Exploring Factors Related to Goal Scoring Opportunities in Professional Football

ABSTRACT

Purpose

Outscoring opponents is the primary goal in football. To optimise goal scoring opportunities (GSOs), it is important to understand the preceding physical and tactical performance. This observational study explored whether running behaviour prior to GSOs related to the subsequent outcome (goal or no goal) or contextual factors.

Methods

Tracking data was collected from one professional team during its 2016/2017 season. Physical output was differentiated for attacking styles and analysed for attackers (taking shots) and defenders (trying to prevent shots).

Results

Counter attacks were found most effective, as outcomes improved with fewer defenders behind the ball (r=-0.27; p=0.03). Offensively, running behaviour in the minute prior to GSOs explained most variance and increased activities correlated with success (r=0.26; p=0.04). Moreover, decreased high-intensity distances covered during matches significantly correlated with favourable outcomes (r=-0.21; p=0.02). Finally, increased attacking effectiveness was found to relate to greater defensive covered distances (r=0.51; p<0.01).

Discussion

Running behaviour prior to GSOs was found to relate to the subsequent outcome. Specifically, space ahead of attackers, forcing defenders to cover more ground, was found to relate to GSO effectiveness. The running behaviour of attackers was found unrelated to previous activity, highlighting the significance of physical capacity and well-timed substitutions.

KEYWORDS:

• Soccer
• match analysis
• applied practice
• effectiveness
• success

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the players and staff for their participation throughout the project and Tracktics GmbH for providing the tracking system.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Additional information

Funding

No sources of funding were used to assist in the preparation of this article. Emiel Schulze is supported by a ‘Science and Health in Soccer’ scholarship funded by the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service).