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Classification and determinants of passing difficulty in soccer: a multivariate approach
Murilo Merlin1, Allan Pinto1,2, Alexandre Gomes de Almeida1
1School of Physical Education, University of Campinas, Campinas, Brazil.
Science & Medicine in Football
|November 22, 2022
Summary
This study introduces a new way to measure soccer passing difficulty, classifying passes into low, medium, and high difficulty levels. It identifies key variables influencing passing difficulty for player and team analysis.
Area of Science:
- Sports Science
- Football Analytics
- Performance Analysis
Background:
- Player and team efficiency in soccer is typically assessed by pass accuracy.
- The complexity and difficulty of passing actions have been largely unexamined in existing literature.
Purpose of the Study:
- To categorize the difficulty levels of passes in soccer matches.
- To pinpoint and analyze the factors contributing to passing difficulty using spatiotemporal data.
Main Methods:
- Utilized spatiotemporal data from 2,856 passes and 32 independent variables.
- Employed Fisher Discriminant Analysis for classification, achieving 72.0% correct classification of original grouped cases.
Main Results:
- Passes were classified as low (56.5%), medium (22.6%), and high difficulty (20.9%).
- Identified 16 key variables explaining passing difficulty, related to receiver, ball trajectory, pitch position, and passer.
Conclusions:
- Player and team evaluation should incorporate the ability to execute high-difficulty passes.
- Identified variables offer valuable insights for coaches in player profiling, talent identification, and strategic analysis.
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