A network theory analysis of football strategies

TL;DR

This paper applies network theory to analyze football team strategies by constructing directed, weighted networks from passing data, revealing play patterns, key players, and potential weaknesses.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach using network analysis tools to interpret football strategies from passing data, providing visual and quantitative insights.

Findings

Identification of team play patterns

Determination of key players using centrality measures

Localization of team weaknesses

Abstract

We showcase in this paper the use of some tools from network theory to describe the strategy of football teams. Using passing data made available by FIFA during the 2010 World Cup, we construct for each team a weighted and directed network in which nodes correspond to players and arrows to passes. The resulting network or graph provides a direct visual inspection of a team's strategy, from which we can identify play pattern, determine hot-spots on the play and localize potential weaknesses. Using different centrality measures, we can also determine the relative importance of each player in the game, the `popularity' of a player, and the effect of removing players from the game.