Positional data analysis in professional soccer: influence of contextual factors on team spatial organization
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.11606/issn.1981-4690.2025e39224720Palabras clave:
Situational variables, GPS, Tactical, Football, Sports ScienceResumen
This study aimed to investigate the effects of contextual factors on team spatial organizations during official matches in professional soccer. Forty-eight male outfield players were observed during 22 matches over the entire season. Positional data were obtained using global positioning system devices. The following variables were calculated: team surface area; distances between centroids of defensive-midfield lines, midfield-offensive lines, and defensive-offensive lines; width; length; and length-per-width ratio. The main results were: i) variables related to team spatial organizations were not influenced by match halves (p>0.05); ii) matches played against weak opponents presented higher distances between centroids of defensive and offensive lines (p=0.03) and distances between centroids of defensive and midfield lines (p=0.03) than matches against strong opponents; iii) away matches presented greater values of the distance between centroids of the defensive and midfield lines (p=0.01), the distance between centroids of the defensive and offensive lines (p=0.01), team length (p=0.02), and length per width ratio (p<0.001) compared to home matches; iv) in general when the reference team was losing the matches, higher values of team spatial organizations were observed compared to when the team was winning the matches (p<0.05). Hence, coaches and practitioners should consider the dynamics of team spatial organizations during matches and integrate these observations into tactics and strategies tailored to various match contexts to enhance the representativeness of training tasks. For instance, if a coach's game model emphasizes compactness between the defensive, midfield, and offensive lines, this aspect should be prioritized and reinforced, particularly before matches against weaker opponents (when the players could assume a less competitive behavior).
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