Efficiency of one-on-one play situations of Polish football players and their opponents during European Championships in relation to the playing area, current result and match

Abstract

Background and Study Aim. The aim of the study was to assess the effectiveness of players of the Polish national football team and their opponents in one-on-one situations (1-on-1) in 9 matches of the group stage of the three subsequent finals of the European Championships in the years 2008, 2012 and 2016.
 Material and methods. Audiovisual recordings of matches were analysed and game data were collected using the authors' original observation sheet. Activity, effectiveness and reliability of individual offensive and defensive actions were evaluated in terms of current match result, time elapsed and player position on the pitch. Efficiency of one-on-one play situations of 40 Polish players competing in group stages of Euro 2008-2012 was studied. The 20 of Polish National Team players taking part in this study were at the student’s age (19-24 y) during championships and 6 of them were currently students or got a scientific degree. 
 Results. The study reveals that, on average, players engage in 245 1-on-1 duels in a single match and that the best teams demonstrate almost 60% effectiveness in individual defensive actions. While the efficiency of 1-on-1 situations is the highest in the middle stage of both parts of the game and in the defensive zone, it decreases with the lapse of time and in relation with the shift of action towards the opponent's goal.
 Conlusions. Efficiency in 1-on-1 play determines success in competition and high reliability of individual defensive actions at the level close to 60% is the key differentiator of the winners' style of play.