Stoop, R.C.T. (Rick) (2019) Unravelling offensive success in soccer: Analyzing the dynamics of passing options by time-to-intercept modelling. thesis, Sport Sciences.
Full text available on request.Abstract
Large tracking and event datasets of official matches in soccer provide sport scientists, data analysts and researchers with data for advanced spatial-temporal tactical analysis. In soccer, passing can be seen as a fundamental performance indicator. However, the main focus of previous research in passing was primarily on notational or spatial parameters solely, whereas the combination was studied to a lesser extent. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to see if forward passing options, pass difficulty and pass quality related to team success in soccer. In total, this study included 21 official matches of one professional soccer team during an entire season of the Dutch Eredivisie. By using a time-to-intercept model forward pass options, pass difficulty and pass quality were calculated as independent variables, whereas score-box penetrations, goal scoring and winning were included as measures of success. The results showed that the proposed model was able to predict 71% of all received passes in the dataset with 47% of the passes being received in the dominant direction of play. Besides, mean forward options per pass was the only variable relating to success, i.e. score-box penetrations (r = .267; p = .044), and hinted towards a relation with goal scoring (r = .253; p = .053). An additional result was the negative relation between passing difficulty and passing quality for losing teams (r = .686; p < .001). Interestingly, this relation was not apparent in winning teams (r = .228; p = .320) resulting in a significant difference between winning and losing teams (z = -1.82; p = .034). So, it seemed that creating more forward passing options can influence success in a team sport like soccer and additionally there seemed to be a difference in the trade-off for pass difficulty and pass quality. Altogether, this new approach for passing analysis on macro level showed a promising trend and application for analyzing success in soccer. Additionally, the proposed model could be improved while also extending the analysis more on a meso or micro level. Furthermore, focusing on different pitch areas and pass sequences preceding (un)successful match events could substantially contribute to future research as well.
| Item Type: | Thesis (UNSPECIFIED) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Lemmink, prof. dr. K.A.P.M. and Goes, F.R. and Frencken, dr. W.G.P. |
| Faculty: | Medical Sciences |
| Date Deposited: | 24 May 2022 09:53 |
| Last Modified: | 24 May 2022 09:53 |
| URI: | https://umcg.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/3430 |
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