SynthesisPloS one2022
A systematic review about the performance indicators related to ball possession.
Synthesis in PloS one, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Physical, tactical and technical performance of the most demanding passages of kinematic activity in elite soccer.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Assessing the stability of tactical learning in youth footballers: the contribution of a metacognitive double-pass method.Frontiers in cognition · 2026Article
- The relationship between penetrative actions and football match outcomes: evidence from the 2022 FIFA World Cup.Biology of sport · 2026Article
- Key performance indicators of offensive transitions in elite women's football: a machine learning and explainability approach.Biology of sport · 2026Article
- Possession vs. goal scoring during small-sided games in soccer: a narrative mini-review on the effects on physiological, physical, technical and tactical performance.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2026Review
- Comparative Analysis of Passing, Possession, and Goal-Scoring Trends in Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024.Sports (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Impact of defensive team variables on goals conceded in the first division of the Spanish soccer league: a 10-year study.Biology of sport · 2025Article
- The positional demands of explosive actions in elite soccer: Comparison of English Premier League and French Ligue 1.Biology of sport · 2025Article
- Article
- Match running performance is influenced by possession and team formation in an English Premier League team.Biology of sport · 2024Article
- Match running performance preceding scoring and conceding a goal in men's professional soccer.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Passing path predicts shooting outcome in football.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Are EFI data valuable? Evidence from the 2022 FIFA World Cup group stage.Biology of sport · 2024Article
- Clustering ball possession duration according to players' role in football small-sided games.PloS one · 2022Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
The purpose of this review was to investigate the influence of the performance indicators related to ball possession on the match outcome and team performance. Following the PRISMA 2020 (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines, this systematic review searched for literature on Web of Science, Scopus and Pub Med database, the publication date of the retrieved literature is set from January 2000 to December 2020. The keywords 'football' or 'soccer' were each paired with the following terms: 'ball possession', 'ball recovery', 'ball regain', 'transition', 'playing style', 'possession zone', 'duration' and 'running performance'. The search returned 2,436 articles. After screening the records against set criteria, 75 analysis were made, and their technical and physical indicators were identified. Through analysing ball-possession related variables, the review concluded that the match outcome is not related to ball possession percentage. The ball possession percentage is not dominant to predict the match success. The status of ball possession percentage can affect the team's performance in passing, organizational and running distance with the ball possession. There are league differences in ball possession strategies and duration. The frequency and offensive efficiency of direct ball recovery types are higher than indirect types. Ball possessions regained in the defensive third were higher than the final third. However, there remain some limitations such as the difference in the definition of concepts and sample participants, only a few studies consider the influence of situational variables and lack of in-depth analysis on ball possession strategy. Therefore, further study should adopt a more comprehensive approach, establishing a new connection between possession strategy and more technical and tactical indicators.
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