What Is the Relevance in the Passing Action between the Passer and the Receiver in Soccer? Study of Elite Soccer in La Liga.

Antonio Cordón-Carmona,Daniel Mon-López,Abraham García-Aliaga,Jorge Lorenzo Calvo,Moisés Marquina,Ignacio Refoyo Roman

doi:10.3390/ijerph17249396

Antonio Cordón-Carmona, Daniel Mon-López + Show 4 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17249396

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Abstract

Soccer is a high-complexity sport in which 22 players interact simultaneously in a common space. The ball-holder interacts with their teammates by passing actions, establishing a unique communication among them in the development of the game in its offensive phase. The main aim of the present study was to analyze the pass action according to the trajectory of the ball receiver and the space for receiving the ball in terms of success at the end of play. Twenty La Liga 2018/2019 matches of two elite teams were analyzed. A system of notational analysis was used to create 11 categories based on context, timing and pass analysis. The data were analyzed using chi-squared analysis. The results showed that the main performance indicators were the efficiency of the pass, the zone of the field, the trajectory of the receiver and the reception space of the ball, which presented a moderate association with the end of play (p < 0.001). We concluded that receiving the ball on approach and in separation increased the probability of success by 5% and 7%, respectively, and a diagonal run increased the probability by 7%. Moreover, the combined analysis of these variables would improve the team performance.

Highlights

The search for theoretical tactical models for soccer is gaining importance in the current scientific literature
The selected matches were from matchday 29 to matchday 38 of the Real Madrid CF (RM) and FC Barcelona (FCB) teams
The present study provided two novel variables for analyzing the effectiveness of play completion in elite soccer by analyzing the effects that the movements of players receiving passes had on a team’s attack

Summary

Introduction

The search for theoretical tactical models for soccer is gaining importance in the current scientific literature. The creation of a theoretical tactical model would provide the head coach with the appropriate information for optimal match preparation [1,2,3]. Kempe et al [4] observed that team tactics are governed by a complex process resulting from a combined network of interdependent factors. Soccer is a highly complex sport [5]. This complexity is derived from the interaction among teammates and between opponents, the rules and the distribution in a common space to be navigated with the feet [6,7,8]

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