Differences in technical performance by team ranking and match location in three consecutive English Premier League seasons
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
This study aimed to compare the technical performance among high-ranked, medium-ranked, and low-ranked teams over three consecutive seasons (2021-2022 to 2023-2024) of the English Premier League (EPL), and to compare the technical performance at home and away for each group. Data were collected from Whoscored, EPL, and the Transfermarket websites. A one-way ANOVA and an independent t-test were used to analyse data. Results indicated that high-ranked teams outperformed medium- and low-ranked teams in most attacking and goal scoring, passing and organizing variables (p < .05). Meanwhile, low- and medium-ranked teams excelled in long balls and defending variables, including tackles, interceptions, shot blocks, clearances, and total saves (p < .05). Across all groups, performance was better at home for total shots, shots on target, shots off target, shots from open play, crosses, key passes, and clearances (p < .05). However, pass completion was the only variable that was better at home for high-ranked teams (p < .05). In conclusion, high-ranked teams excel in technical performance, particularly in attacking and goal scoring, organizing and passing variables. Playing at home is an important factor in achieving victory, especially for high- and medium-ranked teams. Therefore, the researchers recommend adopting tactical approaches and recruiting skilled players to achieve top positions in the EPL.
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
References
Almeida, C. H., & Leite, W. S. (2021). Professional football in times of COVID-19: did the home advantage effect disappear in European domestic leagues?. Biology of sport, 38(4), 693-701. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2021.104920 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2021.104920
Andrzejewski, M., Oliva-Lozano, J. M., Chmura, P., Chmura, J., Czarniecki, S., Kowalczuk, E., Rokita, A., Muyor, J. M., & Konefał, M. (2022). Analysis of team success based on match technical and running performance in a professional soccer league. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 14(1), 82. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00473-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-022-00473-7
Aranda-Malavés, R., Casal, C. A., Gonzalez Rodenas, J., Tudela-Desantes, A., De Matías-Cid, P., Moltó-Llorens, M., & Aranda, R. (2024). Tactical analysis of direct attack from the English Premier League and Spanish La Liga. Frontiers in sports and active living, 6, 1473311. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1473311 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2024.1473311
Barnes, C., Archer, D. T., Hogg, B., Bush, M., & Bradley, P. S. (2014). The evolution of physical and technical performance parameters in the English Premier League. International journal of sports medicine, 35(13), 1095-1100. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1375695 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0034-1375695
Bhagwandeen, B., Mohammed, A., & Dialsingh, I. (2024). Investigating the influence of fans on home advantage outcomes in association football across Europe. Soccer & Society, 25(8), 1093-1109. https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2024.2333487 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14660970.2024.2333487
Bradley, P. S., Archer, D. T., Hogg, B., Schuth, G., Bush, M., Carling, C., & Barnes, C. (2016). Tier-specific evolution of match performance characteristics in the English Premier League: it's getting tougher at the top. Journal of sports sciences, 34(10), 980-987. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1082614 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1082614
Bradley, P. S., Lago-Peñas, C., Rey, E., & Sampaio, J. (2014). The influence of situational variables on ball possession in the English Premier League. Journal of sports sciences, 32(20), 1867-1873. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.887850 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2014.887850
Bush, M., Barnes, C., Archer, D. T., Hogg, B., & Bradley, P. S. (2015). Evolution of match performance parameters for various playing positions in the English Premier League. Human movement science, 39, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.10.003 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.humov.2014.10.003
Carmichael, F., & Thomas, D. (2005). Home-Field Effect and Team Performance: Evidence From English Premiership Football. Journal of Sports Economics, 6(3), 264-281. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002504266154 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002504266154
Castellano, J., Casamichana, D., & Lago, C. (2012). The Use of Match Statistics that Discriminate Between Successful and Unsuccessful Soccer Teams. Journal of human kinetics, 31, 139-147. https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0015-7 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/v10078-012-0015-7
Chen, J., Zhai, S., Xi, Z., Li, P., & Zhang, S. (2022). Impact of absent crowds on technical and physical performances in the Chinese Soccer Super League. Frontiers in psychology, 13, 959213. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.959213 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.959213
Diana, B., Zurloni, V., Elia, M., Cavalera, C. M., Jonsson, G. K., & Anguera, M. T. (2017). How Game Location Affects Soccer Performance: T-Pattern Analysis of Attack Actions in Home and Away Matches. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1415. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01415 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01415
Gollan, S., Ferrar, K., & Norton, K. (2018). Characterising game styles in the English Premier League using the "moments of play" framework. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2018.1539383 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2018.1539383
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. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2004.11868295 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2004.11868295
Kessouri, O. (2023). Match performance difference between African and Top Five teams in the group stage of the 2022 World Cup. TRENDS in Sport Sciences, 30(1), 5-11.
Kubayi, A., & Stone, J. A. (2024). Effect of the away goal rule on the technical performance of football teams in the UEFA Champions League. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2024.2354114 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2024.2354114
Kubayi, A., & Toriola, A. (2020). Differentiating African Teams from European Teams: Identifying the Key Performance Indicators in the FIFA World Cup 2018. Journal of human kinetics, 73, 203-208. https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0144 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/hukin-2019-0144
Lago-Peñas, C., & Lago-Ballesteros, J. (2011). Game location and team quality effects on performance profiles in professional soccer. Journal of sports science & medicine, 10(3), 465-471.
Lago-Peñas, C., Lago-Ballesteros, J., Dellal, A., & Gómez, M. (2010). Game-Related Statistics that Discriminated Winning, Drawing and Losing Teams from the Spanish Soccer League. Journal of sports science & medicine, 9(2), 288-293.
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. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638690 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.638690
Liu, H. (2015). Evaluation on Match Performances of Professional Football Players and Teams under Different Situational Conditions [Doctoral thesis, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid]. Universidad Politécnica de Madrid. Retrieved from [Accessed 2025, 02 September]: https://oa.upm.es/37261/1/HONGYOU_LIU.pdf
Liu, H., Gómez, M. A., Gonçalves, B., & Sampaio, J. (2016). Technical performance and match-to-match variation in elite football teams. Journal of sports sciences, 34(6), 509-518. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1117121 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1117121
Liu, H., Gomez, M. Á., Lago-Peñas, C., & Sampaio, J. (2015). Match statistics related to winning in the group stage of 2014 Brazil FIFA World Cup. Journal of sports sciences, 33(12), 1205-1213. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1022578 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2015.1022578
Liu, H., Hopkins, W., Gómez, A. M., & Molinuevo, S. J. (2013). Inter-operator reliability of live football match statistics from OPTA Sportsdata. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 13(3), 803-821. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2013.11868690 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2013.11868690
Matesanz, D., Holzmayer, F., Torgler, B., Schmidt, S. L., & Ortega, G. J. (2018). Transfer market activities and sportive performance in European first football leagues: A dynamic network approach. PloS one, 13(12), e0209362. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209362 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0209362
Moreira Praça, G., Braga Jacinto, A. L., de Sousa Pinheiro, G., de Oliveira Abreu, C., & Teoldo da Costa, V. (2023). What are the key performance indicators related to winning matches in the German Bundesliga? International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 23(4), 284-295. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2023.2227923 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2023.2227923
Morgans, R., Michele, R., Ceylan, I., Ryan, B., Haslam, C., & King, M. et al. (2025). Physical match performance of elite soccer players from the English Championship League and the English Premier League: The effects of opponent ranking and positional differences. Biology of Sport, 42(1), 29-38. https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.139079 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5114/biolsport.2025.139079
Prieto-González, P., Martín, V., Pacholek, M., Sal-de-Rellán, A., & Marcelino, R. (2024). Impact of offensive team variables on goal scoring in the first division of the Spanish soccer league: a comprehensive 10-year study. Scientific reports, 14(1), 25231. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77199-8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77199-8
Schreyer, D., Schmidt, S. L., & Torgler, B. (2018). Game Outcome Uncertainty in the English Premier League: Do German Fans Care? Journal of Sports Economics, 19(5), 625-644. https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002516673406 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1527002516673406
Taylor, J., Mellalieu, S., James, N., Barter, P. (2010). Situation variable effects and tactical performance in professional association football. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, 10(3), 255-269. https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2010.11868520 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/24748668.2010.11868520
Wang, S., & Qin, Y. (2023). The impact of crowd effects on home advantage of football matches during the COVID-19 pandemic-A systematic review. PloS one, 18(11), e0289899. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289899 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289899
World Medical Association (2013). World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki: ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects. JAMA, 310(20), 2191-2194. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2013.281053
Yi, Q., Gómez, M., Liu, H. i Sampaio, J. (2019). Variation of match statistics and football teams' match performance in the group stage of the EUFA Champions league from 2010 to 2017. Kinesiology, 51. (2.), 170-181. https://doi.org/10.26582/k.51.2.4 DOI: https://doi.org/10.26582/k.51.2.4
Yue, Z., Broich, H., & Mester, J. (2014). Statistical Analysis for the Soccer Matches of the First Bundesliga. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching, 9(3), 553-560. https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.9.3.553 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1260/1747-9541.9.3.553