Football has always been more than just a game. It has given people a chance to rise out of difficult situations and make a name for themselves. Out of those, a player with one of the most inspiring stories is Osasuna forward Ezequiel Avila.
Born in Argentina, Avila had to face a tough childhood. But as the saying goes, what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger. After coming up through the ranks of San Lorenzo and Huesca, Avila was spotted by Osasuna. Avila, with six goals and one assist in the current season, is now one of Osasuna’s most important players and is currently drawing interest from Premier League clubs as well. The 28-year-old’s journey from the streets of Rosario to becoming one of the best talents in La Liga is nothing short of an inspiration. We look at his stats to understand his style of play and why Premier League clubs are interested in him.
Ezequiel Avila is a regular starter for Osasuna and has made 13 appearances this season, bar one, which he had to sit out due to a red-card suspension. He has scored six times and assisted once in La Liga.
The above visual shows the percentile rank of Ezequiel Avila compared to other centre-forwards in La Liga. Avila is ranked in the top 88.6 percentile for shots per game and is a constant threat in front of the goal. He is also ranked in the top 69.8 percentile in goal contributions per game and the top 52.8 percentile for dribbles per game, both of which are above average. Avila has good passing stats and is ranked in the top 75.4 percentile for passes per game and the top 71.65 percentile for dangerous passes per game. Another area where Ezequiel Avila does well is in duels. He is ranked in the top 79.2 percentile for defensive duels won and the top 84.9 percentile for aerial duels won.
Ezequiel Avila can play both as a striker and as a winger. When he plays as a winger, he uses his dribbling and skills to go past players and whip crosses into the box. Avila takes part in around 8.58 offensive duels per game, winning 46.4% of them. The above visual, which shows the actions of Avila as a winger, tells us that he plays a lot of crosses into the box. Avila consistently threatens the goalpost and creates scoring opportunities, averaging 3.47 crosses per game with a 47.1% success rate. Sometimes, Avila decides to dribble into the box and enjoys an average of 2.25 touches in the penalty area.
The above visual shows the penetrating carries made by Ezequiel Avila in the current La Liga season. He has made 36 penetrating carries with an average of 2.55 dribbles per game. Out of these dribbles, he has succeeded in 60% of them. This figure has come down a bit from last year’s 2.74 dribbles per game, which seems negligible but is significant in the context of a whole season.
Ezequiel Avila has scored six goals this season in La Liga, with four from open play and two from the spot. He has attempted 27 shots, with 14 going on target. He had an xG rate of 1.81, which he has exceeded comfortably. Avila has taken 3.06 shots per game with an accuracy of 53.3%.
Compared to last season, Avila is doing well. He has already equaled his goal tally from last season and has looked sharp in front of the goal. His shots per game have gone from 2.83 shots per game last season to 3.06 shots this season. His shooting accuracy has also seen a massive improvement from a mere 25.3% last season to 53.3% this season. He had tried 62 shots the previous season and had an xG rate of 3.97.
The above visual compares the radars of Ezequiel Avila and Ferran Torres. Both players are versatile and capable of playing both as a striker and as a winger. We can observe from the visual that Ferran Torres has better attacking stats and Avila has better defensive stats. Torres leads in shots, dribbles, and goal contributions, while Avila does better in duels and positioning. Passing stats are somewhat evenly distributed, with Torres having the better stats in passing accuracy and received passes and Avila having the better stats in dangerous and progressive passes per game.
Ezequiel Avila has been a bright spark for Osasuna ever since he joined them in 2019. He has scored 21 goals for them in La Liga and is always capable of posing a threat. The Argentine forward is on fire this season and is showing great signs of having the best season for Osasuna. He will be hoping to continue his form as they take on Real Sociedad on Saturday.
Visuals via TFA data viz engine
