The impact of decision-making on final actions and their efficiency in the 2022 FIFA World Cup
Keywords:
technical-tactical analysis, game action, positioning, effectivenessAbstract
The ability of attacking players to make quick and accurate decisions under pressure is a crucial factor in a team's success. The aim of this study was to examine and evaluate decision-making during technical-tactical actions within the attacking third in matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Through the video analysis software Sportscode, 385 offensive actions from 23 matches were studied, which were conducted in the attacking third of the field with a possession duration of >3 sec. Each action was divided in three phases: the 1st phase with the reception of the ball-the 2nd phase with the decision of the following action-the 3rd phase with the execution of the action. The results show a clear trend of decreasing decision-making quality as the attacking action progresses and the pressure of time and space increases. Additionally, the study analyzes the impact of the initial player positioning on their next action and the preference for specific types of attacks. In summary, the findings of this study offer new insights into the understanding of attacking behaviors and can be used to improve the players’ competitive performance.
References
Altman, D.G. (1990). Practical statistics for medical research. Chapman and Hall/CRC.
Armatas, V., Zacharakis, E., & Apostolidis, N. (2022). Factors associated with final attempts during counterattacks in Champions League 2018-2019 matches. Trends in Sport Sciences, 29(4), 141-150. doi: 10.23829/TSS.2022.29.4-1.
Barreira, D., Garganta, J., Guimaraes, P., Machado, J., & Anguera, M.T. (2014). Ball recovery patterns as a performance indicator in elite soccer. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology, 228 (1), 61-72. doi: 10.1177/1754337113493083.
Beilock, S.L. (2007). Understanding skilled performance: Memory, attention, and choking under pressure. In Morris, T., Terry, P. & Gordon, S. (Eds.), Sport & exercise psychology: International perspectives (pp. 153–166). West Virginia University.
Calle, G.A., Gonzalez, E.V., Perez, L.A., Rojas, A., & Gonzalez, J.A. (2023). Design and validation of a test to evaluate the execution time and decision-making in technical–tactical football actions (passing and driving). Behavioral Sciences, 13(2), 101. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13020101.
Carling, C., Williams, A.M., & Reilly, T. (2005). Handbook of Soccer Match Analysis: A Systematic Approach to Improving Performance (1st edition). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203448625.
Cohen, J. (2013). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences. Routledge.
Feng, L., Chmura, P., & Liu, H. (2024). Are there meaningful changes in the performance of professional soccer teams from the first half of the match to the second? Evidence from the data of eight consecutive seasons of the Chinese Super League. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 1-15. doi: 10.1080/24748668.2024.2343580.
García-López, L.M., González-Víllora, S., Gutiérrez, D., & Serra, J. (2013). Development and validation of the Game Performance Evaluation Tool (GPET) in soccer. Revista Euroamericana de Ciencias Del Deporte, 2(1), 89–99.
Garganta, J., Maia, J., & Marques, A. (1996). On the investigation of performance factors in football. Revista Paulista de Educação Física, 10(2), 146-158.
Gonzalez-Rodenas J., Mitrotasios M., Aranda R., & Armatas V. (2020) Combined effects of tactical, technical and contextual factors on shooting effectiveness in European professional soccer. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 20(2), 280-293 doi: 10.1080/24748668.2020.1743163.
Guimaraes, J.P.A., Rochael, M., de Andrade, A.G.P., Bredt, S.G., & Praça, G.M. (2022). How reaching the pitch's final third is related to scoring opportunities in soccer? Retos, (43), 171-176.
Hendry, D.T., & Hodges, N. J. (2019). Pathways to expert performance in soccer. Journal of Expertise, 2(1), 1–13.
Horrocks, D.E., McKenna, J., Whitehead, A.E., Taylor, P.J., Morley, A.M., & Lawrence, I. (2016). Preparation, structured deliberate practice and decision making in elite level football: The case study of Gary Neville (Manchester United FC and England). International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 11(5), 673-682. doi: 10.1177/1747954116667105.
Jones, P.D., James, N., & Mellalieu, S.D. (2004). Possession as a performance indicator in soccer. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 4(1), 98-102. doi: 10.1080/24748668.2004.11868295.
Kubayi, A. (2020). Analysis of goal scoring patterns in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. Journal of human kinetics, 71, 205. doi: 10.2478/hukin-2019-0084.
Lepschy, H., Woll, A., & Wäsche, H. (2021). Success factors in the FIFA 2018 world cup in Russia and FIFA 2014 world cup in Brazil. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 638690. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638690.
Lottermann, S. (2005a). Schneller denken–schneller handeln! Teil 1: Grundlagen der Handlungsschnelligkeit für Training und Spiel Trainingslehre. In: Fußballtraining, 3/10. Münster: Philippka Verlag.
Lottermann, S. (2005b). Schneller denken–schneller handeln! Teil 2: Grundlagen der Handlungsschnelligkeit für Training und Spiel Trainingslehre. In: Fußballtraining, 4/10. Münster: Philippka Verlag.
Mahony, L.E., Wheeler, K.W., & Lyons, K. (2012). Analysis of factors determining invasion into attacking areas and the creation of goal-scoring opportunities in the Asian Cup Football competition. Asian Journal of Exercise & Sports Science, 9(1), 53-66.
Mitrotasios, M., & Armatas, V. (2012). Analysis of goal scoring patterns in the 2012 European Football Championship. The Sport Journal, 50, 1–9.
Mitrotasios, M., Gonzalez-Rodenas, J., Armatas, V., & Aranda, R. (2019). The creation of goal scoring opportunities in professional soccer. tactical differences between Spanish La Liga, English Premier League, German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 19(3), 452-465.
Natsuhara, T., Kato, T., Nakayama, M., Yoshida, T., Sasaki, R., Matsutake, T., & Asai, T. (2020). Decision-making while passing and visual search strategy during ball receiving in team sport play. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 127 (2), 468-489. doi: 10.1177/0031512519900057.
Pollard, R., Ensum, J., & Taylor, S. (2004). Estimating the probability of a shot resulting in a goal: The effects of distance, angle and space. International Journal of Soccer and Science, 2(1), 50-55.
Rein, R., Raabe, D., & Memmert, D. (2017). “Which pass is better?” Novel approaches to assess passing effectiveness in elite soccer. Human Movement Science, 55, 172-181. doi: 10.1016/j.humov.2017.07.010.
Roca, A., & Williams, A.M. (2016). Expertise and the interaction between different perceptual-cognitive skills: Implications for testing and training. Frontiers in Psychology, 7, 195864. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00792.
Smith, S.M., & Bedwell, J.R. (2021). Euro 2020 goal analysis: an ecological dynamics approach for football shooting practice. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 21(6), 3319-3325. doi: 10.7752/jpes.2021.06451.
Vilar, L., Araújo, D., Davids, K., Correia, V., & Esteves, P.T. (2013). Spatial-temporal constraints on decision-making during shooting performance in the team sport of futsal. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(8), 840-846. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2012.753155.
Ward, P., & Williams, A.M. (2003). Perceptual and cognitive skill development in soccer: The multidimensional nature of expert performance. Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, 25 (1), 93-111. doi: 10.1123/jsep.25.1.93.
Williams, A.M. (2020). Perceptual-cognitive expertise and simulation-based training programs. In N. J. Hodges & A. M. Williams (Eds.), Skill acquisition in sport: Research, theory and practice (pp. 237–254). Routledge. doi: 10.4324/9781351189750-13.
Wright, C., Atkins, S., Polman, R., Jones, B., & Sargeson, L. (2011). Factors associated with goals and goal scoring opportunities in professional soccer. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 11(3), 438-449. doi: 10.1080/24748668.2011.11868563.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
a. Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
b. Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
c. Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
