A Systematic Review of Collective Tactical Behaviours in Football Using Positional Data

Tactical Analysis According to Age-level Groups during a 4 vs. 4 Plus Goalkeepers Small-sided Game

“…Positive interactions among teammates and negative interactions with opponents make soccer a social system [1], with tactical behaviors being crucial for making a soccer performance successful [2]. Tactical behaviors can be assessed as individual (i.e., the player), sectorial (i.e., several players) and/or collective [2], by means of electronic performance and tracking systems [3].…”

“…Positive interactions among teammates and negative interactions with opponents make soccer a social system [1], with tactical behaviors being crucial for making a soccer performance successful [2]. Tactical behaviors can be assessed as individual (i.e., the player), sectorial (i.e., several players) and/or collective [2], by means of electronic performance and tracking systems [3]. Thanks to these devices, it is possible to measure collective tactical variables such as the average position of the players (i.e., the centroid), the relationship between players based on distance (i.e., the dyad) and the use of the playing space [2,3].…”

“…Tactical behaviors can be assessed as individual (i.e., the player), sectorial (i.e., several players) and/or collective [2], by means of electronic performance and tracking systems [3]. Thanks to these devices, it is possible to measure collective tactical variables such as the average position of the players (i.e., the centroid), the relationship between players based on distance (i.e., the dyad) and the use of the playing space [2,3]. The analysis of these tactical variables is crucial because it allows for the assessment of the overall team organization during training tasks and match play [2].…”

“…Thanks to these devices, it is possible to measure collective tactical variables such as the average position of the players (i.e., the centroid), the relationship between players based on distance (i.e., the dyad) and the use of the playing space [2,3]. The analysis of these tactical variables is crucial because it allows for the assessment of the overall team organization during training tasks and match play [2]. Thus, it would be interesting for coaches to investigate the certain tactical behaviors of players during training tasks in order to understand the collective dynamics of the team.…”

“…Many studies have found that SSGs are effective for maintaining and improving physical fitness performance [7,8] and promote significantly higher physical enjoyment than analytical physical training strategies [9] in young soccer players. The major research in SSGs has been focused on the quantification of internal and external training loads [7,8]; however, little literature has investigated tactical analyses in young soccer players [2]. In addition, coaching staff need greater knowledge of collective tactical behavior during training tasks in order to help them select the appropriate SSG according to the objective of the session.…”