ArticleJournal of human kinetics2023
Evolution of Tactics in Professional Soccer: An Analysis of Team Formations from 2012 to 2021 in the Spanish LaLiga.
Article in Journal of human kinetics, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Evolution of spatial structure, passing network patterns, and gameplay intensity in elite women's and men's football (2020-2025).Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Contemporary trends in tactical formations and team success in Europe's top-tier football leagues: a comparative analysis.BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation · 2026Article
- Article
- Effects of Different Tactical Formations on Positional Team Behaviors during Small Sided Games in Youth Soccer Players.Journal of human kinetics · 2025Article
- Validity of Coupling TRACAB's Gen5 and Mediacoach Systems to Calculate Accelerations and Decelerations in Professional Football.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Physical demands and movement characteristics of veterans football players.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2025Article
- Technical and tactical evolution of the offensive team sequences in LaLiga between 2008 and 2021. Is Spanish football now a more associative game?Biology of sport · 2024Article
- The influence of tactical formation on physical and technical performance across playing positions in the Chinese super league.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Non-linear trends using the generalized additive models in physical and technical performances of the Chinese Super League players.PloS one · 2024Article
- The principles of tactical formation identification in association football (soccer) - a survey.Frontiers in sports and active living · 2024Review
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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Abstract
The aim of this investigation was to explore the evolution of team formations (TFs) in a top national professional soccer league. A comparative analysis of a total of 3420 matches was performed in 32 professional soccer teams that competed from the 2012/13 to the 2020/21 season in the Spanish LaLiga. The frequency distribution of TFs across seasons presented a statistically significant change (p < 0.001). A 4.2-3.1 TF was most common from 2012/13 to 2016/17, while a 4.4.2 TF was most used from 2017/18 to 2020/2021. TFs such as 4.3.3 and 4.5.1 showed a relatively stable trend over the seasons. Overall, there was a reduction of TFs with 5 midfielders and an increase in the frequency of 2-forward formations (p < 0.001). When the ranking of teams was considered, a 4.3.3 TF was implemented with higher frequency by the Champion and teams that qualified for the Champions League (p < 0.05). However, a 4.2-3.1 TF was most frequent for teams qualified for the UEFA Europa League or teams that got relegated to an inferior category (p < 0.05). These findings highlight that teams competing in LaLiga evolved from the implementation of very few TFs led by the 4.2-3.1 TF, towards a more diverse scenario with a greater variety of tactical positional structures.
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