hands) is shown after, for context. A proper on-off model needs many more minutes.

WITH (34)
WITHOUT (4)
Δ
goals against /match
1.24
1.00
+0.24
points /match
1.91
1.75
+0.16
goals for /match
1.91
1.75
+0.16
xG for /match
1.49
0.38
+1.11
18

His Share of the Team

Of everything Villarreal produced this season, the categories where the biggest share ran through Santi Comesaña specifically — his share of the team total, not a per-90 rate.

category
share
him / team
interceptions
8%
39 / 459
zone-14 entries
8%
39 / 490
final-third entries
7%
175 / 2435
Recruitment

Style and verdict

Style profile, closest comparables, and the summary.

20

Playing-Style Profile

Not raw event counts — football style scores: weighted models scored 0–100 against the 260 defensive mids in the pool (min 450 min). This is what separates players who post similar numbers but play differently. Proxy dimensions are inferred from on-ball data; true off-ball running / under-pressure context is not measured.

Deep-lying playmaker50%Tempo controller42%Ball-winning 641%
Why Deep-lying playmaker 50%: a weighted blend of progression 80 (weight 30%) + build-up 44 (weight 30%) + press resistance 39 (weight 20%) + retention 37 (weight 20%). The score reflects how distinctively his profile SHAPE matches this archetype vs his peers.
Elite
line-breaking, through-balls, box threat
Strong
crossing, progression, receiving zones, creativity, final-third threat, territory (wide vs central)
Average
carrying, transition, passing directness, build-up, dribbling, defensive aggression
Weak
ball-winning, press resistance, retention
Unknown
aerial ability, marking, off-ball running — not in event data
Line-breaking
93
Through-balls ~proxy
86
Box threat
85
Crossing
84
Progression
80
Receiving zones
80
Creativity
75
Final-third threat
74
Territory (wide vs central)
70
Carrying
51
Transition ~proxy
50
Passing directness
44
Build-up
44
Dribbling
42
Defensive aggression
41
Ball-winning
40
Press resistance ~proxy
39
Retention
37
21

Similar Players — in style space

Closest comparables measured on the style scores above, within the same position family — so it separates how players are alike, not just how much they touch the ball. Each line explains the shared strength and the divergent mechanism. A light physical-profile term (height / weight; this player: 188 cm / 75 kg) is included at a quarter of one style axis's weight — enough to break ties between stylistic twins, not to override style. Scope: pooled across the La Liga, Bundesliga, Ligue 1, Premier League and Serie A, percentiled within each player's own league before comparing — a match from another league is marked with its league name.

Style, not quality: a high match here means two players tend to produce the ball in similar ways — it is not a ranking, a scouting recommendation, or a claim that they are equally good.

Matthieu Udol Lens · Ligue 1 · 178 cm / 79 kg
89%
Driven by: box threat (17%), crossing (15%), line-breaking (11%). Different mechanism — Comesaña more via receiving zones; Udol more via territory (wide vs central).
Przemyslaw Frankowski Rennes · Ligue 1 · 175 cm / 70 kg
81%
Driven by: line-breaking (16%), through-balls (12%), progression (12%). Different mechanism — Comesaña more via box threat, passing directness; Frankowski more via territory (wide vs central).
Vitaly Janelt Brentford · Premier League · 184 cm / 79 kg
81%
Driven by: crossing (23%), line-breaking (17%), through-balls (16%). Different mechanism — Comesaña more via box threat, receiving zones.
James Garner Everton · Premier League · 186 cm / 78 kg
81%
Driven by: line-breaking (17%), crossing (16%), through-balls (14%). Different mechanism — Comesaña more via receiving zones, box threat; Garner more via ball-winning.
Pape Gueye Villarreal · 189 cm / 79 kg
80%
Driven by: box threat (17%), crossing (13%), creativity (10%). Different mechanism — Comesaña more via territory (wide vs central); Gueye more via passing directness.
Carlos Dotor Malaga · 180 cm / 68 kg
77%
Driven by: line-breaking (15%), through-balls (14%), box threat (14%). Different mechanism — Comesaña more via passing directness; Dotor more via carrying, ball-winning.
22

Summary

Santi Comesaña is a deep-lying playmaker: 82% completion, 84 line-breaks and 3.5 progressive passes /90, resisting pressure with 42% dribble success. A central controller. [Off-ball screening position and scanning need tracking data.]

Based on 34 matches (2536 minutes) this season — a reliable read. He profiles as a deep-lying playmaker — best used in a system built around that identity. His biggest room for growth is retention — even a modest improvement there would meaningfully lift his overall deep-lying playmaker profile.
✨ This report is interactive

Click any stat card to filter its map, hover a dot for the exact match, and use the dropdowns to slice passes zone-to-zone. Nothing here is static.

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