La influencia de los resultados iniciales en la clasificación final de los equipos en el fútbol de alto nivel

The aim of this paper is twofold; first, to investigate the relationship between team results in the first weeks of a competition and team results at the end of the season, and second, to analyse whether this relationship differs according to the teams' budgets. The sample consisted of the results of the Spanish Football League during the 2002-2003 to 2006-2007 seasons. The dependent variable is the performance achieved by the teams in the first five matches of the competition. The conclusions of this study are as follows: first, the team results in the first five weeks of competition have an important impact on the final results at the end of the season for the teams with the lowest budgets and second, this relationship is not significant in teams with the highest budgets

El rendiment al futbol. Una modelització de les variables determinants per al FC barcelona

L’objectiu d’aquest treball és explicar les variables que determinen el rendiment que assoleix el FC Barcelona al llarg d’un partit de futbol. Per fer-ho, s’han analitzat els 38 partits disputats pel FC Barcelona a la Primera Divisió de la Lliga Espanyola de Futbol de la temporada 2004-2005. La variable que mesura el rendiment és la diferència entre els llançaments a favor i els llançaments en contra en cada partit. Les variables explicatives que es fan servir són: jugar a casa o a fora, possessió de la pilota, arribades a l’àrea i equip rival com a determinants del rendiment. Els resultats de les anàlisis de regressió lineal permeten d’explicar el 68 % de la variància del rendiment. El segon objectiu és valorar l’homogeneïtat del model anterior en funció de l’Episodi de Joc que caracteritza el partit en cada moment, és a dir, si el FC Barcelona té la iniciativa o és a l’expectativa en el joc. Els resultats indiquen que quan el FC Barcelona té la iniciativa en el partit té un rendiment millor que no pas quan es troba a l’expectativa i que les variables explicatives analitzades tenen diferent importància sota aquests escenaris de competició

El rendimiento en el fútbol. Una modelización de las variables determinantes para el F.C. Barcelona

El objetivo del presente trabajo es explicar las variables que determinan el rendimiento que alcanza el F.C. Barcelona a lo largo de un partido de fútbol. Para ello se han analizado los 38 partidos disputados por el F.C. Barcelona en la Primera División de la Liga Española de Fútbol de la temporada 2004-2005. La variable que mide el rendimiento es la diferencia entre los lanzamientos a favor y los lanzamientos en contra en cada partido. Las variables explicativas que se manejan son: jugar en casa o fuera, posesión del balón, llegadas al área y equipo rival como determinantes del rendimiento. Los resultados de los análisis de regresión lineal permiten explicar el 68 % de la varianza del rendimiento. El segundo objetivo es valorar la homogeneidad del modelo anterior dependiendo del Episodio de Juego que caracteriza al partido en cada momento, esto es, si el F.C. Barcelona tiene la iniciativa o está a la expectativa en el juego. Los resultados indican que cuando el F.C. Barcelona tiene la iniciativa en el partido tiene un rendimiento mejor que cuando se encuentra a la expectativa y que las variables explicativas analizadas tienen diferente importancia bajo estos escenarios de competición

La influencia de la posesión del balón en el rendimiento físico en el fútbol profesional. Una revisión sistemática

The aim of this systematic review was to provide a summary of empirical research on collective tactical behaviours in football, with a particular focus on organising the methods used and their key fndings. A systematic search of relevant English-language articles was performed on one database (Web of Science Core Collection) and one search engine (PubMed), based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. The keywords ‘football’ and ‘soccer’ were each paired with all possible combinations of the following keywords: “possession of the ball”, “possession” “physical activity” and “physical performance”. Empirical studies that were related to physcial performance and possession of the ball were sought for inclusion and analysis. Full-text articles of 2a studies were reviewed. Globally, having either a high (51–66%) or low (34–50%) percentage of ball possession results in trivial differences in match-running. There were significant difference in the distance covered by players distance covered by players when the team is in possession compared to out of possession. There is not a clear association between success and the distance covered by players. El objetivo de esta revisión sistemática ha sido analizar la influencia de la posesión del balón en el rendimiento físico de los equipos y los jugadores en el fútbol masculino de elite. Se realizó una búsqueda sistemática de artículos relevantes en inglés en una base de datos (Web of Science Core Collection) y un motor de búsqueda (PubMed) siguendo el protocolo de PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses). Las palabras clave “association football” y “soccer” se relacionaron con los términos: “possession of the ball”, “possession” “physical activity” y “physical performance”. Se buscaron estudios empíricos relacionados con el rendimiento físico y la posesión del balón para su inclusión y análisis. Se revisó el texto completo de 21 estudios. Globalmente, tener un alto (51–66%) o bajo (34–50%) porcentaje de posesión del balón produce diferencias muy poco relevantes en las distancias recorridas por los jugadores. Tan sólo la distancia cubierta con y sin la posesión del balón es significativamente diferente. Además, no está claro que correr más o menos pueda asociarse con un incremento de las probabilidades de ganar o perder.&nbsp

Influence of Red and Yellow cards on team performance in elite soccer

Acord transformatiu CRUE-CSICOpen Access Funding provided by Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. This work was partially funded by the grants RTI2018-096072-B-I00 and PID2019-104830RB-I00/AEI DOI:10.13039/501100011033 from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, and the Severo Ochoa and María de Maeztu Program for Centers and Units of Excellence in R &D (CEX2020-001084-M) from the Spanish Research Agency.The aim of the current study is to analyze the effects of red and yellow cards on the scoring rate in elite soccer. The sample was composed of 1826 matches in the top five European leagues. All events were structured in 5-min intervals and were analyzed by means of a Generalized Linear Mixed Model with Poisson distribution, considering the presence of correlated data, where the dependent variable is represented by scoring rate. Team strength and home advantage were considered implicitly by means of a transformation of the betting odds for each game. The model also took into account the goal difference and time evolution. Overall, we found that after a sending off, each team's scoring rate changes significantly, damaging the penalised team and favouring its opponent. When the player who is sent off belongs to the Away team, the impact of a red card is more or less maintained over time intervals. The red card effect, on the other hand, tends to fade over time when the affected team is stronger. The relative difference in scoring rates is also affected by the goal difference and the difference in booked players, being slightly lower for the team going ahead if it has more booked players. Our approach allows estimating the expected cumulative soring rate through time for various red card scenarios. Particularly if a red card is given with 30 min of remaining time, the expected impact is 0.39 goals if the guilty player is on the visiting team and 0.50 if he plays for the home team. Coaches and analysts could use this information to establish objectives for players and teams in training and matches and to be prepared for these very different scenarios of numerical superiority or inferiority

The ball recovery as an action related performance indicator in Football: An example using distinct operational definitions

The aim of the study was to demonstrate the impact of different operational definitions (definition 1 – Amisco; definition 2 – Garganta, 1997; definition 3 – Garganta, 1997, adapted) over the frequency and location of ball recovery, and provide bases to select the most useful definition to an intended analysis. The sample is the first half of twelve matches from the Spanish soccer league. Matches were registered using AMISCO®.  Data were examined using Cochran’s Q test and Kruskal-Wallis test.  Results showed that the frequency and location of ball recovery differ depending on the operational definition used. Definitions 1, 2 and 3 identified 909, 272 and 310 ball recoveries, respectively (p< 0.001 for all pairs of comparisons). The median distance from the goal to the location of ball recovery was, in meters, 40.0 (35.7) using definition 1, 32.2 (34.8) using definition 2 and 32.7 (34.3) when definition 3 was used (p<0.001 for comparisons between definition 1 and 2, and definition 1 and 3). The operational definitions impact in match analysis and consequently in the interpretation of the play. The criteria used should incorporate an instrumental selectivity that points to the purposes of the assessment. Concerning the frequency, definition 1 is the most glade, and definition 2 the most restrictive. Regarding the location, there were no significant differences between definition 2 and 3. Definition 2 allows to gain suitable and meaningful comparisons as previous studies has already based on it. Despite the differences, both definition 1 and 2 have a practical value. Ultimately, it is important to verify if the measurement instrument satisfies the logical intentions of the observational system

Performance profiles of football teams in the UEFA Champions League considering situational efficiency

Performance of football teams varies constantly due to the dynamic nature of this sport, whilst the typical performance and its spread can be represented by profiles combining different performance-related variables based on data from multiple matches. The current study aims to use a profiling technique to evaluate and compare match performance of football teams in the UEFA Champions League incorporating three situational variables (i.e. strength of team and opponent, match outcome and match location). Match statistics of 72 teams, 496 games across four seasons (2008-09 to 2012-13) of this competition were analysed. Sixteen performance-related events were included: shots, shots on target, shots from open play, shots from set piece, shots from counter attack, passes, pass accuracy (%), crosses, through balls, corners, dribbles, possession, aerial success (%), fouls, tackles, and yellow cards. Teams were classified into three levels of strength by a k-cluster analysis. Profiles of overall performance and profiles incorporating three situational variables for teams of all three levels of strength were set up by presenting the mean, standard deviation, median, lower and upper quartiles of the counts of each event to represent their typical performances and spreads. Means were compared by using one-way ANOVA and independent sample t test (for match location, home and away differences), and were plotted into the same radar charts after unifying all the event counts by standardised score. Established profiles can present straightforwardly typical performances of football teams of different levels playing in different situations, which could provide detailed references for coaches and analysts to evaluate performances of upcoming opposition and of their own

No sport for old players. A longitudinal study of aging effects on match performance in elite soccer

Financiado para publicación en acceso aberto: Universidade de Vigo/CISUGObjectives: This study aimed to examine the effects of age on match-related physical and technical–tactical performance in elite soccer players using a longitudinal design. Methods: Data were collected from 154 players who competed in the Spanish first division (LaLiga) between the 2012–13 and 2019–20 seasons. A total of 14,092 individual match observations were analyzed using a computerized tracking system (TRACAB, Chyronhego, New York, NY). The players were classified into five positional roles: central defenders (n = 37); external defenders (n = 44); central midfielders (n = 34); external midfielders (n = 22); and forwards (n=17). Results: The main results showed that (a) soccer players decreased by an average of 0.56% their total distance covered for each year that they got older. Similarly, the number of high-intensity efforts and distance covered at high-intensity running decreased by 1.80% and 1.42% per year, respectively; (b) players significantly increased their pass accuracy by an average of 0.25% each year that they got older; (c) the detrimental effect of age on total distance and high-intensity runningwas greater for external defenders, external midfielders, and forwards; and (d) the positive effect of age on pass accuracy was greater for central defenders and central midfielders. Conclusions: Elite soccer players with long-term careers were unable to maintain their match-related physical performance as they got older. However, players can annually improve their technical–tactical skills with increasing age as a possible compensation mechanism against physical performance declines related to aging

Impact of elite soccer coaching change on team performance according to coach- and club-related variables

A coaching change is an extreme, but frequently occurring phenomenon in elite soccer with its impact on team success debatable. The aim of the current study was twofold: (i) to compare team's performance when coached by new and old coaches; and (ii) to investigate the impact of a coaching change on team's performance according to coach- and club-related factors. All in-season coaching changes from the 2010-11 to 2017-18 seasons within the Spanish, French, English, German and Italian professional leagues were examined. Team performance was assessed as points awarded from match outcome over 1-20 matches prior to and following the coaching change. Four independent variables (coach's experience, team's budget, whether the coach had been an elite former player or not, and whether the coach was a novice or not) were included into linear regression modelling. The main results showed that team's short-term performance was improved significantly with a change to a new coach with this impact declining in the longer term (> 10 matches). Specifically, the number of points (1.15-1.32 vs. 0.37-1.03, p < 0.05) and the moving average of points (1.19-1.31 vs. 0.37-1.04, p < 0.05) awarded per match were significantly greater after the coaching change. Further, the winning effect due to the new coach was independent of coach-related factors such as coaching experience or the new coach being a former elite player. A critical organisational decision to change coaches may provide an essential stimulus for future team success in elite soccer