The term video analysis is relatively new in the hallowed halls of CA Osasuna. It was only three years ago that the club came to realise the need for creating its own analysis structure. This realisation came after seeing the work of then manager Diego Martínez who had a dedicated analyst in his coaching team, Álvaro García.

Martínez left to take up the head coach position at Granada FC, taking García with him and leaving a gaping hole at the club. Subsequently, it was decided by the clubs directors that the role of video analysis would be important in the development of football at Osasuna.

To this end, the post was filled by Rubén Berrogui who continues providing video analysis support to new manager Jagoba Arrasate to this day. And it is Berrogui himself who talks us through the role of analysis at the club for this article.

An Analyst for Each Coaching Team

The envisioned analysis project at Osasuna wasn’t limited to only the first team but for the entire club. So, at the same time, the Department of Football Development was also created. This project brought investment in the form of equipment and infrastructure to the club with video cameras for the filming of training sessions and a dedicated office for the analysts to work from.

Within three years, Osasuna has gone from investing in camcorders to having fixed cameras in all their training facilities and larger offices to accommodate the growing team of  5 analysts, one for the first team, one for the B team, one for the women’s team and two for each of the junior teams at the club.

“The idea is to have an analyst incorporated into each team as part of the coaching staff,” explains Rubén Berrogui. “By doing this, we can make the figure of the analyst as common as that of the physical trainer or the goalkeeping coach.”

And this project is still in development. The intention of Osasuna is to have a specific analyst for every team at the club, including all the junior sides. Although the COVID-19 crisis has slowed down the implementation of this plan, the club hopes that their greatest evolution in terms of resources will occur precisely at these developmental stages, something that is considered key at CA Osasuna. 

Analysis Methodology

Rubén Berrogui himself is the person responsible for first-team analysis. He reveals that the busiest days of the week for him are Monday and Tuesday as these are the days when the post-match analysis and the opposition analysis for the upcoming match are presented. On Monday afternoon, the entire coaching staff study these reports and base the coaching plan for the week around them.

The coaching staff, led by Jagoba Arraste value situational analysis and, accordingly, Berrogui will direct his analysis work based on certain scenarios. This is especially true for opposition analysis and if, for example, the next match is to be played away from home, Berrogui will concentrate on matches where his opponent played at their own stadium.

“The number of matches analysed depends entirely on the opposition,” says Berrogui. “Some have very defined patterns and, with two or three games you can get an idea of what they are about. Having said this, four or five matches is more common and we’re always looking at matches where they have played against teams with a similar set up to ours.” 

Berrogui also reveals that he often carries out real-time analysis, although this data is not usually shared with the coaching staff during a match.

The Analysis of Training Sessions

Despite only having one analyst per team, the work is not limited to only match and opposition analysis. At CA Osasuna, every training session is also analysed.

Every training exercise has a predefined nomenclature, meaning that at the end of each session, the coaching staff have quick and easy access to the video analysis database which is most relevant to them.

Again, this methodology, which was planned and executed by the analysis department, is extended to each team at the club which has an assigned analyst.

The Training of New Analysts

One of the key features of the analysis department at CA Osasuna lies in the development of new analysts who join the club. They all go through the same learning process. Whether it be in the use of specific software such as Nacsport or methodology of match analysis itself, everyone is singing from the same hymn sheet with the same established guidelines.

Although the project is only halfway to being complete, Osasuna are clear about their commitment to video analysis in player development, both at the professional and junior levels.

For now, the foundations have been laid and, in a couple of years, it would not surprise us if Osasuna becomes a shining example in the use of video analysis.

In the meantime, we’d like to thank CA Osasuna and Rubén Berrogui for giving us this behind the scenes peak at their analysis work and we look forward to working with you on this project for many years to come.