Ball Recovery Consistency as a Performance Indicator in Elite Soccer

This study aims to investigate the performance consistency of ball recovery during a match within several time periods (6 periods of 15 min) and zones (four zones). To this end, observational methodology and software Focus X2 were adopted to evaluate 28 matches of semi-final teams at FIFA 2014 including Germany, Argentina, Netherlands, and Brazil in terms of ball recovery frequency. In total, 3222 performances were recorded. All teams in each match and in whole competition had homogeneity of distribution of ball recovery during the time periods (χ23 =1.597, p=0.66). The results of time-zone evaluation indicated that Netherlands and Brazil teams did not have performance consistency on all field zones (χ215=31.29, p=0.008 and χ215 =37.53, p=0.001, respectively). Most ball recoveries were made in the defensive and middle-defensive zones in accordance with modern soccer. It was found that for a soccer team to be successful, it requires a space distribution of experienced players in the field, which leads to power balance for redesigning a team to be offensive in all zones.Resumo No futebol, um ataque começa com recuperação de bola. Por isso, a consistência desse indicador de desempenho pode ser uma das características distintas para o sucesso das equipes de futebol. Este estudo tem como objetivo investigar a consistência da recuperação da bola no desempenho durante um jogo dentro de vários períodos de tempo (6 períodos de 15 min) e zonas (quatro zonas). Empegou-se o...

Source: Revista Brasileira de Cineantropometria e Desempenho Humano - April 5, 2016 Category: Sports Medicine Source Type: research