Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the efficacy of defensive play in elite football, to identify variables associated with the direct recovery of ball possession, and to propose a model for predicting the success of defensive transitions. We analyzed 804 transitions in the final stages of the Fedération Internationale Football Association (FIFA) World Cup 2010, and investigated the following variables using univariate, bivariate, and multivariate analyses: duration of defensive transition, possession loss zone, position of players at the start and end of the defensive transitions, defensive organization, general defensive approach, time of the match, position of defense, zone in which the offensive transition ends, match status, and outcome of the defensive transition. We found that the defensive transitions started most frequently in the middle offensive zone (48.9%), with an organized defense set-up (98.8%), and were unsuccessful on 57.2% of occasions. The bivariate analysis showed that the variable most strongly associated with direct recovery of the possession of the ball (p = 0.018) is the area in which the ball is lost, and the multivariate analysis showed that the duration of the defensive transition can be used as a performance indicator, with transitions lasting between 0 and 15 s associated with a higher likelihood of directly recovering the ball. This work has allowed us to identify a pattern of tactical-strategic behavior with major probabilities of success in the defensive transitions. These results will be able to be used by coaches to improve the performance of their teams in this type of situation in the game.
Highlights
Soccer is a sport characterized by constant, dynamic interactions between the members of two teams [1]; these interactions change continuously throughout the game, and when an action executed by a team is successful, the team will try to repeat it and the opposing team will try to modify its behavior to prevent this from happening
If the aim of a study is to produce results designed to improve defensive performance in competition soccer, the focus should be on defensive transitions, which are defined as a series of technical-tactical actions and strategies executed by a team after it has lost possession of the ball and while it is repositioning itself defensively and adopting a general defense strategy [10]
Most studies that have employed observational methodology to analyze performance in soccer have focused on attack situations [16], several studies, such as that by Martins [17], have shown that match status and the number of minutes played modify defensive play patterns and that position of defense lines in the defensive zone and defensive midfield and on the wings is the main defensive strategy used by teams
Summary
Soccer is a sport characterized by constant, dynamic interactions between the members of two teams [1]; these interactions change continuously throughout the game, and when an action executed by a team is successful, the team will try to repeat it and the opposing team will try to modify its behavior to prevent this from happening. If the aim of a study is to produce results designed to improve defensive performance in competition soccer, the focus should be on defensive transitions, which are defined as a series of technical-tactical actions and strategies executed by a team after it has lost possession of the ball and while it is repositioning itself defensively and adopting a general defense strategy [10]. The importance of these transitions for the course of play has been noted by several authors [10,11,12]. According to Casal [10] most balls are recovered by the defense line in the defensive midfield with an organized defense set-up
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