A Pilot Study on Offensive Success in Soccer Based on Space and Ball Control – Key Performance Indicators and Key to Understand Game Dynamics

Abstract

Abstract The intention of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) is to map complex system-behaviour to single values for scaling, rating and ranking systems or system components. Very often, however, this mapping only reduces important information about tactical behaviour or playing dynamics without replacing it by useful ones. The presented approach tries to bridge the gap between complex dynamics and numerical indicators in the case of offensive effectiveness in soccer in two steps. First, a model is developed which visualises offensive actions in a process-oriented way by using information units to represent offensive performance – i.e. Key Performance Indicators. Second, this model is organised in relation to time intervals, which enables to measure the effectiveness for a whole half-time as well as for arbitrary intervals of any desired lengths. This contribution is meant as an introduction to a new modelling idea, where examples are calculated as case studies to demonstrate how it works. Therefore, only two games have been exemplarily analysed yet: The first one, which is used to demonstrate the method, is an example for similar quantitative indicators but different dynamic behaviour. The last one is used to demonstrate the results in the case of teams with extreme different strengths.