The Influence of Pass Length and Height in Europe's Top 5 Leagues in Men's Football

Abstract

Aims: The goal is to investigate how the length and height of passes impact a team's performance in national championships. A predictive model will be developed to analyse the success of different pass characteristics, including short, medium, and long length and ground, low, and high height. The model will be based on the points earned and will determine which combination of pass characteristics is most effective. Background: Passing is a critical aspect of technical skill for any football team. It involves transferring the ball from one player to another. Using a multiple linear regression model makes it possible to determine the most effective combination of pass length and height for scoring points. This model can help establish an equation that relates the three types of passes to the points scored. Objective: The objectives of this study are to develop a predictive model of pass length and height with the points obtained to know which type or combination of pass characteristics is most successful. Methods: We analyse match data from the 2017-2018 to 2020-2021 seasons of the 5 main European leagues. The variables analysed are based on pass length (short, medium and long) and height (ground, low and high). The correlation coefficient was used to measure the relationship between the variables and the points. A hierarchical multiple regression model was applied to determine the influence. Results: The results obtained showed that short passes explained 51% of the points scored by the teams, and the combination of the three types of distance improved the prediction to 54% of the points. About the height of the pass, when the three types were combined in the model, they managed to explain 54% of the points, where a great difference was observed between low and high passes, the high ones being more important. Conclusión: It can be concluded that the length and height of the pass are variables to be taken into account in obtaining points and in the team's performance. Other: Teams should prioritise short passes and pass along the ground, seeking to combine them with other types of passes promptly.