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

Abstract

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.