When vision is talked about in football it is often done so in an offensive context. However, defensive vision is as much as an art even if it's not as commonly discussed and harder to evaluate. Irene Guerrero is a defensive maestra with incredible vision when her team is out of possession. The Spanish international plays a deep midfield role for Levante in the Primera Iberdrola. In this post I will discuss what contributes to her fantastic defensive numbers as well as her ability when she is on the ball.
Irene's defensive statistics stand out, especially when compared to others in the league. This can be seen in her Statsbomb radar.
The numbers that stand out are her adjusted tackles, pressures, and pressure regains. This means that when she puts pressure on opposition players, there is a high chance that she is going to come away with the ball. Despite these great numbers, I had a feeling that there were parts of her defensive game that did not make it into her stats because defensive actions are harder to capture than offensive actions.
Excerpt taken from Soccernomics.
After reviewing some of her games I saw a couple of areas that would not show up on the stats radar: reading defensive situations, cutting off passing lanes, and passing opportunities that are created from her successful challenges and pressures.
Cutting off the passing lanes allows Irene to limit the opposition's options and make play predictable for herself and her teammates. In the clip below, she made play predictable for her teammates.
Video taken from Ata Football.
Making play predictable for herself allows her to pressure and challenge because she has eliminated the other options. As I mentioned at the beginning of the post, vision is often talked about in an offensive context. Players checking their shoulders is another area that's usually discussed in an offensive context. However, it can be just as important for players to check their shoulders in defensive moments. Irene does it frequently. This can be seen in the clip below.
Video taken from Ata Football.
Her ability to read defensive situation won't show up in the stats, but it allows her perform actions that will. Below, she stepped out of her usual midfield area to challenge the driving Real Madrid forward out wide.
Video taken from Ata Football.
In the following example, she combines the ability to read defensive situations with cutting off passing lanes to make play more predictable.
Video taken from Teledeporte.
The third area that won't show up in her stats are the offensive opportunities that open up due to her successful regains in possession. Teams can be most vulnerable right after losing possession because they are set up in an offensive shape (which is usually more expansive) and players are out of position from trying to keep the offensive move alive. This can be seen in the clip below.
Video taken from Ata Football.
Whenever her teammates are also able to read which space to exploit, it can generate good offensive moves as it did in the example below.
Video taken from Teledeporte.
In the situation in the next clip, Real Madrid weren't really out of shape, but the possession that Irene won created a diversion that distracted from her teammate's run.
Video taken from Ata Football.
Irene's xG Assisted stats also stand out. There are times when she is able to use her defensive prowess and turn it into a dangerous offensive action. She did it multiple times in the Copa de la Reina match against Atleti.
Video taken from Teledeporte.
Video taken from Teledeporte.
Irene also has great passing ability and range, and can create opportunities even if they don't come from defensive actions.
Video taken from Teledeporte.
While she is a defensive stalwart, Irene is also great when her team is in possession. As previously mentioned, her passing ability is her biggest asset when her team has the ball, and she can be accurate over long distances.
Video taken from Ata Football.
She is also good at reading where to position herself so that she can receive the ball and keep the offensive moving. This can be seen in the following clips.
Video taken from Ata Football.
Video taken from Ata Football.
Irene is a fantastic player with a distinguished defensive skillset. She is fun to watch, and I would hope that her defensive vision is valued and recognized as much as those lauded for their offensive vision.