A Comparative analysis of the physical, technical and tactical

performance leading to goals scored in elite male and female football

competition.

Leeds Beckett University.Carnegie Faculty.

Submitted in part fulfilment of the degree, BSc (Hons) Sports Coaching.

Jonathon Robert Holden (33238252)

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Declaration

I confirm that this Major Independent Study constitutes my own work. I confirm that the text of the submission does not exceed the upper word limit of 10,000 words.

Student (Print Name) ………………………………………………………………

Signed ………………………………………………………………

Date ………………………………………………………………

Supervisor ……………………………………………………………...

Date ……………………………………………………………..

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Contents

List of Tables..........................................................................................................................................5

List of Appendices..................................................................................................................................6

Acknowledgements...............................................................................................................................7

Abstract.................................................................................................................................................8

Introduction...........................................................................................................................................9

Aims and Objectives of this study....................................................................................................10

Literature Review................................................................................................................................11

Attacking Strategies.........................................................................................................................11

Physical Comparison........................................................................................................................13

Technical and Tactical Comparison..................................................................................................15

Method................................................................................................................................................18

Ethical Approval...............................................................................................................................18

Subjects...........................................................................................................................................18

Match Analysis.................................................................................................................................18

Data Analysis...................................................................................................................................20

Results.................................................................................................................................................22

How many goals were scored?........................................................................................................22

How were these goals scored?........................................................................................................22

Where were these goals scored from?............................................................................................23

How and where was the ball won?..................................................................................................24

How did they work their way in to position to score?.....................................................................25

When were the goals scored?.........................................................................................................26

How did the goals scored effect the state of the game?.................................................................27

Discussion............................................................................................................................................28

Conclusion...........................................................................................................................................33

References...........................................................................................................................................35

Appendices..........................................................................................................................................40

Appendix One..................................................................................................................................40

Appendix Two..................................................................................................................................41

Appendix Three...............................................................................................................................42

Appendix Four.................................................................................................................................43

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Appendix Five..................................................................................................................................44

Appendix 6.......................................................................................................................................48

Appendix Seven...............................................................................................................................52

Appendix Eight.................................................................................................................................53

Appendix Nine.................................................................................................................................54

Appendix Ten...................................................................................................................................55

Appendix Eleven..............................................................................................................................56

Appendix Twelve.............................................................................................................................57

Appendix Thirteen...........................................................................................................................58

Word Count: 9,660

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List of Tables

Table 1 – Table showing number of games played, goals scored, goal per game ratio and average distance of goals scored by male and female football teams.

Table 1.2 – Table showing how goals were scored by both teams, including statistics on distribution of left, right and headed goals and the techniques used.

Table 1.3 – Table showing data collected regarding the location in the net where goals were scored by both teams.

Table 2 – Table showing where possession was won and how it was won by both teams.

Table 3 – Table showing data collected on the number of players involved, number of touches on the ball and the average pass length in the build-up to a goal. This table also shows where the final ball distribution was made from.

Table 4 – Table showing when goals were scored during the duration of the game.

Table 4.2 – This table shows the match state prior to and post goals being scored.

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List of Appendices

Appendix 1 - Notational Analysis Tool

Appendix 2 - Pitch Channels

Appendix 3 - Goal Area

Appendix 4 – Goal Location

Appendix 5 – Male Notation Data

Appendix 6 – Female Notation Data

Appendix 7 – Male Goal Area Data

Appendix 8 – Female Goal Area Data

Appendix 9 – Male Goal Location Data

Appendix 10 – Female Goal Location Data

Appendix 11 – Thirds of a Pitch

Appendix 12 – Male Team Formation

Appendix 13 – Female Team Formation

Appendix 14 – Leeds Beckett University Ethics Forms

Appendix 15 – Meeting Minutes Forms

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Acknowledgements

My thanks firstly go to my friends, especially; Alex Hindwood, Jack Banks and John Bentley, who throughout my time, especially my final year at university, have always supported me and been there for reassurance throughout.

I would like to thank my M.I.S supervisor, Stephen McKeown for his endless support, enthusiasm and knowledge on my topic.

Thanks to every single player and staff member who I have the pleasure of working with at Leeds Beckett University Football Club and Bradford City Women’s Football Club for providing the inspiration for this research. It would be a huge understatement to say that, without working with these players, none of what I have learnt at university would have been meaningful. To those players who have contributed directly to my university work I am even more grateful.

I would also like to personally thank John Hall and Chris Welburn, who without I wouldn’t have been involved with the university football programme and would not have been able to achieve what I have so far as a coach. Both have been assessors on my FA coaching courses and been incredibly inspirational and motivating, as well as being incredible role models.

Finally I would like to thank Laura Gadd, without who I would probably have stopped working on this research project. She is someone who is always there for me and has always believed in me.

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Abstract

The popularity and professionalism of women’s football (soccer) continues to grow

all over the globe in the build up to the FIFA Women’s World Cup in Canada 2015.

With players being able to earn more from their footballing contracts than the

expenses they incur, putting them in to professional or semi-professional status. With

increased research in to the physical comparisons within male and female versions

of the game in existence, this study aims to present the technical and tactical

differences in the game too. This study identified the differences in attacking

strategies that lead to goals (n=66) created by two elite football teams. All the games

analysed were regular season games (n=24) played at the home ground of the two

teams being observed. One of the teams being analysed is a professional female

football team, while the other is a professional male football team. Both teams

finished first in their respective leagues in the season prior to this study being

conducted in April 2015. From the data compiled it is apparent that at present the

women’s game is far more technical and tactical opposed to the physical nature of

the male game. The build up to goals in the female game is slower and longer in

duration, allowing for more touches on the ball, more passes and more players to be

involved. It has also shown a stark contrast in the methods used by male and female

player to gain possession of the ball and the areas of the pitch for them to attempt to

do so. The number of goals scored by successful male and female teams is similar

over the course of 12 competitive league games. The average difference in distance

from goal for men to score from is .5m further away than goals scored by the female

team.

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Introduction

Analysis of football games has received great attention over the last decade or so.

The results of this analysis has been utilised by coaches for the planning of weekly

training sessions, their annual goals and informing their coaching philosophies. The

objective of analysis is to examine the strengths and weaknesses of a team or an

individual (Carling, Williams, & Reilly 2005). In this instance two teams have been

analysed to determine the difference in strategies used by elite male and female

football teams. The attacking strategies of many teams from all over the world have

been analysed, however predominately using male football teams in their samples.

Scoring goals is a rarity in football and given that they are the key statistic that

determines the outcome of a game, it is vital that teams are able to create them.

Goal scoring has received extensive attention in scientific research (Hughes &

Franks, 2005 and Tenga et al 2010). Armatas & Yiannakos (2010) reported that in

almost 70% of matches, the team scoring the first goal, goes on to win the game.

There is still a lack of scientific research published on the attacking strategies

employed in women’s football. The technical, tactical and physical attributes of male

and female footballers differ, Kirkendall et al, (2002). Mara et al, (2012) have

analysed the attacking strategies implemented by Australian W-League sides in 34

league games. The outcome of their research showed the differences in the

approaches taken by the most successful and the least successful teams in the

league over the course of a season. While Kirkendall et al, (2002) have compared

male and female strategies used at the 1998 and 1999 FIFA World Cup tournaments

in France and Brazil respectively. However the development of women’s football

over the last 16 years has been immeasurable, with the creation of ‘professional’

leagues for female’s in their early years all over the world. The Football Association

Women’s Super League (FA WSL) being introduced in England in 2010 when there

were just 8 founding teams. There are now 18 sides with licences to play in the two

tiered FA WSL in 2015, while the majority of the sides remaining semi-professional.

The National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) in the United States of America was

founded in 2012 following the demise of the Women’s Premier Soccer league, due to

financial reasons. While in the US, national team players are distributed evenly to

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each of the 8 member teams and are paid by the national governing bodies.

Statistics from The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA 2013) show that

women’s football is one of the fastest growing team sports in the world, with some

nations reporting increases of 511% in registered players over a five year period

leading up to the study being conducted. While the English ‘Game Changer’ strategy

has enhanced the funding in the female game in the country to £15M, the Football

Association still makes no mention of the differences in the male and female game in

either its coaching manual (FA 2014) or its Future Game document (FA 2010). There

is a severe lack of research done to compare elite male and female football, only

Bradley et al, (2014) have directly compared elite footballers previously.

Aims and Objectives of this study

This new research has specifically looked at the differences in: The position on the

field that possession of the ball is won, the number of individuals involved in the

build-up to a goal being scored, the number of touches each player has, the number

of ball distributions made, where the final ball distribution is made from, where the

shot on goal leading to a goal scored is made from, where in the goal the ball

crosses the goal line, the length of time passed from possession being won to a goal

being scored, the time of the goal and the state of the game pre and post goal being

scored. To ensure this study is as relevant as possible, both teams used are playing

at the highest level possible in club football. The study has assessed games played

in home league fixtures only to ensure that the reliability and validity of data recorded

is not affected by changes in the size of the pitch. The results from this study have

been generated with coaches in mind, to help highlight the key physical, technical

and tactical differences in male and female football. This information should not be

taken as being solely for football coaches, as other invasion sports such as rugby,

basketball and hockey may also have similar differences to those brought to light in

this study. The results of this study aim to help coaches create attacking strategies

based on the key physical, technical and tactical differences in male and female elite

football. The study also aims to define the development of female football in line with

that of male football.

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Literature Review

In order to compile this literature review, a systematic compilation of relative

research has been compiled using; Sport Discus, PubMed, Discover and Google

Scholar. Journals with key terms such as; gender differences in sport, attacking

strategies and soccer match analysis were located using these databases and were

narrowed down using date published to locate the most recent and up to date

studies in the related areas for this research project.

Attacking Strategies

The ability to score goals has a huge bearing on overall success levels, teams in

several of the world’s top leagues (English Premier League, Spanish Premiera and

the German Bundesliga) shows that those who score the most goals finish higher up

the league table. Teams at the top of the league were able to score 2 goals per

game on average while those at the bottom are only able to average 1 per game.

This is also the case for women’s teams competing in elite level competitions (Mara

et al 2012). To enhance their ability to score goals teams often create attacking

strategies with the intent of producing moments more likely to produce a goal

(Luhtanen et al, 2001). However, Cordes et al, (2012) suggested that coaches rarely

spend time comparing actual performance to that planned prior to the game, instead

opting to provide general feedback to the team. These attacking strategies are often

specific to the position on the pitch where possession is won and where the attacking

team wish to position the ball in order to create goal scoring opportunities (Horn et al,

2002). Again the quality of the team usually determines the areas of the pitch they

choose to exploit, Mara et al, (2012) found that the teams finishing in the top

positions scored most of their goals by attacking from the left, the mid-table teams

attacking from the right and the least successful teams attacked through the middle.

The type, length, height and direction of ball distribution is a vital factor in the

effectiveness in a team’s attacking strategy (Taylor et al, 2005 & Leite et al, 2009).

Mara et, al. (2012) analysed the strategies employed by teams in the Australian W-

League in 34 games, which showed that 24% of goals scored over the course of the

league season by all of the teams involved were the result of a cross in open play

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and that 26% of corners taken directly led to a shot on target. This would suggest

that crossing is a fundamental part of the game and should be a key aspect of

successful teams play. This research was conducted on the Australian national

women’s league, The W-League, which was established in 2008. This league is

dominated by Australian players, with the Australian national team sitting 10 th in the

world. This could question the quality of play being analysed by the researchers.

With women’s football increasing in stature and quality since 2012 when the

research was completed, the validity of this study at present is now questionable. In

analysing the attacking strategies of the 8 teams in the league in 2010/11 they

looked at all the games played in the league on all grounds throughout the country.

The amount of travel teams making to play in away games could have a significant

effect on their strategy in attack. The research does not discuss the formations used

by the teams either, this could also dictate the strategy they use to create goal-

scoring opportunities. The size of the pith being played is also not considered and

therefor this could affect the areas in which teams choose to attack from. Should a

pitch be narrow they would have less opportunity to play the ball in to the right or left

wing areas. Taylor et al. (2005) & Leite et al. (2009) both also suggested that the

area of the pitch in which possession of the ball is used is key to goal-scoring.

Teams who operate in the wide areas and manage to deliver a cross in to the central

area promote goal-scoring opportunities. Published research by Hughes & Franks

(2005) and Yiannakos & Armatas (2006) focusses on the comparisons between

direct (using long passes) and possession play (using shorter passes). This research

examined the relative success of these two different approaches to the game and

recommended that direct play was most effective in creating a goal-scoring

opportunity. However analysis from the 2011 Women’s World Cup suggests that the

long ball no longer has a place in the game according to FIFA (2011), yet this

approach was very effective in the 2014 Under 20 Women’s World Cup, FIFA

(2014). The differences in the U20’s ability to be successful through the long, direct

passing approach highlights the lack of ability to read the game, due to less

experienced players in comparison to those playing in the senior competition. It

could also be a sign that the game is changing and the physical capabilities of

female players is increasing and therefor allowing players to hit long, direct passes

that are now more effective due to the pace of the pass. Lago (2009) suggested that

teams often change the style of play during a game depending on the game

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situation, whether they were winning, losing or drawing. Teams retain possession of

the ball for longer periods, possession play, while losing in an attempt to dictate play.

This is opposed to when winning or drawing, these teams are more inclined to play

‘direct play’ as they are happy to counter attack their opposition, Bloomfield et al.

(2005), Jones et al. (2004) and Lago and Martin (2007). The attacking strategies of

many teams from all over the world have been analysed, however predominately

using male football teams in their samples. There is still a lack of scientific research

published on the attacking strategies employed in women’s football. The technical,

tactical and physical attributes of male and female footballers differ, Kirkendall et al.

(2002). This research suggests that the majority of goals scored in men’s football

were a direct result of set plays in contrast to women’s, where a large proportion of

goals scored were from open play. While research has been done on the

effectiveness of direct free-kicks in women’s football by Alcock (2010), little has been

done on the open play strategies.

Physical Comparison

While there are distinct differences in the intensity in which the men’s and women’s

games are played, the nature of the game, in terms of work-rest ratios, and

proportion of time spent moving at several different intensities is very similar

between men and women (Andersson et al. 2010, Gabbett & Mulvey 2008 and

Gabbett et al. 2012). Football has been characterised as a physical game defined by

athlete’s ability to perform high-intensity bouts of movement following longer periods

of low intensity movement, (Gabbett, Carius&Mulvey 2008 and Bradley et. al, 2013).

FIFA (2011) and Bradley et al, (2013) both suggest that female players are unable to

produce high levels of sprinting ability. The average distance sprinted at maximal

velocity in the 2011 Women’s World Cup was just 55m. This equates to just 0.5% of

the game time spent at maximum speed. Whereas men in the 2010 World Cup were

able to spend 5.1% of the time at top speed (FIFA 2010). However these figures

could be argued to be unfair as the sprint speed used for both groups were the

same, meaning female players had to reach the same speed as their male

counterparts to be considered to be sprinting. Lepers, Knechtle& Stapley (2013)

found that in the 2012 London Olympic Triathlon event that the average time

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difference over a 10km run was 12.3% in favour of males. While in cycling the time

difference over ranging distances from 100m to 2000m is 11% in favour of males

according to Schumacher, Mueller and Keul (2001).Baumgart, Hoppe &Freiwald

(2014) found that there is a difference of 11.3% and 31.6% in incremental and

interval shuttle run testing between male and female soccer players in Germany.

They also noted that the gender differences increased when the training was

intermittent and non-linear. With football being characterised as a physical game

where physical performance is measured by the distance covered in a game and an

athlete’s ability to perform short periods of high intensity, high velocity movement,

between longer periods of moderate to low speed running. So by using the same

speed variables to determine running intensity for male and female soccer players

could be seen as unfavourable to females. Baumgart et al (2014) used a male team

from division four of the national league to compare against a division one female

side, this was due to the similarity of training schedules to allow the tests to be

deemed fair. However a comparison of the most elite female footballers in Germany

could have been compared to the most elite male teams, this would have given a

better representation of the standard of elite women’s football in the country. The

tests run did allow for the assumed differences in physical ability between male and

females. The researchers allowed the female athletes to start at a slower speed than

the males in their incremental tests, however the increase in speeds were the same

for both. This would mean that the relative increase in pace for women would be

higher than that of their male comparisons. The tests were also done on different

days, the researchers noted a difference of seven degrees Celsius and 15% in

humidity on the two separate occasions. They failed to note in the article which

athletes had the benefit of the favourable conditions for their tests. While Datson et

al, (2014) state that women’s physical performance can be effected by their stage of

the menstrual cycle, something again the Baumgart et al study does not take in to

account.

As women train and compete at all stages of their menstrual cycle, the possible effect on performance should be considered. These effects have received a limited amount of research attention and the findings to date have been unclear. (Datson et al, 2014)

Pankhurst & Collins (2013) stated that the technical ability of an athlete is limited by

their physical development. The world records for 100m and 200m sprints for

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females has stood since 1988 while the male world records have been broken on

several occasions since then and most recently set in 2009 according to IAAF data

(http://www.iaaf.org/records/by-category/world-records). If the statement from

Pankhurst and Collins be considered fact then the inability of females to develop

over short sprint distances is holding back their ability to perform technically at the

elite level in football. Data collected by Vescovi & Favero (2014) provides evidence

that Division One players in the American college system have similar outputs in all

the speed bands used to analyse the movements of players regardless of whether

the complete the whole game, substituted on or substituted off. Coaches in this

league have an unlimited number of substitutions, in the second half, available to

them and players are free to leave and re-enter the same game after a substitution.

Carling et al, (2009) reported no difference in the work rates, of French first division

players, for second half substitutes in comparison to the players they had replaced in

the game. However an analysis completed by Bradley et al (2013) showed a

significant difference in both total distance covered, 117m/minute to 109m/minute,

and high intensity movement, 33m/minute to 23m/minute by players substituted on

compared to those playing a complete game.

Technical and Tactical Comparison

While a footballer has a requirement to have an all-round ability to move at varying

speeds, the game is more than just a physical contest (Gabbett, Carius & Mulvey

2008). Football is also a test of technical and psychological skill and an athlete’s

ability to perform under pressure and fatigue (Abernethy & Russell1987). Bradley et.

al (2013) suggested that the total time in possession of the ball, the total number of

touches and the duels won is was the same for players in the male and female

game. However it did suggest that male footballers have a better pass completion

and lost possession less often than females of a similar standard of competition.

Success at the 2010 FIFA World Cup depended on team’s abilities to intercept

passes and make tackles to recover possession of the ball, Barreira et al, (2013) and

Delgado-Bordonau(2013) stated team’s attacking ability was more important than the

quality of their defending in the same tournament. However they stated that the more

successful teams, those who reached the knock out stages, weren’t able to develop

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their attacking qualities yet their defensive ability declined as the tournament

continued. Teams in this tournament also paid a high price on possession and this

was successful as the teams who had most possession were able to win more often

than their opponents (FIFA 2010). Whereas in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil teams

with less possession were able to win 21 games (FIFA 2014). This was in large part

down to their ability to counter attack, FIFA (2011) stated that female footballers

weren’t able to counter attack due to the lack of explosive movements female

players are able to generate. While these study’s all discuss the strategies of

international male football in tournament play. Barreira et al, (2013) showed there

was a significant difference in the ball retrieval methods used by the most successful

teams from the group matches to the knock-out phase of the same tournament.

‘A notational analysis system has not been developed to evaluate the technical and tactical skill of a player in order to determine its importance in scoring goals during a soccer game. In fact, for an observer (usually the coach), the traditional method of assessing skill and its importance in a game has been to watch a game and make subjective conclusions about the individuals’ or team’s performance.’ (Thomas et al, 2009)

This research analysed individual skills performed over ten games for one college

football team in the United States of America. The results showed that on average

45% of the skills executed by players were defensively linked, yet the team being

assessed conceded just three goals in the ten game period under investigation and

averaged 2.3 goals per game scored by the team in question. The researchers

suggested that dribbling was the most important skill in the game, however only 8%

of games were spent by players dribbling with the ball and that defensive skills were

the least important in the game. Given the time spent by players performing these

types of skills it is hard to determine if these comments would be a fair assumption.

As coaches they may believe that defending is the least important aspect of the

game they need to work on as a team due to their excellent defensive record. Given

the small sample size of players analysed and that it was limited to one team’s style

of play it is impossible to generalise from the nature of this study.

There is a key difference between the genders at this age group, with female players

able to achieve success through the long ball up to the forward players, while male

players rely on individuals or counter attacks through midfield to create goal scoring

opportunities, FIFA (2014) and FIFA (2012). However the 2012 London Olympic

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tournament for men did include players over the age group as per FIFA’s ruling on

junior tournaments. The women’s 2012 Olympics were won again by USA, the fourth

time in the five occasions that women’s football has featured on the Olympic

calendar. FIFA (2012) suggested that the USA were able to heavily rely on the

individual brilliance of Carli Llyod, Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan to create

openings while other teams worked together cohesively to build up play using a

variety of attacking strategies and formations. The report from the Olympics showed

that each team now clearly has its own playing philosophy, as opposed to previous

tournaments, where teams would change styles of play from game to game. In all

three of the last major Women’s tournaments the majority of goals have come from

wing play (FIFA 2011, 2012 & 2014), compounding the importance of the research

complied by Mara et al, (2012). However the work of Thomas et al, (2009) cannot be

over looked when taking the importance of dribbling in to account. The lack of work

produced on women’s football globally means there is currently no data to tell us

how the ball was worked to the wing for the goals to be scored in the first place.

Wingers are renowned for their ability to travel at pace with the ball, especially in the

men’s game (Giggs, Robben, Ronaldo and Bale). Zubilagaet, al. (2013) identified the

influence of the position of the ball in team shape for Spanish women’s football

teams. This research used GPS tracking technology to analyse the position of

players in relation to the position of the ball at any given time in games. They were

able to establish the shape and size of the pitch being used during different phases

of play. From this coaches are able to determine the technical and tactical skills

players need in these moments of the game. This study did not make note of the

size of the pitch the six games was being played on or whether this was the same for

the whole study. This research may have been limited to one playing area and the

playing surface may also have an effect on this, the study does not say whether the

game was played on grass or an artificial surface. Research conducted by

Konstadinidou & Tsigilis (2005) suggested that teams who are able to make crosses

in to the mid-section of the receivers body, between the knee and shoulder, were

more successful than crosses of any other height. This would suggest that women’s

footballers are less likely to head the ball and prefer to control the ball before having

a shot at goal.

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Method

Ethical Approval

Before this research commenced all ethical approval requirements were passed in

accordance with Leeds Beckett University ethic’s processes. (See Appendix 14)

Subjects

Notational analysis coded all goals scored (n=36) in home games by two

professional football teams, one male and one female. The female team played 12

home games while the male team played 19, therefore only the games played

against the next best 12 teams have been analysed for this study. The two teams

that have been chosen in this study both won their respective leagues in the

season’s ending in 2014. All ball distributions, individual ball touches, set pieces and

shots have been coded from the time possession of the ball was won to the point the

ball crossing the goal line. The performance analysis also includes where on the field

possession was won and how it was regained by the team.

Match Analysis

Games publically broadcast for both teams were analysed using a hand notational

analysis system designed specifically for this study Appendix 1. The analysis was

compiled by an experienced data analyst who has experience in coaching both male

and female football of a high level. The observations were made in lapsed-time and

the analyst was permitted to pause, stop or rewind the footage at any time to

increase the accuracy of the date being coded, Bloomfield et al (2004). The variables

used in this study describe the attacking strategy produced by the attacking team

from possession being gained to the goal type. The variables used and the

associated definitions are outlined below.

Definitions:

Games Played – The total number of games analysed from each of the teams being used in the study.

Goals Scored – The total number of goals scored in all games played by each of the teams being used in the study.

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Goals:Game – The average number of goals scored per game each of the teams played.

Average Goal Distance – The average distance from goal the ball was last struck by the goals scorer before the goal was scored.

Average Goal Distance* - The average distance from goal the ball was last struck by the goal scorer before the goal was scored, minus those goals scored as a direct result of a penalty.

Player:Goal - The average number of different individual players involved from the time possession is won to a goal being scored.

Touch:Goal – The average number of individual touches on the ball from the time possession is won to a goal being scored. This number is inclusive of the final touch before the ball is deemed to have crossed the goal line for a goal.

Ball Distribution:Goal – The average number of distributions made from the time possession is won to a goal being scored. This does not include the final distribution from the goal scorer.

Average Pass Length – The average length of pass made from the time possession is won to a goal being scored.

Average Goal Duration – The average length of time that has elapsed from the moment possession is won to a goal being scored.

Attacking Strategy: This is broken down into where the ball is won, how the ball is won and the ball distribution type leading up to a goal being scored by the attacking team in possession of the ball.

Ball Distribution: This describes the movement the ball travels thorough leading up to a goal being scored.

Pass - intentional transfer of the ball from one player to another on the same team.

Cross - Intentional transfer of the ball from one player to another on the same team, from a wide zone (Left or Right) to the central zone inside the penalty area.

Free Kick - The method of restarting play after a foul has been committed. Corner - The method of restarting play if the defending team touches the ball

last and the ball goes out of play beyond the by-line. Throw in - The method of restarting play if the defending team touches the

ball last and the ball goes out of play beyond the side-line. Final Ball – The last ball transfer made to the individual who scores the goal.

Pass/Cross type: The method in which the intentional pass/cross is made from one player to another.

Conventional: distribution made with the inside of either foot that stays below knee height.

Driven: distribution made with the laces of either foot that travels below waist height.

Lofted: distribution made with the laces of either foot that travels above waist height.

Swerved: distribution made with the inside of either foot that bends, from left to right or right to left, as it travels from one player to the next.

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Left – The final ball distribution, to the goal scorer, was from the left wing area. See Appendix 2.

Right – The final ball distribution, to the goal scorer, was from the right wing area. See Appendix 2.

Centre – The final ball distribution, to the goal scorer, was from the central area. See Appendix 2.

Goal Type: This is broken down in to many areas including the part of the body used, the way in which this body part is used and the area from which a goal was scored, intentionally or not.

Left Foot– The goal was scored using the left leg/foot of the last individual, of the attacking team, to touch the ball before a goal was scored.

Right Foot – The goal was scored using the right leg/foot of the last individual, of the attacking team, to touch the ball before a goal was scored.

Head – The goal was scored using the head of the last individual, of the attacking team, to touch the ball before a goal was scored.

Inside – The inside of the foot was used to direct the ball in to the goal. Laced – The top section of the foot was used to direct the ball in to the goal. Glanced – The ball was deflected in to, using the pace of the ball distribution,

the goal by the goal scorers head. Driven – The goal scorer applied power to the ball, using their head, to direct

the ball in to the goal. Goal Time – The amount of time passed in the game from kick-off to the point

of the goal being scored. Goal Area – The area of the net in which the ball is placed for a goal to be

given. See appendix 3 Goal Location –The area on the pitch from which the goal was scored from.

See appendix 4

Data Analysis

All data has been analysed using Microsoft Excel (Version 2010 for Windows, USA).

The software was used to produce total and average figures for the various aspects

of the data collected through the hand notational analysis of the technical and

tactical performanceAppendix 5 - Male and Appendix 6 – Female. The analysis has

examined the differences in the number of passes, players involved and the number

of individual touches on the ball by those players from the moment possession of the

ball has been won to the moment a goal was scored by the attacking team. Data has

also been recorded to understand where on the pitch the ball was won, how the ball

has been won and the area from which the final ball distribution was made before a

shot was made that lead to a goal being scored. An examination of each goal has

20 | P a g e

been to establish the location the shot was taken from and the area of the net the

goal was scored in.

21 | P a g e

ResultsHow many goals were scored?

The data collected showed that the teams scored 66 goals between them in the 24

games that were analysed. Both teams failed to score in one game each, this

resulted in a 0-0 draw for the female team while the male team went on to record a

0-1 defeat. The male team scored a total of 36 goals and 3 goals per game, while

the female team scored 30 at an average of 2.5 per game for the 12 games they

played. This is a difference of 16% in favour of the male team over the female side.

Table 1

Male FemaleGoal Data

Games Played 12 12Goals Scored 36 30Goals:Game 3 2.5Average Goal Distance 11.61 11.33Average Goal Distance*

11.71 11.21

How were these goals scored?

Table 1.2

Male FemaleHow Scored

Right Foot 24 22Left Foot 9 3Head 3 5

TechniqueInside 20 16Laced 13 19Glanced 1 4Driven 2 1

Analysis shows that these goals were scored in a variety of different ways by each of

the two teams, these included the use of left and right feet and the head. Males

22 | P a g e

scored 24 goals using their right foot (66.6%), 9 with their left foot (25%) and 3 with

their head (8.3%). Females scored 22 goals with their right foot (73%), 3 with their

left foot (10%) and 5 with their head (17%). From those goals scored with their feet,

20 were scored with the inside of the foot (60.60%) my male players and 16 goals

were scored using the same technique by female players (45.71%). While male

players scored 66.66% of their headers by driving the ball at goal as opposed to just

16.66% of female players scoring a header in this way. Appendix 7 – Male

&Appendix 8 - Female shows a breakdown of all the goals scored by giving an

overview of where the goals were scored in relation to the goal area itself by both

male and female teams respectively, this information has also been presented in

table 1.3. The female side were able to score 70% of their goals in the corners of the

goal, while the male side scored just 57.14% of their goals in the same four zones.

This means just 30% of goals scored by the female sides were placed in the 5 other

zones of the goal as opposed to the 42.85% scored in the same areas by the male

side.

Table 1.3

Goal Area Male FemaleCorners

Top Left 2 2Top Right 1 2Bottom Left 8 8Bottom Right 9 9

OtherTop Centre 3 4Right Centre 1 0Centre 4 5Bottom Centre 7 0Left Centre 1 0Total 36 30

Where were these goals scored from?

Table 1 shows that including penalties scored (Total 7 – Male:2, Female:5) the

average distance from goal that the shot leading to a goal scored was 11.61 yards

compared to 11.33 yards respectively, a difference of just 2.41%. However when

penalties scored are removed from the analysis, these distances do change in

23 | P a g e

contrasting ways. The average distance for males increases to 11.71 while females

score from a distance of 11.21 yards on average from open play. Appendix 9 shows

the areas from which goals were scored from by the male team, while Appendix 10

shows the goals from the female team. This shows that 94.44% of goals scored by

the male team are from central areas of the penalty box, while in the same zone the

female side scored 83.33% of their goals. The male side scored 7 goals from outside

the penalty area (19.44%) as opposed to 5 (16.66%) by the female team.

How and where was the ball won?

Table 2 shows a synthesis of the data collected using appendix 11 that explore the

way in which the two teams win the ball back that lead to the period of play building

up to a goal being scored. These show that there is large difference in the area of

the pitch and the method used to win the ball back between the two sides. With the

male team winning possession more often in the attacking third 57.14% of the time in

the build-up to their 36 goals while the female side regained possession 46.66% in

defence and 43.33% in midfield in the process of scoring goals. The male side were

able to regain possession through winning a tackle 33.33% of the time while females

won possession through interceptions more often than any other method, doing this

63.33% of the time.

Table 2

Male FemaleHow Ball Won

Tackle 12 2Interception 13 19Foul 5 2Dead Ball 6 7

Where Ball WonDefence 5 14Midfield 11 13Attack 20 3

24 | P a g e

How did they work their way in to position to score?

In the build-up to goals the female team had more interactions with the ball than the

male side, using an average of 5.43 different players in the process of scoring as

opposed to 2.72 by the male side. This also has an impact on the number of passes

per goal with just 1.75 passes being made in the average goal by the male side as

opposed to 5.77 by the female team to create a goal. With more passes and

individuals involved for the female side this meant more individual touches on the

ball per goal for the female side with 17.87 touches compared to 5.47 for the males.

With extra players and additional touches on the ball, this has meant significant

differences in the time taken from winning the ball, to scoring. The average time

taken for goals scored in the female game was 40.17 seconds. The male team were

able to score much quicker, in an average time of 8.89 seconds from winning the

ball. Data produced also showed differences in the area the final ball distribution to

the goal scorer came from. This showed that the final ball distribution for the male

sides came from the centre on 72.22% of the time while from the right and left it was

11.11% and 16.67% respectively. While for the female sides the final ball distribution

was from the right on 50% of occasions, 36.67% of goals came from the left and just

13.33% from the centre of the pitch.

25 | P a g e

Table 3

Male FemaleBuild Up

Players:Goal 2.72 5.43Touches:Goal 5.47 17.87Passes:Goal 1.75 5.57Average Pass Length 15.91 14.87Average Goal Duration 8.89 40.17

Final BallLeft 6 11Right 4 15Centre 26 4

When were the goals scored?

The times of goals scored also proved contrasting, with the male team scoring 9

goals in the opening half an hour of games compare to 5 for the female team. The

last 15 minutes of the first half lead to 8 goals for the male side as opposed to just 5

for the female team. The 15 minutes straight after half time also allowed for more

goals for the male side, scoring 9 compared to the 7 by the female side. However the

final 15 minutes of normal time allowed the female team to score 11 goals in

comparison to the male side. The two teams both scored 2 goals each in time added

on to the 90. This meant a combined 17 goals in the first half in the men’s game

compared to just 10 in those games played by the female team, a difference of

41.14%. While in the second half, including time added on, the female side scored

20 goals compared to the 19 scored by the male side, representing a difference of

5.26 in favour of the female team.

Table 4

Goal Time Male FemaleFirst Half

0-15 6 216-30 3 331-45 8 5

Second Half45-60 9 761-75 5 576-90 3 690+ 2 2Total 36 30

26 | P a g e

How did the goals scored effect the state of the game?

Table 4.2 shows the effect the goals scored by each of the teams had on the state of

the game. The mens team were able to add to their lead on 21 occasions, take the

lead on 13 and score in response to being behind on 2 occasions. This mean that

they were able to score 34 goals that gave or extended their lead 34 times, with just

2 goals they scored meant they were only in a drawing position and that they never

scored a goal that meant they were still in a losing position. The female side scored

14 times when winning games, 11 while drawing and 5 when behind in games. This

meant they were also able to add to their lead or create a goal lead on 25 occasions

and brought themselves back in to contention for the win on 5. Again they were

never more than a goal behind as they didn’t score a goal that meant they were still

behind in any of the games they scored in.

Table 4.2

Match State Male FemalePre Goal

Winning 21 14Drawing 13 11Losing 2 5

Post GoalWinning 34 25Drawing 2 5Losing 0 0

27 | P a g e

Discussion

This study identified the key physical, technical and tactical differences that led to

goals scored in elite male and female football. Kirkendall et al, (2002) have

previously stated that there are definitive differences in the technical, tactical and

physical attributes of male and female footballers. A key finding of the study was the

time taken from winning the ball to scoring was much longer in the female game than

in goals scored by the male team. The results of data collected showed that more

players were involved in the build-up to goals being scored and each player was able

to have more touches on the ball in games played by the female team. The average

pass length was similar, with a difference of 1.04 meters longer for male players. All

these contributing factors meant that the time it took the female team to score a goal

on average was in excess of forty seconds, compared to the male side who were

able to win the ball and score in less than nine. This shows that there is a physical

limitation on their ability, female players aren’t strong enough to make passes as

long as their male counterparts, and therefor make more passes of a shorter

distance to make up for this. This in turn means more players have to be involved in

each goal, creating more touches on the ball in the process and slowing the game

down. The Women’s World Cup in Germany proved that women’s football was now

world class according to FIFA (2011). This report showed that long, direct passing

was no longer an effective strategy. Taylor et al, (2005) and Leite et al, (2009) both

acknowledge the ball distribution methods used by attacking teams as the single

most influential factor on their attacking strategy. This is clear in the way that this

female team has set up to play the game, making short passes, building play from

the back before crossing the ball in to the box from the wide areas. This has been

reported in the past to be the most effective way of producing an opportunity to

create a shot on goal, Konstadinidou & Tsigilis (2005). The importance of producing

a cross from the wide areas of the pitch has been observed through scientific

research by Huges & Franks (2005) and Yiannakos & Armatas (2006) who stated

that goals were more likely to be scored from producing a cross the wide channels of

the pitch in to the central goal area. When ‘world class football’ is imagined by the

general public it is the men’s game that they picture. From this study we know that

72.22% of the goals scored by the male team in this study are scored by attacking

28 | P a g e

the central zone of the pitch, not by crossing from the wide areas. When you take in

to account the size of the pitches in use for these studies, 115x75 for the female

team, and 116x77 for the male team, the female pitch is 307 meter squared smaller

or 95% of the size of the male pitch. This means that the female team have less

ground to cover, yet still take a longer period of time to score and are more inclined

to play the ball in to wide areas before playing the ball back inside when sufficient

space has been created in the goal area. The female players were more inclined to

pass the ball to the player, rather than in to space, which was the tactical approach

used by the male team in this analysis. This meant that the female players had to

take more touches on the ball to move the ball in to the space in front of them before

being able to advance with the ball or make a further pass. Mara et al (2012) stated

that the teams who were able to create goal scoring opportunities via attacking the

left wing area of the pitch were more likely to be successful in their league. This

study however shows that the female team, who won their league, scored more

goals from the right than the left, while the male team scored 28 goals from the

centre. This shows how quickly the style and the quality of play in the female game

has changed since the analysis on the Australian W-League was conducted. This

leads on to another key finding, the areas in which the ball is won by the two teams

in the build-up to a goal being scored. There are very specific differences in this area

of the study, with the female team being happy to sit back, covering spaces in order

to intercept passes by the opposition. While the male team win the ball high up the

pitch, through tackles as often as they intercept passes. Horn et al, (2002) reporting

that the attacking strategy that teams use rely heavily on the position they win the

ball from. From the 36 goals scored by the male team, they were able to win the ball

in the attacking third of the pitch on 20 occasions in comparison to the 3 times the

female team were able to do this. While the female team were willing to win the ball

further back, winning possession a combined 27 times in the midfield and defensive

thirds before exploring possession based play to create goal-scoring opportunities.

This has had an effect on the duration of these goal-scoring plays, but also shows an

inability of female players to close down their opposition, this is due to the lack of

time they can spend moving at high intensity movements, Baumgart et al (2014).

While they aren’t able to move quick enough, often enough, to win the ball back by

closing down their opponents to tackle them as often as their male counterparts, they

do win the ball back more often through dead balls and interceptions. This confirms

29 | P a g e

the points raised by Bradley et al (2014) that male players give the ball away through

misplaced passes on a less regular basis than female players. So the tactical

decision by the female team to cover spaces and intercept a pass is playing to their

strengths, while the male players are able to press and win the ball via a tackle due

to their physical ability to press the opposition. Physical differences have also had a

big difference in the area of the goal in which the goal was actually scored too. With

the female players choosing to place the ball in the corner of the goal 70% of the

time, while the sheer power of male players meant they were able to score 42.86%

of their goals in the central zones of the goal. With the average distance from goal

being closer for female players at 11.21 meters as opposed to 11.71 meter for male

players, it is interesting to note the way in which the goal was struck. With female

players scoring by shooting with their laces 19:16 compared to the inside of their

foot. This suggests they need to create more power on the ball from a relatively

shorter distance than the male players did. Males used the inside of their foot 20

times compared to 13 goals scored using the more powerful technique. So while the

female players score from a closer range to goal, they are required to use the more

powerful method of sticking the ball more often than the male players. It is also

interesting to see that female players scored more goals from using their heads,

scoring 5 compared to the total of 3 by the males. This has also shown the opposite

theory to the last key finding in that most of the headers scored by the female

players were scored using a glanced technique, essentially deflecting the ball in to

the goal as opposed to the powerful technique adopted by male players to score

using their head. These key findings have shown differences in the ways in which

male and female players; win the ball, what they do to move the ball to an area in

which they can score from and the method they use for striking the ball at goal.

These differences need to be taken in to account by coaches working with the two

different types of footballers. The women’s game is slower due to the physical

limitations on the individual players. However this means that the female game is far

more technical and tactical in nature as a result of these limitations. The statement

by Pankhurst & Collins (2013) that physical ability limits technical and tactical ability

is then incorrect. The physical limitation on female players, their inability to reach the

same speeds and produce lower levels of high intensity movement actually allows

them to express their technical and tactical ability. The very fact that they cannot

move as fast as male players means they have more contact time on the ball, more

30 | P a g e

touches, make more passes means they have to be more technically and tactically

adept. While male players are able to use their pace and power to overrun defences

by hitting long, direct passes over the top of defences to run on to and score, female

players build up possession slower, move the ball over shorter distances, create

more passes to beat players using combination play before shooting from closer at

goal. The fact that the female players had more touches on the ball goes against the

research done by Bradley et al (2014). This previous research showed there were no

significant differences in technical events in elite male and female players in the

UEFA Champions league. However we know from Delgado-Bordonau et al, (2013)

that there are differences between knockout and league games in the way in which

teams play. Barreira et al, (2013) also showed that the methods used in winning

back possession from group stages to knock out games within the same competition

changed significantly.To understand these differences we must however look at the

basic formation of the two teams that have been analysed in this study, appendix 12

shows the formation most used by the male team. This formation utilises the central

zone of the pitch, with two strikers occupying the defence. While appendix 13 shows

the formation of the female side, who have three forwards, but only one in a central

area. This means that these teams are set up to play a certain way, and their ability

to score goals in the way they do, means they are adhering to the tactics set out by

their coaches, Cordes et al (2012). With the female team creating space in the

centre by having players out in the wide areas they are more likely to create an

opportunity to make a pass or cross to someone in that area without this being

intercepted. Whereas the male team have a very concentrated number of players in

the central area, looking to play the ball in that area direct to the most advanced

players. Research compiled byKirkendall et al (2002), noted that a large proportion

of goals in male football were scored as a direct result of set pieces, appendix 5

shows that 9 of their 36 goals were scored as a direct result of a set piece. Their

research compared this by saying that female teams scored the majority of their

goals came from open play, however appendix 6 shows that half of the 30 goals

scored involved at least one set piece in the build-up to a goal being scored. These

appendices also show that the final ball distribution before a goal being scored by

the female team came from behind the last defender and into the central area of goal

from the wide areas. However the male team opted to make the final ball distribution

from in front of the defence. This meant that the defenders would have to turn

31 | P a g e

through 180 degrees before making a run towards the ball. This would give the

attacking team a split second advantage and the ability to beat any offside decision

being made. From the same appendices, it also evident that the midfield of the

female team bring a higher percentage of goals to the team than their forwards,

which is the contrary for the male side. Both teams having three goals scored by

their defence but again a higher percentage scored by the defenders for the female

side. This shows that the female side, who play with three forwards, two playing in

the wide areas, work the ball forward to these wide players and use the central

forward as a decoy for their midfielders. The midfielder’s are able to make forward

runs, leaving one of the three midfielders back to cover in defence. This means they

are able to arrive in the central area of the penalty area late and get their shots on

target because of the space created by the central forward getting in position near to

goal keeper. Despite having one less forward than the female team, the male

forwards score the most of their teams goals, again proving the long ball over the top

for the forwards to run on to it a tactical approach exploited well be the male side.

32 | P a g e

Conclusion

While this study has set out to outline the key physical, technical and tactical

differences of male and female elite footballers, the reason behind this study is to

inform coaches working with male and/or female players. This research has shown

that there are key differences in the two forms of the game that have not previously

been highlighted. For coaches to be successful they must first understand the

demands of the game and be able to link these to the needs of their athletes,

Abraham et al (2014). With approximately 90% of qualified coaches in England being

male and just 5 of the 15 strong female football committee at the English Football

Association being female according to UEFA (2013), those with experience of

playing and or coaching women’s football isn’t high. Therefore this research is vital to

increase the understanding of those who work within female football currently or who

do so in the future. This research outlines that female players need to experience

more touches on the ball in training sessions to be able to take that in to their match

play, while male players should be constrained to a limited number of touches to

increase the speed of their decisions and actions on the pitch. Female players need

to be given specific training sessions designed around the demands of the game as

it is for female players and shouldn’t be coached as if they are a male team. The

physical differences that are influencing the nature of female football should not be

seen as a negative, but an opportunity to develop players in a different way, to play

the game differently but to an equally exceptional standard as their male

counterparts. The limitations of this study mean that only one male and female club

football team have been analysed, therefore the data coming from it does not take in

to account playing styles from various countries. The two teams analysed play on

different continents and during different seasons over the year, which could have an

effect on the playing styles. With one of the teams included in the study playing on

grass and the other playing on an artificial surface, this too could provide

explanations for the differences in the data. However this study has provided

information for a gap in previous studies and could and should be built on in future.

This would allow differences in football cultures to be taken in to account when

analysing the style of play. The United States Soccer Federation’s Soccer

Curriculum (N.D.) for example provides little emphasis on 1v1 scenarios in coaching.

33 | P a g e

This is evident in the way in which the female team, who have just three players from

outside the US in their roster, play. However the coach of this side has successful

experience of coaching in several other countries. This shows that a coach can get

the best out of their players by understanding the previous playing abilities of their

players. The rate at which the women’s game of football is growing is truly amazing

and with more research in the differences between male and female football can only

serve to provide better coaches working with female players to aid their

development. Throughout this study it has become clear that female players are

capable of some exceptional things on a football field on and off the ball.

34 | P a g e

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Appendices

Appendix One

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Appendix Two

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Appendix Three

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Appendix Four

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Appendix Five

Goal NumberTime of Goal

Goal Duration (s) Goal Scorer

Player Position

Match State Pre

Match State Post

1 5.55 11 Silva Midfield Drawing Winning2 21.25 8 Aguero Forward Winning Winning3 49.59 58 Toure Midfield Winning Winning4 74.17 5 Nasri Midfield Winning Winning5 15.31 22 Aguero Forward Drawing Winning6 45.45 3 Toure Midfield Winning Winning7 46.02 7 Aguero Forward Winning Winning8 49.49 23 Nasri Midfield Winning Winning9 16.45 8 Negredo Forward Losing Drawing

10 44.03 12 Aguero Forward Drawing Winning11 68.51 1 Aguero Forward Winning Winning12 0.13 6 Navas Forward Drawing Winning13 33.36 6 Negredo Forward Winning Winning14 40.04 8 Aguero Forward Winning Winning15 49.36 6 Aguero Forward Winning Winning16 54.48 5 Negredo Forward Winning Winning17 91.16 14 Navas Forward Winning Winning18 7.53 2 Negredo Forward Drawing Winning19 57.26 6 Nasri Midfield Winning Winning20 76.06 8 Nasri Midfield Winning Winning21 13.06 5 Aguero Forward Drawing Winning22 38.06 6 Negredo Forward Drawing Winning23 49.57 3 Fernandinho Midfield Winning Winning24 65.14 12 Silva Midfield Winning Winning25 87.08 16 Fernandinho Midfield Winning Winning26 95.11 1 Toure Midfield Winning Winning27 30.11 4 Kompany Defender Losing Drawing28 45.09 9 Negredo Forward Drawing Winning29 65.42 5 Dzeko Forward Drawing Winning30 69.35 4 Toure Midfield Drawing Winning31 2.52 1 Toure Midfield Drawing Winning32 45.15 8 Nasri Midfield Drawing Winning33 48.12 6 Dzeko Forward Winning Winning34 80.19 8 Jovetic Defender Winning Winning35 38.49 9 Nasri Midfield Drawing Winning36 48.49 4 Kompany Defender Winning Winning

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How ScoredGoal Distance Goal Position

How Ball Won

Where Ball Won

Head - Driven, TC 10 Inside Intermediate Central Throwin MidfieldShot, RF, Driven, BRHC 19 Outside Central Tackle DefenceFK - IRF, TLHC 19 Outside Central Foul AttackShot, LF, Driven, BRHC 16 Inside Extreme Central Interception MidfieldVolley, LF, TRHC 8 Inside Intermediate Central Tackle MidfieldShot, ILF, BLHC 3 Inside Immediate Central Corner AttackShot, IRF, Centre 6 Inside Immediate Central Tackle AttackShot, IRF, Centre 7 Inside Intermediate Left Central Tackle DefenceShot, IRF, BLHC 8 Inside Intermediate Left Central Interception MidfieldShot, IRF, BLHC 10 Inside Intermediate Right Interception DefencePen, IRF, BRHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central Foul AttackLob, RF, TLHC 18 Inside Extreme Outside Right Interception AttackShot, IRF, Centre 8 Inside Intermediate Central Tackle MidfieldShot, ILF, BLHC 6 Inside Immediate Central Tackle MidfieldShot, IRF, BRHC 15 Inside Extreme Right Central Interception MidfieldShot, LF, Driven, BRHC 18 Outside Central Interception MidfieldShot, RF, Driven, BLHC 11 Inside Intermediate Right Central GK DefenceFK - ILF, LC 20 Outside Central Foul AttackShot, ILF, BLHC 11 Inside Intermediate Central Tackle AttackShot, LF, Driven, BRHC 14 Inside Extreme Central Tackle MidfieldVolley, RF, Centre 6 Inside Immediate Right Central Corner AttackShot, IRF, Bottom Centre 5 Inside Immediate Central Tackle AttackShot, IRF, BRHC 22 Outside Central Interception AttackShot, ILF, Top Centre 8 Inside Intermdeiate Right Central Tackle AttackLob, RF, BLHC 10 Inside Intermediate Central Interception AttackPen, IRF, BRHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central Foul AttackHead - Glanced, Bottom Centre 6 Inside Immediate Right Central Corner AttackLob, RF, Bottom Centre 20 Outside Central Tackle DefenceShot, RF Right Centre 11 Inside Intermediate Central Interception AttackShot, RF, Bottom Centre 7 Inside Intermdeiate Left Central Interception AttackPen, IRF, BRHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central Foul AttackShot, IRF, Bottom Centre 7 Inside Intermediate Central Tackle AttackHead, Driven, Top Centre 5 Inside Immediate Central Interception AttackShot, IRF, Bottom Centre 7 Inside Intermediate Central Interception MidfieldShot, Driven, LF, BLHC 35 Outside Central Interception MidfieldShot, IRF, Bottom Centre 6 Inside Immediate Central Corner Attack

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Number of Players InvolvedTotal Touches on Ball Number of Passes Average Pass Length

Set Pieces

4 9 5 15 13 7 2 15 01 1 0 0 12 4 1 40 04 16 3 20 03 3 2 20 13 6 2 15 03 7 2 20 04 9 3 18 04 10 3 23 01 1 0 0 02 3 0 0 04 7 2 30 03 5 2 25 03 7 2 15 02 5 1 30 04 10 3 33 11 1 0 0 12 8 1 10 04 6 3 20 03 3 2 20 13 5 2 15 01 3 0 0 03 10 2 15 02 8 2 8 01 1 0 0 02 2 1 30 15 8 4 25 02 3 1 15 03 4 2 8 01 1 0 0 04 8 3 15 03 4 2 20 03 4 2 25 02 5 1 6 03 3 2 22 1

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Channel Final Ball From Play SwitchedTimes Switched

Centre 0Centre 0Centre 0Centre 0Left Centre to Left 2

RightRight to Centre 1

Centre 0Centre 0Centre 0Centre 0Centre 0Centre 0Centre Centre to Left 2Right Left to Centre 1Centre 0Centre 0Left Left to Centre 1Centre 0Centre 0Centre Centre to Left 2

CentreRight to Centre 1

Centre 0Centre 0

RightRight to Centre 1

Centre 0Centre 0Left Left to Centre 1Centre 0Centre 0Left Left to Centre 1Centre 0Centre 0Left Left to Centre 2

RightRight to Centre 2

Centre 0Left Left to Centre 1

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Appendix 6

Goal NumberTime of Goal

Goal Duration (S)

Goal Scorer

Player Position

Match State Pre

Match State Post

1 48.21 88 Little Midfield Drawing Winning2 53.22 19 Little Midfield Winning Winning3 87.33 23 Rapinoe Forward Winning Winning4 1.54 92 Fletcher Defender Drawing Winning5 48.07 56 Winters Midfield Winning Winning6 79.33 23 Fishlock Midfield Winning Winning7 18.45 48 Little Midfield Drawing Winning8 37.51 14 Little Midfield Winning Winning9 15.24 123 Fletcher Defender Drawing Winning

10 17.58 55 Little Midfield Winning Winning11 75.56 72 Winters Defender Drawing Winning12 44.13 15 Fishlock Midfield Losing Drawing13 92.35 12 Little Midfield Losing Drawing14 65.07 76 Little Midfield Losing Drawing15 67.58 8 Leroux Forward Drawing Winning16 77.06 103 Little Midfield Winning Winning17 54.55 32 Kawasumi Forward Losing Drawing18 75.56 51 Little Midfield Drawing Winning19 82.54 4 Kawasumi Forward Drawing Winning20 69.05 133 Goebel Forward Drawing Winning21 16.34 14 Leroux Forward Drawing Winning22 53.04 9 Kawasumi Forward Winning Winning23 48.18 18 Kawasumi Forward Winning Winning24 53.17 14 Rapinoe Forward Winning Winning25 93.13 4 Little Midfield Winning Winning26 31.03 31 Kawasumi Forward Drawing Winning27 33.16 14 Kawasumi Forward Winning Winning28 38.24 26 Goebel Forward Winning Winning29 62.01 16 Little Midfield Winning Winning30 88.02 12 Little Midfield Losing Drawing

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How ScoredGoal Distance Goal Position

How Ball Won

Pen-IRF, BLHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central TackleShot - IRF, BLHC 15 Inside Extreme Central OffsideShot - IRF, Centre 7 Inside Extreme Central GKHead - Glanced, TC 6 Inside Intermediate Central InterceptionHead - Driven, TC 5 Inside Immediate Central InterceptionShot - Driven, RF, BLHC 23 Outside Right Central InterceptionPen-IRF, BRHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central Foul

Shot - IRF, Centre 11Inside Intermediate Right Central Tackle

Shot - IRF, Centre 8 Inside Intermediate Central OffsidePen - IRF, TLHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central OffsideHead - Glanced, TC 11 Inside Intermediate Central InterceptionVolley - Driven RF, BLHC 11 Inside Intermediate Central InterceptionShot - Driven LF, BRHC 19 Outside Left Central InterceptionPen - IRF, BLHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central InterceptionShot - RF, TC, Lob 22 Outside Left Central ThrowinPen - IRF, BRHC 12 Inside Intermediate Central InterceptionVolley - Driven, RF, BLHC 6 Inside Immediate Right Central InterceptionShot - ILF, BRHC 8 Inside Intermediate Left Central GKShot - IRF, BRHC 10 Inside Extreme Central InterceptionShot - IRF, Centre 8 Inside Intermediate Central InterceptionShot - ILF, BLHC 7 Inside Intermdiate Left InterceptionHead - Glanced, TRHC 11 Inside Intermediate Central Interception

Shot - Driven, RF, BLHC 13Inside Intermediate Right Central Interception

Head - Glanced, TLHC 7 Inside Intermediate Left Central Interception

Shot - IRF, BRHC 10Inside Intermediate Right Central Interception

Shot - Driven, RF, TRHC 8 Outside Left Central InterceptionVolley - Lob, RF, Centre 23 Inside Extreme Central FoulShot - IRF, BRHC 13 Outside Left Central InterceptionShot - Driven, RF, BRHC 10 Inside Intermediate Central GKShot - IRF, BRHC 8 Inside Intermediate Left Central Interception

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Where Ball Won

Number of Players Involved

Total Touches on Ball

Number of Passes

Defence 3 13 3Defence 6 14 4Defence 4 8 3Midfield 8 29 12Midfield 7 30 7Defence 7 21 6Midfield 3 6 1Midfield 3 14 2Defence 10 68 25Defence 5 11 4Defence 10 36 11Midfield 5 7 4Defence 5 9 4Midfield 5 23 5Attack 3 10 2Defence 8 29 11Defence 9 25 9Defence 8 34 11Attack 2 3 1Midfield 8 17 7Defence 4 12 3Midfield 2 11 1Defence 5 18 4Midfield 4 15 5Attack 1 3 0Midfield 9 26 11Midfield 4 9 5Midfield 5 12 4Defence 5 12 4Midfield 5 11 4

Average Pass Set Channel Final Ball Play Times

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Length Pieces From Switched Switched

10 0 LeftCentre to Left 1

20 2 Centre 016.25 1 Centre 0

16.5 2 LeftCentre to Left 1

14.25 1 LeftCentre to Left 2

12.5 0 Centre Left to Right 320 2 Left 025 0 Centre 0

12.5 1 Left Right to Left 625 2 Right Left to Right 2

15 1 LeftLeft, Right, Left 6

20 0 Left Right to Left 3

20 0 CentreLeft to Centre 1

15 1 Centre Right to Left 2

12.5 1 LeftLeft to Centre 1

10 1 Right Left to Right 6

10 0 LeftLeft to Centre 5

15 1 Centre Left to Right 65 0 Centre 0

12.5 1 RightLeft to Centre 2

10 0 Centre 025 0 Left 0

20 0 CentreRight to Centre 2

8 0 RightRight to Centre 2

0 0 Centre 010 0 Left Right to Left 3

12.5 1 CentreLeft to Centre 1

25 0 Centre 0

16.25 1 CentreCentre to Left 2

12.25 0 Centre 0

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Appendix Seven

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Appendix Eight

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Appendix Nine

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Appendix Ten

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Appendix Eleven

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Appendix Twelve

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Appendix Thirteen

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