Exploring the determinants of success in different clusters of ball possession sequences in soccer

Abstract

The purpose of this study was two-step: classify ball possession (BP) according to the duration and number of passes; identify which tactical variables most discriminate the different BP. We obtained 527 BPs from four official matches of the Brazilian Soccer Championship 2016. Forty-one 'notational', 'space occupation', and 'displacement synchronization' predictor variables were used.The BPs were classified into three groups: short (11.07 ± 4.49s, 1.93 ± 0.99 passes), medium (26.83 ± 7.33s, 5.41 ± 1.84 passes), long (55.50 ± 14.97s, 12.11 ± 4.61 passes). Discriminant analysis identified the five most relevant variables to describe each group: coefficient of variation (CV) of the defensive team's synchronization-Y, CV defensive team´s synchronization-X, successful pass last third, CV distance between offensive team's centroid and target, mean of the offensive team's width. The approach highlights important variables and could benefit the description of offensive and defensive game sequences to provide precise knowledge on the process.

Identification of Explanatory Variables in Possession of the Ball in High-Performance Women’s Football

“…One of the most important and most studied performance indicators in the scientific literature in male soccer has been ball possession [ 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20 , 21 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 ]. Analyzing all these studies and their relationship with possession shows that there is not yet a scientific consensus that allows to establish robust recommendations for men’s football teams.…”

“…We still do not have conclusive data on whether possession is necessary to achieve victory, or something not related to success. Currently, ball possession is considered a complex phenomenon [ 26 ], and for this reason there is still more literature needed in this field. There are many variables that have been related to this performance indicator, from the many championships that have been studied.…”

The technique of using balls of different weights and diameters for the interrelated development of physical qualities, accuracy of strikes and psychophysiological capabilities of young football players

“…The positive influence of the complex methodology for the development of physical qualities and accuracy of strikes among young football players is also shown in studies [4,5,6]. Peker, Böge, Bailey, Wagman, Stoffregen [4] showed that with an increase in the level of preparedness, the strength and accuracy of strikes in football increase.…”

“…To determine the performance of structured training, identify relationships between indicators of physiological function and performance of physical and technical preparedness correlation analysis was conducted performance testing of athletes control Health, sport, rehabilitation Здоров'я, спорт, реабілітація Здоровье, спорт, реабилитация 7(1) and experimental groups before and after the experiment (Table. [5][6][7][8]. Prior to the experiment, the number of reliable relationships between psychophysiological indicators and indicators of physical and technical preparedness in both the control and experimental groups was 5-6 interconnections (Table 5, 6).…”

“…Merlin, Cunha, Moura, Torres, Gonçalves, Sampaio [5] classified ball possession by duration and number of passes and determined which tactical actions most reflect differences in ball passing in football. The authors found that the accuracy and range of ball passing depends on the tactical interactions used by the players.…”