Research in soccer has traditionally focused on very specific aspects of the game, such as technical and physiological aspects, and has largely ignored important issues such as tactical performance and the role of individual players within the team. The aim of this study was to study the different relationships that Xabi Alonso, one of the world's best midfielders, establishes with his teammates during offensive play, and to investigate his connections with the pitch in terms of where his direct interventions started and finished, his use of technical actions, his involvement in set plays and interceptions, and his relationship with shots at goal. To do this, we analyzed all the matches played by the winner of the 2012 UEFA European Championship: Spain. We employed an observational methodology design (Anguera, 1979) using a modified version of the ad hoc soccer observation instrument designed by Amatria et al. (2016). The resulting data were analyzed by polar coordinate analysis (Gorospe and Anguera, 2000), which is a powerful data reduction technique with high predictive power. The results showed significant associations (Z > 1.96; p < 0.05) between Alonso and players in different positions, a wide sphere of influence on the pitch, both for the start and end of interventions, and a strong link with game interruptions and interceptions and with the use of different technical actions. No significant associations were detected for type of shot. Studies on tactical performance that take account of the multiple factors involved in soccer will lead to better decision-making by coaches and facilitate analysis of a player's true performance.

The evolution of soccer over the past 30 years has brought about a faster pace of play and more demanding player dynamics that have led to a paradigm shift in how the game is analyzed. Classic, purely descriptive studies of midfielder performance paint a disjointed picture that is far from the reality of the complex network of relationships and interactions that mark modern-day soccer. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships established by Xavier “Xavi” Hernández, captain of FC Barcelona and a member of the Spanish national team for many years, during his participation in the final stages of the 2012 UEFA European Football Championship. The authors studied Xavi’s relationship with other players on the pitch, the areas in which his interventions started and ended, his use of technical–tactical skills, and his involvement in set plays. A modified version of a purpose-designed observation instrument was used within an observational methodology study. The data were analyzed by polar coordinate analysis, which is a powerful data reduction technique that reveals significant prospective and retrospective relationships between a focal behavior (Xavi) and other behaviors of interest. The results show that Xavi presents a mutual activation with behaviors from J6 (Iniesta) and J21 (Silva) and significant relationships in attack set-up zones. He is also the most important player in set piece situations, when he uses technical behaviors of control and passing. Studies on tactical performance should analyze all inputs of play and focus on a deep, layered analysis of results to facilitate the work of soccer coaches and educators.

Observational methodology provides a rigorous yet flexible framework for capturing behaviors over time to allow for the performance of subsequent diachronic analyses of the data captured. Theme is a specialized software program that detects hidden temporal behavioral patterns (T-patterns) within data sets. It is increasingly being used to analyze performance in soccer and other sports. The aim of this study was to show how to select and interpret T-patterns generated by the application of three “quantitative” sort options in Theme and three “qualitative” filters established by the researchers. These will be used to investigate whether 7-a-side (F7) or 8-a-side (F8) soccer is best suited to the learning and skills development needs of 7- and 8-year-old male soccer players. The information contained in the T-patterns generated allowed us to characterize patterns of play in children in this age group. For both formats, we detected technical-tactical behaviors showing that children of this age have difficulty with first-touch actions and controlling the ball after a throw-in. We also found that ball control followed by a pass or a shot at the goal are common in the central corridor of the pitch. Further, depth of play is achieved by ball control, followed by dribbling and a pass or shot. In F8, we saw that depth of play was achieved through ball control, followed by dribbling and passing of one or more opponents leading to a pass or shot. However, in F7, we saw that players succeeded in advancing from their goal area to the rival goal area through a sequence of actions.

Victory is the ultimate aim in soccer and therefore when a team wins an elite European or world championship, attempts will invariably be made to emulate the winning team’s style of play. In this study, we performed an in‐depth analysis of play by the Spanish soccer team during the 2012 UEFA European Championship, where it was crowned champion. Using observational methodology and T‐pattern analysis, we identified hidden patterns of play that ended in a goal for the Spanish team. A generalizability coefficient (e2) of 0.986 demonstrated that the offensive patterns detected are robust and highly generalizable. These patterns were formed by technical actions consisting of ball control and pass, with alternations between short and long passes, in the central area of the rival pitch, with use of both wings to achieve width of play and prioritization of width over depth of play. We also found patterns showing that goals and shots at goal were made on a ball delivered from the opposite direction to the shot and were not preceded by a technical action.

This observational methodology study had a substantive and a methodological aim. The substantive aim was to analyse the use of overall and effective play-space (EP-S) in the construction of offensive sequences ending in a shot by under-12 (U12) FC Barcelona (FCB) players. Analysis of EP-S helps to contextualise play in terms of a player’s relationship with the ball and other players on the pitch. The data analysed corresponded to all the matches played by FCB during an international U12 tournament. The reliability and generalisability of the data were confirmed. The methodological aim was to illustrate the complementary use of two of the most common diachronic techniques in observational methodology: lag sequential analysis and T-pattern detection. The software for both techniques (GSEQ and Theme, respectively) is free. The patterns detected for the use of space in general and EP-S using both techniques show that FCB’s U12 team exhibits certain features of play that the senior team is well known for, namely, elaborate play; frequent use of the wings to widen the area of play and press forward to ultimately break through the last line of defense; and recovery of the ball in forward positions within the EP-S of both teams, enabling rapid completion of sequences ending in a shot. We also detected behaviours that reflect a playing style adapted to the smaller size of the pitch used in 7-a-side soccer (e.g. the use of distant shots from within the rival team’s EP-S).

The analysis of variability in sport has shown significant growth in recent years. Also, the study of space management in the game field has not been object of research yet. The present study pretends to describe the variability in the use of strategic space in high performance football. To do this, the spatial management of the Spanish men’s soccer team when it is in possession of the ball has been analyzed, during its participation in the UEFA Euro 2012 championship. Specifically, 6861 events have been collected and analyzed. Different zoning of the field have been used, and the location of the ball has been recorded in each offensive action. Using the observational methodology as a methodological filter, two types of analysis have been carried out: first, a General Linear Model was implemented to know the variability of the strategic space. Models with two, three, four and five variables have been tested. In order to estimate the degree of accuracy and generalization of the data obtained, the Generalizability Theory was implemented. Next, and in order to estimate the degree of accuracy and generalization of the data obtained, the Generalizability Theory was implemented. The results showed that the model that produces greater variability and better explanation is the four-variable model (P = 0.019; r² = 0.838), with the inclusion of the variables match half, rival, move initiation zone and move conclusion zone. Next, an optimization plan was implemented to know the degree of generalization with the Rival, Start Zone (SZ) and Conclusion Zone (CZ) facets. The available results indicate that it is based on an adequate research design in terms of the number of observations. The results of the present study could have a double practical application. On the one hand, the inclusion of the game’s space management in training sessions will potentially conceal the true tactical intention. On the other hand, knowing the variability of the strategic space will allow to exploit areas of the optimal playing field to attack the rival team.