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. 2024 Nov 13:15:1502199.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1502199. eCollection 2024.

Effect of match location on the playing style of teams coached by 'Pep' Guardiola

Luis Pueyo  1 , Víctor Murillo  1 , Javier Álvarez  1 , Alberto Sarmiento  1 , Mario Amatria  2
Affiliations

Effect of match location on the playing style of teams coached by 'Pep' Guardiola

Luis Pueyo et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Introduction: Analysis in football seeks to find the performance factors that bring teams closer to success.

Methods: This study aims to analyze the playing styles of two teams managed by Pep Guardiola (F.C. Barcelona and Manchester City) based on match location (home or away). Two methods of analysis were used: descriptive statistics through chi-square tests to evaluate game characteristics and the polar coordinates technique to analyze the relationships between the different lines of each team (goalkeeper, defenders, midfielders, and forwards).

Results: The results showed that F.C. Barcelona maintained a consistent playing style regardless of location, exhibiting significant differences only in actions that involved shots or header (p = 0.035), with better performance at home. In contrast, Manchester City displayed significantly different performance in action success (p < 0.001), level of play elaboration (p = 0.004), density (p = 0.033), duration (p = 0.036), and actions that included a shot (p = 0.001) depending on the location. Additionally, qualitative analyses revealed differences in the relationships among the team lines according to match location, with Manchester City displaying more variability in these interactions than F.C. Barcelona.

Discussion: The study concludes that although Guardiola applies a consistent set of strategies, match location has a greater influence on Manchester City's performance, suggesting that this team adjusts its playing style on the basis of contextual conditions. These findings highlight the importance of considering factors such as location when preparing tactics to increase the probability of success in elite football.

Keywords: football; observational methodology; performance analysis; playing style; polar coordinates; team sport.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Graphical representation of the excitation or inhibition relationships between the focal behavior and the conditioned behaviors according to the quadrant in which they are located. In green, when it is an excitatory behavior. In red, when it is an inhibitory behavior.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Behavioral map representation establishing the goalkeeper and defense categories as focal behaviors in relation to the lines structuring the team.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Behavioral map representation establishing the midfielder and forward categories as focal behaviors in relation to the lines structuring the team.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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