Evaluating the effectiveness of different network flow motifs in association football

Håland Else Marie, Wiig Astrid Salte, Hvattum Lars Magnus () and Stålhane Magnus
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Håland Else Marie: Industrial Economics and Technology Management, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Wiig Astrid Salte: Industrial Economics and Technology Management, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
Hvattum Lars Magnus: Molde University College, Molde, Norway
Stålhane Magnus: Industrial Economics and Technology Management, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway

Journal of Quantitative Analysis in Sports, 2020, vol. 16, issue 4, 311-323

Abstract: In association football, a network flow motif describes how distinct players from a team are involved in a passing sequence. The flow motif encodes whether the same players appear several times in a passing sequence, and in which order the players make passes. This information has previously been used to classify the passing style of different teams. In this work, flow motifs are analyzed in terms of their effectiveness in terms of generating shots. Data from four seasons of the Norwegian top division are analyzed, using flow motifs representing subsequences of three passes. The analysis is performed with a generalized additive model (GAM), with a range of explanatory variables included. Findings include that motifs with fewer distinct players are less effective, and that motifs are more likely to lead to shots if the passes in the motif utilize a bigger area of the pitch.

Keywords: generalized additive model; passing; regression; soccer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1515/jqas-2019-0097

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