Do contextual variables influence the spatial organisations of elite-level Brazilian professional soccer players

Abstract

Purpose. This study investigated the influence of contextual variables on individual and collective team spatial organisation in professional Brazilian players. Methods. Seventeen matches were analysed during the 1st division Brazilian National football League of 2019. Global Positioning System devices were used to track players’ in-game movements. The data were analysed using Matlab to calculate linear tactical variables. The selected tactical variables were ‘Distance from the last defender to the goal’; ‘Width and length’; ‘LpWratio’; ‘Spread’; ‘Space exploration index’ and ‘Stretch index’. Five contextual variables were considered: (i) playing time, (ii) match location, (ii) ranking of the opposition, (iii) match outcome, and (iv) match status. Results. Results demonstrated that the LpWratio values were significantly greater during the second half of matches when compared with the first half (p = 0.03; d = 0.62). Significantly greater length and spread values were identified when the team was playing against a bottom six team when compared with the medium eight teams (p = 0.05; d = 1.58–1.60). Significantly higher stretch index values were reported when playing a top six opposition team when compared with the medium eight opposition teams. During losses, the stretch index was significantly higher when compared with wins and draws, respectively (p = 0.01; d = 1.47–1.89). Finally, the LpWratio values were significantly higher during periods when the team was losing, when compared with periods of drawing and winning (p = 0.01; d = 1.07–1.12). Conclusions. In conclusion, the spatiotemporal organisations of professional-level Brazilian club players are significantly influenced by contextual variables. The current findings support the use of GPS devices in soccer as a time-efficient and logistically viable method to characterise tactical behaviour and examine spatiotemporal movement patterns. Key words: soccer, organisations, performance analysis, time-motion, tactical behaviours