Análise de utilização e desempenho das formações táticas usando 3 e 4-defensores nas principais ligas de futebol profissional

Abstract

It's worth noting that football has evolved considerably in terms of its dynamics, with greater technical and tactical interaction between players, allowing for different strategic plans in terms of tactical organisation and transitions between phases of the game. The dynamics of a team's game are closely linked to the tactical formation adopted, reflecting the constant search for a balance between defence and attack, adapting to changes in the rules of the game, the characteristics of the players, the context of the confrontation and the strategies of the opponents. Recognising the importance of defensive formations, this study used a descriptive- analytical approach with the aim of analysing the frequency of use of formations with 3- or 4- defenders, historical series trends and comparative performance in defensive and attacking statistics in the six main men's professional football leagues in the world (Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, La Liga, Ligue 1, Premier League, Serie A and Bundesliga) from the 2018 to 2023 seasons. Match reports were obtained by web scraping. The data collected is publicly available (www.FBref.com; Sports Reference LLC, Pennsylvania/USA) and includes general information and advanced statistics for each match provided by OPTA® Sportsdata (Opta Sports, London, UK). In the analysis phase, a total of 13,234 matches from 170 different clubs were analysed. 21 different formations were used (La Liga, n=21; Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, n=20; Ligue 1, n=20; Premier League, n=20; Bundesliga, n=19; Serie A, n=19). The 4- defender formation was used by 72.4 ± 2.9% of teams, mainly in Brazil (89.2 ± 6.1%). There was an increase in the use of 3-defenders over the time series, especially in the Italian, German and French leagues. In the Spanish league, there was a slight increase in the 5-defenders use. Teams remained consistent in their defensive formation, changing the number of defenders only 14 ± 4.4% of the time. The use of 3-defenders shows a better theoretical defensive perspective, although the differences observed in the performance metrics analysed, both in the defensive and offensive phases, are small, with statistical differences of "very small" to "small" magnitudes of effect size. The use of 4-defenders showed a higher percentage of victories (~3%). In the coming years, the advancement of big data and greater access to specialised statistical match data will enable new research to deepen the tactical and evolutionary understanding of match dynamics, particularly with regard to the defensive structures adopted.