Variance In Prominence Levels and in Patterns of Passing Sequences in Elite and Youth Soccer Players: A Network Approach

Abstract

The aim of this study was to quantify the prominence levels of elite and highly competitive young soccer players. This study also analyzed the variation in general network properties at different competitive levels and periods of the season. A total of 132 matches, played by 28 teams during the 2015/2016 season, were analyzed. The results revealed significant differences in the composition of general network measures considering the competitive level (p = 0.002; ES = 0.077) and according to the location of the match (p = 0.001; ES = 0.147). There were positive correlations between network density and the final score (ρ = 0.172) and negative correlations between network density and goals conceded (ρ = - 0.300). Significant differences in the composite of centralities were found between positions (p = 0.001; ES = 0.293; moderate effect) and the location of the match (p = 0.001; ES = 0.013; no effect). This revealed that the general properties of cooperation increased with the competitive level, improved during the middle of the season and were better in home matches. Midfielders were most prominent players in elite and U19 teams in the mid-season and central defenders had the most prominent centralities in U17 and U15 during the early and late periods of the season.

Analysis of the offensive process of AS Monaco professional soccer team: A mixed-method approach

“…The centrality outbound levels (passes executed) also revealed player 10 (defensive midfielder) as the most prominent, followed by player 4 (right external defender) and player 7 (central defender). Those results are, once again, in line with previous findings (Mendes, Clemente, & Maurício, 2018), namely that those playing positions present higher levels of passes without high opponent pressure, serving as "security" lines to move and circulate the ball, as stated by the coach during the interview. Moreover, player 10 was also nominated by the coach as a player with "great ability to see and analyze the game" thus confirming the importance of this player to serve as the linkage factor between defensive and forward lines during attacking build-up (in an indirect style).…”

Passing Networks and Tactical Action in Football: A Systematic Review

“…Due to the inherent nonlinearities in team performance, the importance of understanding tactical versatility in different matches is emphasized [ 38 , 48 ]. It was found that 50% is a widespread opinion of research that ratifies the importance of the network structure, quantifying and comparing its properties in order to determine applicable results rather than analyzing them separately, thus complementing the vision of the game and avoiding the loss of information [ 10 , 22 ]. These information networks are a suitable model for the detection and analysis of each team’s playing patterns [ 7 ], i.e., performance indicators that explain the differences between winning, drawing or losing a match [ 37 ].…”

“…In this sense, few studies have focused on analyzing advanced performance indicators for a broad understanding of collective tactical actions [ 8 ], or on cases where the multifactorial procedure in each of these actions is identified with emphasis on the methods of observation [ 9 ], or where the moment by moment of their behavior is visualized, captured, processed and analyzed [ 10 ]. The digital revolution has helped us obtain the precise location, in situ or by recording, of the players [ 11 ], thereby gathering information for the adequate distribution of the training content based upon objective criteria that provide explanations regarding patterns in movement, i.e., both their own and the opponent’s, and previous and subsequent, within the field of play [ 12 ].…”

Variations of Network Centralities Between Playing Positions in Favorable and Unfavorable Close and Unbalanced Scores During the 2018 FIFA World Cup

“…The results observed are in line with the majority of the studies that analyzed the prestige level of different playing positions during passing sequences (Duch et al, 2010; Peña and Touchette, 2012; Clemente et al, 2015b). In fact, it is reasonable to expect that the majority of the passes occur between the defensive players during general passing sequences starting from defensive regions, thus indirectly justifying the greater indegree centralities (Mendes et al, 2018).…”

“…After confirmation of the reliability level of the observers to code the passes between teammates, all the matches were observed, coded and treated following a network analysis process. The players were first coded by the playing position in the pitch and even in the case of replacements or changes during the match, the aim was to analyze the centrality levels of positions and not the specific players (Clemente et al, 2015b; Mendes et al, 2018).…”