How do the football teams play in LaLiga? Analysis and comparison of playing styles according to the outcome

Abstract

ABSTRACTThe behaviour adopted by football teams during matches is defined as their playing style and is a key area for performance analysis. This study aimed to identify the playing styles of LaLiga teams considering match outcome and overall comparison, during a season. The sample was collected from the 2020/2021 LaLiga, consisting of 380 matches, with a total of 760 records. In this research, technical (12), tactical (six) and physical (seven) variables were selected, as well as three variables related to goalkeeper performance, totalling a count of 28 performance indicators. A principal component analysis with orthogonal Varimax rotation was performed. As a result, the models explained more than 76% of the total variance, identifying six main factors or playing styles. These styles were recognised as build-up, high pressing, high-intensity play, direct play, use of crosses and high distance in the opposition half. Compared to previous research conducted in other leagues, five of the six styles could be identified in advance, but not the high-distance style, which only occurred in draws and wins. The use of crosses was identified for victories or defeats. Coaches, analysts and sport scientists could take these playing styles into account for analysis and match preparation.KEYWORDS: Soccerprincipal component analysisperformance analysisSpanish leagueanalyst AcknowledgementAs part of the doctoral thesis of the first author, we would like to thank LaLiga for providing the data necessary to carry out the study.Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Supplemental dataSupplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2023.2262813.