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  • How football team composition constrains emergent individual and collective tactical behaviours: Effects of player roles in creating different landscapes for shared affordances in small-sided and conditioned games
    Publication . Laakso, Timo; Davids, Keith; Luthanen, Pekka; Liukkonen, Jarmo; Travassos, Bruno
    The aim of the present study was to examine how team composition of players with different roles constrains individual and collective tactical behaviours, and ball possession effectiveness, during competitive 3 vs 3 small-sided and conditioned games (SSCGs) in youth soccer players. Fifteen male players (under 15 yrs, mean age 13.2 1.03 years, mean years of practice: 4.2 1.10 years) from the same club participated in this study. For analysis purposes, on advice from the coaching staff, participants were categorised according to their main team performance role, resulting in sub-samples of 5 defenders (centre-backs ¼ 2 and full- backs ¼ 3), 7 midfielders (central midfielders ¼ 3 and wide midfielders ¼ 4) and 3 attackers (forwards). In order to assess participant tactical behaviours, a notational analysis system was created with four categories: i) team behaviours, ii) individual players’ offensive actions, iii) individual players’ defensive actions, and iv), ball possession effectiveness. Analysis of players’ offensive actions revealed that the team composed only of midfielders revealed a higher frequency of diagonal and vertical passes in relation to the attackers’ team. In offensive individual actions, the attackers’ team revealed more dribbles in relation to the teams of defenders and midfielders. Analysis of ball possession effectiveness revealed that the team of defenders achieved higher values of shots on goal compared to the team of midfielders. These findings exemplified how playing role constrains the emergence of different collective behaviours and individual actions in 3 vs 3 SSCGs.
  • Clustering ball possession duration according to players’ role in football small-sided games
    Publication . Coutinho, Diogo; Gonçalves, Bruno; Laakso, Timo; Travassos, Bruno
    This study aimed to explore which offensive variables best discriminate the ball possession duration according to players specific role (defenders, midfielders, attackers) during a Gk +3vs3+Gk football small-sided games. Fifteen under-15 players (age 13.2±1.0 years, playing experience 4.2±1.0 years) were grouped according to their positions (team of defenders, n = 5; team of midfielders, n = 7; team of attackers, n = 3). On each testing day (n = 3), each team performed one bout of 5-min against each team in a random order, accounting for a total of nine bouts in the following scenarios: i) defenders vs midfielders; ii) defenders vs attackers; iii) midfielders vs attackers. Based on video, a notational analysis process allowed to capture individual and collective actions. According to each playing position group, discriminant analysis was used to identify relevant variables that discriminate different ball possession sequences (short, medium, and long). The analysis revealed the existence of three clusters according to ball possession duration, classified as short sequence (~4 seconds), medium sequence (~10 seconds) and long sequence (~18 seconds). The number of touches per possession was the variable that discriminates the ball possession duration from all playing positions while passing actions were related to midfielders and attackers. In addition, different ball possessions sequences in the attackers were also discriminated by the number of players involved per possession. Accordingly, to increase the duration of the offensive phase during small-sided games, coaches should foster the players’ ability to stay on the ball, as it may amplify their opportunities to maintain the ball possession. In addition, coaches may also include reward rules to encourage midfielders and attackers’ passing actions and the number of attackers involved during the attack to promote longer ball possessions durations.