Differentiating the Top English Premier League Football Clubs from the Rest of the Pack: Identifying the Keys to Success

Abstract

This paper develops a robust, statistically significant, six independent variable multiple regression model that accounts for the relative success of English Premier League football clubs based on an array of twenty-four pitch actions collected during the 2007-2008 season (p<0.0000). Additionally, one-way ANOVA is used to identify those specific pitch actions that statistically separate the top 4 clubs from (1) the dozen clubs forming the middle of the pack and, (2) by a greater contrast, the bottom 4 clubs. Thirteen pitch actions yield statistically significant differences among these three tiers of clubs using this second method of analysis.

Attacking and defensive styles of play in soccer: analysis of Spanish and English elite teams

“…Previously, a direct style was described as being more advantageous than the possession style (Bate, 1988;Garganta et al, 1997). However, Hughes and Franks (2005) Oberstone, 2009;Pollard, Ensum, & Taylor, 2004), however increases in scoring efficiency are not reported consistently (Flynn, 2001). Crossing can also be a risk due to the possibility of losing the ball and produce a counter-attacking opportunity for opponents.…”

Tier-specific evolution of match performance characteristics in the English Premier League: it’s getting tougher at the top

“…Attributing these findings to any single factor is difficult but they could be related to the style of play/tactical system utilised by Tier B teams as these impact physical performances (Bradley et al, 2011; or possibly the recruitment of players with more explosive characteristics. Given the sub-maximal nature of soccer, whereby players work well within their physical capacity (Paul, Bradley & Nassis, 2015), the increase in physical performance of Tier B clubs could be related to added incentives to push for a top four position given the financial rewards now afforded to Tier A (Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance, 2013;Oberstone, 2009). Finally, previous research has proposed an association between volume of sprinting in match play and hamstring injury risk (Small, McNaughton, Greig, Lohkamp, & Lovell, 2009).…”

“…Understanding how patterns of game play have evolved for sub-groups within the league may be useful to inform modifications in physical, technical and tactical preparation of players (Barnes et al, 2014;Norton et al, 1999). Moreover, as the EPL generates revenue in excess of £2-3 billion per season (Deloitte Annual Review of Football Finance, 2013), lower ranked teams will ultimately miss out on sizable financial revenue that could impact on player recruitment and infrastructural development (Oberstone, 2009). Conversely, the rewards of finishing in the top rankings include eligibility to compete in European competition such as the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and Europa League (EL) which can bring both financial and sporting success to clubs enabling further development.…”

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

“…Prior studies compared performances of different levels of team from Spanish First Division (Lago-Peñas et al, 2010), English Premier League (Oberstone, 2009) and Greek Football First League (Armatas et al, 2009) and found that variables related to goal scoring, passing and attacking differentiate due to the strength of team. While the variation of possession strategies (Lago, 2009), aerial challenges, dribbles, and passes (Taylor et al, 2008) was found to be associated with the strength of the opponent.…”