Development and initial validation of a defensive pressure index using tracking data in the Chinese super league

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Football Analytics
• Performance Analysis

Background:

• Tracking data has improved football performance analysis.
• Defensive pressure is a key aspect of football performance but lacks standardized measurement.
• Operationalizing defensive pressure is crucial for objective performance evaluation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a Defensive Pressure Index (DPI) using movement tracking data.
• To assess the association between the DPI and defensive outcomes.
• To investigate if DPI varies based on the running score in football matches.

Main Methods:

• Utilized positional tracking data from 30 Chinese Super League matches (2018 season).
• Quantified defensive pressure using a composite index derived from six spatial tactical variables.
• Employed ordered logistic regression and one-way ANOVA for statistical analysis.

Main Results:

• Higher DPI values were significantly linked to improved defensive outcomes (p < 0.001).
• The DPI showed preliminary evidence of capturing meaningful defensive pressure variations.
• DPI did not significantly differ across varying running scores, indicating a link to tactical organization.

Conclusions:

• The developed DPI offers a transparent and reproducible method for quantifying defensive pressure in professional football.
• Defensive pressure appears more influenced by immediate tactical organization than the scoreline alone.
• Further validation with larger datasets and advanced modeling is recommended.