Identifying Soccer Players’ Playing Styles: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Identifying playing styles in football is highly valuable for achieving effective performance analysis. While there is extensive research on team styles, studies on individual player styles are still in their early stages. Thus, the aim of this systematic review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the existing literature on player styles and identify research areas required for further development, offering new directions for future research. Following the PRISMA guidelines for systematic reviews, we conducted a search using a specific strategy across four databases (PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and SPORTDiscus). Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to the initial search results, ultimately identifying twelve studies suitable for inclusion in this review. Through thematic analysis and qualitative evaluation of these studies, several key findings emerged: (a) a lack of a structured theoretical framework for player styles based on their positions within the team formation, (b) absence of studies investigating the influence of contextual variables on player styles, (c) methodological deficiencies observed in the reviewed studies, and (d) disparity in the objectives of sports science and data science studies. By identifying these gaps in the literature and presenting a structured framework for player styles (based on the compilation of all reported styles from the reviewed studies), this review aims to assist team stakeholders and provide guidance for future research endeavors.

Improved passing accuracy by using pair practice in adolescent soccer players

“…As passing accuracy increases, players will also increase their confidence in handling game situations. This can make them more successful in real competition (Plakias et al, 2023). The results of shortpassing training in pairs can positively impact players and teams in various aspects of the game of football.…”

Tactical Situations and Playing Styles as Key Performance Indicators in Soccer

“…Soccer is inherently a chaotic game, making success a multifactorial issue [ 1 , 2 ]. For this reason, performance analysis is a constantly evolving field [ 3 ], with performance analysts increasingly occupying positions within coaching staffs, and academic research in this area continuously expanding [ 4 , 5 ]. For performance analysts, the ability to accurately analyze and understand key performance indicators (KPIs) stands as a critical challenge.…”

Is crowd support important in professional football’s home advantage? A systematic review based on covid-19 effect<b></b>

“…In research, theoretical reviews occur when a topic has sufficient investigations. In football, such reviews have focused on injuries (Zech et al, 2022), fitness (Aquino et al, 2020), and skills/tactics (Falcés-Prieto, Marcos-Gutiérrez, & Martín-Barrero, 2021;Plakias et al, 2023) but not playing at home and COVID-19 across levels. A thorough investigation of the analysed leagues, research phases conducted, and outcomes obtained is essential for determining whether studies exhibit specific biases or can be generalised.…”