Set Pieces Research Articles

Offensive Performance Indicators: A Comparative Study of Winning, Drawing, and Losing Teams in the 2023 Malaysia Super League

This study aimed to identify significant differences in offensive performance metrics among winning, drawing, and losing teams in the 2023 Malaysia Super League (MSL) season. Data were collected from 91 matches during the MSL football league using the InStat® system. The analysed variables included set pieces, corners, free kicks, penalties, and shooting. The results showed that winning teams had discriminative offensive performance indicators such as set pieces with shots (4.48±2.17), % set pieces with shots (17.10±8.58), corners (5.90±3.16), corners with shots (2.05±1.63), % corners with shots (36.56±27.49), free kicks with shots (0.76±0.89), % free kicks with shots (22.02±27.49), penalties (0.30±0.58), penalties converted (0.26±0.52), % penalties converted (21.11±40.35), shots (16.53±6.08), shots on target (6.97±3.35), % shots on target (42.18±13.58), shots from outside the penalty area (7.16±3.41), shots from outside the penalty area on target (2.20±1.65), and % shots from outside the penalty area on target (30.68±21.07). In contrast, drawing teams had higher mean values in set pieces (28.67±5.87) and free kicks (4.34±2.21). In conclusion, these findings have practical implications for coaches in planning and implementing offensive tactics for successful performance. Future research could explore the impact of different tactical approaches and formations on match outcomes and analyse the effectiveness of in-match tactical adjustments.

Impact of offensive team variables on goal scoring in the first division of the spanish soccer league: a comprehensive 10-year study

This study assessed the impact of team offensive variables on goals scored in Spain’s first-division soccer league from 2012–2013 to 2021–2022. A nomothetic multidimensional study was conducted, following the STROBE checklist. From 115 team variables available in the INSTAT database, 57 offensive metrics were selected. The selection was performed independently by five researchers to ensure comprehensive inclusion of relevant metrics. The data included 38 league matches each season, involving 30 teams. The study identified key offensive performance metrics strongly correlated with goals scored. These include shots on target (r = 0.898), chances created (r = 0.871), penalty box entries (r = 0.852), positional attacks with shots (r = 0.818), total shots (r = 0.807), central attacks with shots (r = 0.804), accurate passes (r = 0.760), and efficiency in positional attacks (r = 0.755). The findings underscore the importance of specific offensive metrics in enhancing goal-scoring capabilities. Coaches can improve their team’s offensive performance by focusing on passing accuracy, dribbling, and maximizing scoring chances. Successful teams consistently convert attacks into shots on goal through various situations, including central attacks, flanks, counterattacks, corners, and set pieces. Tactical adjustments based on these insights can optimize offensive effectiveness.

Understanding the visual search strategies of expert and novice coaches in futsal set pieces.

This study aimed to describe the fixation location and the time of the longer fixation of expert and novice futsal coaches before the ball was in play in futsal set pieces. A total of 10 experts (ages 48 ± 5) and 10 novice coaches (ages 40 ± 7) participated in the study. They observed that 38 video clips were created to mimic the attack and defensive set-piece moments of the game. Data were collected in a standardized video analysis task using the pupil invisible eye tracker and processed through the pupil cloud platform. The Mann-Whitney test was conducted to evaluate differences in gaze duration between game moments (attack and defense set pieces) and groups (expert vs. novice). Gaze duration was also compared for gaze location between groups. For further comparisons, the game moments (attack and defense set pieces) and the gaze location were summarized in two-dimensional graphics using correspondence analysis. The results revealed higher values of gaze duration for attack and defense set pieces for the group of experts than for novices. When considering gaze duration, expert coaches had higher values than novices for the attacker 3, defender 3, barrier 1st, and barrier 2nd gaze locations. The correspondence analysis showed different strategies of visual search and, consequently, gaze locations for attack and defense set pieces. In particular, there was different correspondence for free kicks between the level of expertise and gaze location, while corner and sideline kicks revealed some correspondence between the groups and the gaze location. In free kicks, coaches should be particularly concerned about the relationship between attacker and defender three and the barrier 1st and 2nd line positions. In corner and sideline kicks, coaches should be particularly aware of the relationship between attackers' and defenders' positions.

Key Performance Indicators Predictive of Success in Soccer: A Comprehensive Analysis of the Greek Soccer League.

Previous research emphasizes the significance of key performance metrics in determining match outcomes. The purpose of this study is to enhance the understanding of success in professional soccer by analyzing the relationship between match outcomes (win, lose, draw) and various Performance Indicators extracted from the Greek soccer league, as well as to develop a regression model of success in soccer. The sample consisted of all 91 matches from the first round of the 2020-2021 season of the Greek Football League. Utilizing Kruskal-Wallis tests, significant differences were found in goals scored, shots, and shots on target, ball possession, passing metrics, touches in the penalty area, and average shot distance (p < 0.05), with winning teams having demonstrated superior performance metrics. Moreover, winning teams engaged more in positional attacks and counterattacks with shots (p < 0.05). The binary logistic regression model applied to predict match outcomes identified shots on target, counterattacks, passes metrics, offensive duels and set pieces (penalties, free kicks) as key factors influencing the likelihood of winning (p < 0.05). These findings collectively highlight the importance of effective offensive play, including goal scoring, shooting accuracy, and ball possession, in determining the outcomes of soccer matches, with the regression model offering a nuanced understanding of these relationships.

Performance metrics that matter: assessing winning and losing teams in women’s Rugby union

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to identify key performance indicators (KPI) that differentiated winning and losing teams, and how KPI may vary in balanced and unbalanced matches in Australian domestic women’s Rugby Union (RU). Four seasons of the Buildcorp Super W competition (2019–2022), round and final matches (n = 47) were analysed by an experienced performance analyst using computerised notational analysis software (Hudl SportsCode) to identify various KPI that occurred throughout a match. Findings showed that winning teams had greater ball-carrying efficiency, quick ruck speed, greater field-based tactics, greater successful conversions, and created more scoring opportunities while losing teams had poorer goal-kicking performance, greater number of rucks lost, and unsuccessful set piece performance. However, in balanced matches, only greater scoring opportunities, possession, and kicking performance discriminated between winning and losing teams. Winning teams in unbalanced matches had greater scoring opportunities, kicking performance, possession, territory, ball-carrying efficiency, and ruck performance, whilst losing teams had a greater number of rucks lost and lineouts lost. These results suggest some performance metrics can differ between balanced and unbalanced matches. Coaches may use these findings to help evaluate match performances based on scoring differential, as well as influence possession-in-territory, and kicking tactics, to increase scoring opportunities.

A study of blood glucose determination by means of an interlaboratory test

Through inter-laboratory comparison, based on the measurement process and measuring equipment conducted according to predetermined criteria, it is possible to evaluate the performance of the participants, which is known as qualification testing and is regulated in accordance with ISO 17043:2017/2018.In the medical field, the term “external quality assessment” is used for qualification testing schemes or wider programs where samples (standard, certified, attested), products, artefacts, pieces of equipment, measurement standards, data sets or other information are used for qualification testing. The processing of measurement data, which in many cases includes a random error detector along with a systematic error detector, is carried out using mathematical statistics methods, including statistical methods that are less sensitive to small deviations from the basic assumptions surrounding the probabilistic model, which are known as robust methods. Robust methods are a powerful tool for demonstrating competence in performing tests and measurements related to qualification testing schemes.

An analysis of transition-resulted goal scoring patterns in football leagues: a comparison of the first 5 rounds and the last 5 rounds prior midway of the season

ObjectiveThis study investigated the concept of ‘game style’ in football, focusing on a team’s distinctive approach characterized by tactics, formations, and strategies. The objective is to compare goal-scoring patterns related to “non-offensive transition,” “set pieces,” “offensive transition,” and “positive outcomes” across different league groups. Methodology: The sample comprises 702 football games, categorized into three league groups: Top Leagues, Marginal Leagues, and Emerging Leagues. A total of 2140 goals were analyzed, classifying them into four types: “No Transitions”, “Set Pieces”, “Offensive Transitions (direct), and “Positive Outcomes” of offensive transitions. The study aims to identify relevant differences between two distinct competitive periods, namely “Rounds 1 to 5” and “Rounds Last 5.” Results: The analysis reveals no significant differences in scoring methods between “Rounds 1 to 5” and “Rounds Last 5” across all variables in the analyzed league groups, except for goals conceded by “No Transition” in the Emerging Leagues. Additionally, results indicate that goals resulting from direct offensive transitions and positive outcomes substantially impact the Top Leagues, constituting 54% of the total scoring. Conclusion: The study emphasizes the importance of establishing and maintaining consolidated game patterns, as demonstrated by the consistent scoring patterns across different league groups. While most leagues show no variations in scoring methods between early and late rounds, attention to goals conceded by “No Transition” in Emerging Leagues is warranted. The prominence of direct offensive transitions and positive outcomes in Top Leagues highlights the relevance of these strategies in the scoring process, emphasizing the need for teams to focus on developing and implementing effective game patterns.

Comparative study of positioning and technical-tactical indicators between teams of different performance levels in the Qatar 2022 FIFA world cup

The aim of the study was to identify the technical-tactical indicators and differentiate collective positioning between the qualified teams and teams non-qualified for the final phase of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, considering effective playing time. The aim was also to understand the interaction of variables that significantly increased the likelihood of being qualified in the analysed championship. We conducted a comparative analysis that covered all matches played (N=64), evaluating 93 technical-tactical indicators, 24 collective positional indicators and six hybrid indicators. The absolute technical-tactical indicators were normalised based on the effective playing time of each team in each match. We used t-tests and binary logistic regression (R2 Nagelkerke = .738 – AUC = .955) to analyse differences and determine their statistical significance (p&amp;lt;.05). Our analysis revealed significant differences in 33 indicators, suggesting that certain technical-tactical aspects played a crucial role in teams’ performance. Furthermore, through multivariate analysis, we were able to identify that offensive efficiency in set pieces, the height of the defensive line during the offensive phase, and the ability to reduce the available playing space for the opposing team during the defensive phase emerged as the main indicators that allowed us to classify the teams’ performance. These findings enable coaches to use the identified key indicators as performance predictors to devise match strategies aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of their teams.

A Mathematical Analysis of Team Impact and Individual Player Contribution in Football

In this paper, we present an important application of the Hungarian Method - a well-known combinatorial optimization tool for solving assignment problems. For our purposes, we consider the assignment of players to specific roles in a football team. It involves the broad classification of team players as defensive, midfield or attacking, while assigning the main roles associated with each of these positions. This provides insight on specific role of each individual player, thereby facilitating an optimal team selection. To illustrate this method, we utilize the average player statistics per game for two teams from the 2016/2017 Premier League Season. In addition, a team rating index is created by identifying six sub-indices. The first is called team contributions - which includes set piece goals, percentage tackles won, percentage take-ons won, percentage aerial duels won, number of interceptions, number of blocked shots, number of clearances, number of red and yellow cards. To visualize the method, a multiple correlation is carried out on team data for the 2016/2017 Premier League season to generate a correlation coefficient for each contribution. The resulting team index can be a useful tool for measuring the overall strengths of competing teams in a football league. Keywords: Hungarian method, football, team rating index, multiple correlations, team comparisons

Description of the Collective Behavior in Competition of Young Soccer Players Under-16 (U-16), Under-17 (U-17), Under-19 (U-19), and Under-23 (U-23), Considering the Areas of the Pitch and Phases of the Game.

Nieto, S, Echeazarra, I, Errekagorri, I, and Castellano, J. Description of the collective behavior in competition of young soccer players under-16 (U-16), under-17 (U-17), under-19 (U-19), and under-23 (U-23), considering the areas of the pitch and phases of the game. J Strength Cond Res 38(4): 714-723, 2024-The objective was to employ an integrated observational-notational record to describe collective behavior (CB) in competition matches of young soccer players from 4 teams, U-16, U-17, U-19, and U-23, playing for a professional soccer club academy. A total of 1,481 possessions were registered. Collective behavior, captured by GPS devices, was described with the variables: depth, surface area, stretch index, length, and width. In addition, from the notational analysis, the behavior depending on the area of the field (Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4) and ball possession (POS), nonball possession (nPOS), and set pieces phases were contextualized. A 2-tailed analysis of variance was applied to compare the CB of the teams. Results show that: (a) in all ages/categories, CB varied significantly in and without the possession of the ball and was conditioned by the area of the pitch where the ball was; (b) CB showed higher values with the ball and greater variability without it; and (c) depending on the age, CB presented differences with larger effect sizes in depth and length, in and without the possession of the ball, in Z1 and Z2. Integrating positional data to the moment of play and areas of the field could help a more accurate analysis of the competition to better understand the CB evolution of young soccer players.

Technical Analysis of Goals Scored in 3 Different European Leagues in The 2020-2021 Football Season

The aim of this study is to classify the goals scored in the 2020-2021 football season in Turkish Super League (TSL), English Premier League (EPL), and French League 1 (FL1) according to technical and tactical criteria, and to reveal the differences and similarities between the leagues. The scope of the research consists of a total of 3209 goals scored in 1180 football matches played in 3 different European Leagues in the 2020-2021 season. Each goal was classified according to the minute interval, the area where the attacking move started, the number of touches by the player before scoring, and the goals scored from set pieces. The frequency and percentage distributions of all data were calculated separately for each league. According to the results obtained, the most goals were scored in TSL (f: 1136 goals), while the least goals were scored in EPL (f: 1024 goals). Looking at the distribution of total goals by minute intervals, the most goals were scored in the last quarter of the game in TSL (f:199; 17.5%), EPL (f:166; 16.2%), and FL1 (f:186; 17.7%), while the least goals were scored in the added time of the first half. When looking at the number of touches by the player who scored the goal, it was found that the most goals were scored with one touch. Regarding the direction of the attacking move, it was observed that the rate of goals scored after wing attacks was lower in FL1 than in TSL and EPL, but the number of goals scored from central attacks was higher. According to the results, it is understood that the teams in the leagues have different game structures, which are decisive in determining the goal criteria.

A speaking silence: “universal language” and multilingualism in The Shape of Water

Framed by Guillermo del Toro as “a love letter to the cinema,” the academy award-winning feature The Shape of Water (2017) speaks to one of the core debates in film studies: film’s status as a “universal language.” Paradoxically both propagating and critiquing this idea of universality, a vast knowledge of film history, cinematic techniques, and a desire to create what the director calls a “cinematic Esperanto”—or a globally legible film tradition—informs a film that celebrates the multiplicity of “languages” possible in film as a medium. Reading The Shape of Water as a series of films-within-films—fantasy within realism, black-and-white within color, and a silent film within a “talkie”—I reveal the myriad communicative forms accessible within cinema as a visual, temporal, and mobile medium. The foregrounding of “a speaking silence” in the interactions between the mute Elisa and the Amphibian Man, a pre-linguistic, but communicative, sea creature, acts as a set piece—a silent film within the larger film proper—that celebrates the universal language of gesture, while the situation of this nested narrative within a larger film tradition of “talkies” speaks to the ultimate displacement of the fantasy of universality by the adoption of the voice in film. Through a close attention to film stills, the formal composition of scenes, and the sparse, multilingual dialogue, I examine The Shape of Water’s critique of a monolingual “universal” filmic language and celebration of the radical multilingualism possible in the cinema.

When the Community of Laughter Needed the Bathroom: Bridesmaids and the Limits of Cringe Comedy

ABSTRACT This article links the concept of the community of laughter to cringe comedy, which emphasizes embarrassment, awkwardness, and social isolation over the affirmative bonds of other, less pain-inducing branches of comedy. It uses the film Bridesmaids (2011) to investigate how cringe comedy refrains from celebrating communality and solidarity, exposing the fragility of female bonds in the context of class warfare. The film’s eloquent and cringeworthy set pieces isolate the main character from her potential “community of laughter” and set her on a trajectory that is often closer to the arc of tragedy, where characters experience a fall. Crucially, cringe comedy’s inherent necessity to soften the blow, signaled by the climactic reconciliation in Bridesmaids, is not to be confused for a cop-out on behalf of the filmmakers. It is part of cringe comedy’s tendency to set its main characters on a path towards catharsis and spiritual betterment.

The Women behind the Abbey: Dolly Robinson and Irish Theatrical Networks

ABSTRACT This paper revives the work and reputation of artist Dolly Robinson, focusing on her as a lynchpin of many cultural circles in Dublin from the 1920s to the 1940s. Drawing on the archive of Robinson papers, it assesses her contribution to the development of a distinctive Irish theatrical tradition and reveals a woman with strong connections to the Irish artistic milieu of her day. Her work and collaborations reflect some of the many interactions between visual art and literary culture. Her exhibition of paintings and various Abbey set pieces are examined alongside the productions and adaptations of these years, and how they underpinned the output of some of the major literary figures of the era. Specifically, Robinson’s literary influence on her husband and contemporaries is considered in the context of female collaboration, an enabling but overlooked presence that mirrored the role of many women in a newly independent Ireland.

Head Impact Exposure in Female Collegiate Soccer by Activity Type

Soccer, one of the most popular sports in the world, has one of the highest rates of sports-related concussions. Additionally, soccer players are frequently exposed to nonconcussive impacts from intentionally heading the ball, a fundamental component of the sport. There have been many studies on head impact exposure in soccer, but few focus on soccer practices or practice activities. This study aimed to characterize the frequency and magnitude of head impacts in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I female soccer practice activities using a custom-fit instrumented mouthpiece. Sixteen players were instrumented over the course of 54 practice sessions. Video analysis was performed to verify all mouthpiece-recorded events and classify practice activities. Category groupings of practice activities include technical training, team interaction, set pieces, position-specific, and other. Differences in head impact rates and peak resultant kinematics were observed across activity types and category groupings. Technical training had the highest impact rate compared to other category groupings. Impacts occurring during set piece activities had the highest mean kinematic values. Understanding drill exposure can help inform coaches on training plans aimed to reduce head impact exposure for their athletes.

Neues Lesen. Unikalität und Multisensorik als Strategien der Literaturvermittlung

Neues Lesen<b>. Unikalität und Multisensorik als Strategien der Literaturvermittlung</b>

The Coining of Convivial Public Space: Homelessness, Outreach Work, and Interaction Order

This article engages with the “convivial turn” in writings about the city and offers a reorientation of sorts. Beginning with encounters, rather than particular spaces, we make the case that conviviality and its limits are realised in practices. Rather than starting in set piece urban spaces designed to foster conviviality we start out on the move, with frontline street-based care and outreach workers in Cardiff, Wales, and Manhattan, New York City, as they seek out and meet up with those sleeping on city streets. This provides a view of an improvised conviviality that makes the most of whatever the material affordances of a given city space happen to provide. Our research points to how these encounters necessarily take place in marginal settings and times due to the sorts of exclusions that can be built into contemporary city spaces that can at the same time be welcoming to the public, but hostile toward those most in need and vulnerably located in the centre of things. In this sense, we approach conviviality as a fragile interactional accomplishment and, in doing so, see questions of conviviality and conflict as less of a big-picture paradox of togetherness and distance, hope and hate in urban life, and more of a dynamic relation of co-presence and visibility. Public space, and indeed public life, might then be reconsidered not as a location but, rather, an active, shifting accomplishment, variously coloured by the politics of seeing and being seen.

The Dwarfs

The Dwarfs

Notational Analysis on Goal Scoring and Comparison in Two of the Most Important Soccer Leagues: Spanish La Liga and English Premier League

Goals scored are the most important performance indicator and may be a good tool to analyze game style predominance within different leagues. The aims of this study are to describe how goals are scored in the two major soccer leagues in the season of 2020/21, and to compare both leagues to watch possible differences in the offensive sequences that lead to goal-scoring. The aims of this study were: to evaluate goal scoring trends among two main soccer leagues and to compare the two leagues. A total of 1409 goals were observed using notational analysis. The total results show a dominance of positional play/fast attack (n = 38%), followed by set pieces as the second means to score (n = 32%) with corner kicks having a great impact (n = 36%) within set pieces goals. The most goals were scored by short possessions (n = 50%) with short passes number (n = 57%), with the recovery of the ball in the offensive third (n = 47%) and the huge dominance of finalization in central areas inside the box (n = 78%). Spanish La Liga scored more by positional play/fast attack, with most of the possessions starting in the medium third and using more the “central wing goal area” and “between wings left in the box” end zones when compared with English Premier League. The latter has more goals from counterattacks and corner kicks with very long possessions. Most of the possessions start in the offensive third and more goals are scored in “central wing between penalty and goal area” in comparison with Spanish La Liga. Coaches must be aware of the trends of the game and of the differences across leagues to prepare themselves when working in different countries to each specific characteristic.

Scaffoldings in domestic architecture

Scaffoldings often make the buildings look intriguing, overlapping and obscuring areas that are about to change and evolve. The article explores ways architecture can engage the inhabitant as an active participant in the design process. It discusses the scaffolding as a design continuum that provides opportunities for the architecture to continually adjust and reconfigure. It explores intersections of architecture with visual arts, such as surrealist photography, painting and filmmaking, emphasizing on the motion of the human body and how studying relevant examples might offer propositional opportunities to architectural design. A design outcome of my research practice, discussed in the article, is the design of an experimental dwelling titled Analogical House. To unpack in more depth, it focuses on one of the domestic fragments of the dwelling – the Staircase – and the iterative design experiments that inform its design process. A new type of architectural machine – The Darkroom Probe – is developed to explore the dwelling by creating a series of architectural drawings through a series of prototypes and photographic set pieces. Their findings, often analogue and digital hybrids, gradually form the Analogical House.