Is Football players' performance influenced by the quality of opposition? Application of the golden index formula in Club Atlético de Madrid 2016/2017

Aim: In this study, we sought to analyze the influence of the quality of opposition on players' performance of Club Atlético de Madrid (ATM) 2016/2017. For that, the Golden Index (GI) formula was applied to identify and rank the Golden Players of ATM when playing against opponents of different quality levels. Methods: GI formula variables were collected through notational analysis and three global adjacency matrices were constructed to record all successful ball-passing actions performed. Next, the matrices were imported to SocNetV to collect the network centrality metrics. To uniformize each variable, the statistical standardization technique was applied to all variables. ATM opponents were classified into three groups: high-level (n=4), medium-level (n=2) and low-level (n=2), according to their classification in La Liga and participation in the final stage of UEFA Champions League 2016/2017. Results: Koke was considered the Golden Player playing against high-level teams, while opposing low-level opponents he was ranked as second. Against medium- and low-level teams, Antoine Griezmann was considered the Golden Player, but was not classified in the three first positions against high-level opponents. Yannick Carrasco and Filipe Luís were ranked in the second and third positions, respectively, when playing against high- and medium-level opponents. Also, Saúl Ñíguez obtained the third higher index against low-level teams. Conclusions: This study evidenced that players' individual performance is influenced by the quality of the opposition. Additionally, the GI formula proved to be a potent tool in analyzing player's performance in attacking plays in Football.(AU)

Análise dos principais fatores epidemiológicos relacionados ao suicídio em uma cidade no interior do Ceará, Brasil / Analysis of the main epidemiological factors related to suicide in a town of Ceará country-side, Brazil

Introdução: o município de Iguatu, localizado no interior do estado do Ceará no Nordeste brasileiro, é popularmente conhecido pelo alto número de pessoas que cometem suicídio. No entanto, até o presente momento, não existe um estudo que confirme essa crença popular e analise o perfil dos suicidas. Objetivo: este trabalho avaliou a incidência e o perfil dos suicidas, no município do Iguatu, para obtenção de dados que tornem possíveis ações de prevenção. Metodologia: trata-se de um estudo retrospectivo e transversal de natureza descritiva sobre óbitos por suicídio coletados sob autorização da coordenação de vigilância epidemiológica com dados fornecidos pela Secretaria de Saúde no Município do Iguatu entre os anos de 2006 a 2015. As variáveis analisadas foram sexo, idade, estado civil, raça, escolaridade, ocupação e causas de óbito por suicídio. Foi realizada análise dos dados e esses apresentados em tabelas e gráficos. Resultados: o número de causas externas de mortalidade foi de setecentos e vinte, sendo setenta e dois casos de morte por suicídio. As pessoas que cometeram suicídio eram principalmente homens (78%), de coloração parda (73,5%) e faixa etária predominante entre 20 a 29 anos de idade (27,8%) e estado civil solteiro (43%) ou casado (41,7%). Nenhum apresentava nível superior completo, e a maioria tinha como ocupação a produção agrícola (36,1%). As principais causas de morte foram por enforcamento (59,7%) e uso de pesticidas (23,6%). Conclusão: o perfil dos suicidas é composto por homens de cor parda, sem nível superior completo, produtores agrícolas, adultos jovens e solteiros. O Iguatu apresenta uma alta incidência de suicídio, e as pessoas se matam mais por enforcamento e autointoxicação por pesticidas.(AU)

Introduction: The city of Iguatu, located in the state of Ceará in the Brazilian Northeast, is popularly known for its high numbers of people committing suicide. However, to the present moment, there is no work that confirms this popular belief and analyzes the profile of suicides. Objective: Evaluate the incidence and the profile of suicidal in the city of Iguatu, aiming to discuss preventive actions. Methods: Retrospective, cross-sectional and descriptive study of deaths by suicide collected with the authorization of the coordination of epidemiological surveillance as public data in Iguatu, between 2006 and 2015. The analyzed variables were: gender, age, marital status, race, schooling, occupation and causes of death by suicide. Descriptive analysis of the data was performed in tables and graphs from Excell 2011. Results: The number of external mortality causes was seven hundred and twenty, with seventy-two cases of death by suicide. The people who committed suicide were mainly men (78%), brown coloration (73.5%) and the predominant age group between 20 and 29 years old (27.8%). The predominant marital status was single (43%), but followed closely by people who were married (41.7%). None had a complete upper level, and the majority had agricultural production as the occupation (36.1%). The main causes of death were intentional self-harm by hanging, strangulation and suffocation (59.7%) and pesticide autointoxication. Conclusion: The profile of people who committed suicide is predominantly composed of brown colored males, under graduated people, agricultural producers, young adults and single. The city of Iguatu town shows a high incidence of suicide and the most used kinds of killing are by hanging and pesticide autointoxication.(AU)

The influence of rules manipulation on offensive patterns during small-sided and conditioned games in football

Abstract This study analyzed the influence of rules manipulation on offensive patterns in different Small-Sided and Conditioned Games (SSCGs). Fourteen young soccer players (13.82 ± 1.94 years) performed two different SSCG formats (6v6+Gk): Maintenance of Ball Possession Game (MPG) and Progression to the Target Game (PTG). Both games were played on a field 52 m long by 32 m wide. We used the Offensive Sequences Characterization System (OSCS) and SoccerEye software to analyze offensive sequences. For statistical analysis, we used the Mann-Whitney test to compare variables that compose the OSCS between the two SSCGs, while the SDIS-GSEQ software allowed us to detect offensive patterns. We concluded that the rule manipulation of SSCGs influenced changes in teams' offensive patterns, in which they self-organized according to manipulation of key task constraints.

The influence of match status on attacking patterns of play in elite soccer teams / A influência do resultado momentâneo do jogo nos padrões de ataque em equipes de Futebol de elite

The attacking performance in elite soccer is a complex process that is influenced by several situational variables, such as match status. The objective of this study was to investigate the influence of match status on the configuration of attacking patterns of play performed by elite soccer teams based on the analysis of matches played by the semi-finalists of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. We observed 28 matches, 7 per semi-finalist team of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, resulting in 1938 attacks, further ordered according to match status (winning, drawing or losing). The SoccerEye observational instrument, SoccerEye recording software (version 3.2), and SDIS-GSEQ analysis software (version 5.1) were used. The national teams of Germany, Netherlands and Uruguay showed more difficulty in scoring goals while losing the match, although they scored after a positive crossing or after a free kick committed by the opposing team. The national team of Spain tended to shoot into the opponent goal after short passing, in both losing and winning situations. We conclude that attacking patterns of play were influenced by match status in the 2010 FIFA World Cup, with the exception of Spanish national team, which tended to use an indirect style of play with no dependence on match status.

O desempenho ofensivo de equipes de futebol de elite é influenciado por diversas variáveis situacionais como, por exemplo, o resultado momentâneo do jogo. O presente estudo teve como objetivo indagar a influência do resultado momentâneo do jogo na elaboração dos padrões ofensivos em futebol de elite, a partir da análise dos jogos das equipes semifinalistas do Campeonato do Mundo FIFA 2010. Foram observados 1938 ataques realizados pelas seleções semifinalistas do Campeonato do Mundo FIFA 2010 que, posteriormente, foram elencados de acordo com o resultado momentâneo do jogo: vitória, empate ou derrota. Utilizaram-se os softwares SoccerEye (versão 3.2) e SDIS-GSEQ (versão 5.1) para o registro e análise dos dados, respetivamente. As seleções nacionais da Alemanha, Holanda e Uruguai revelaram maior dificuldade em marcar gols quando se encontravam em desvantagem no marcador dos jogos disputados, conseguindo-os após cruzamento positivo ou infração às leis do jogo cometida pela equipe adversária. Por sua vez, a seleção nacional de Espanha tendeu a rematar à baliza adversária após passe curto, tanto em situação de derrotada como de vitoriosa. Os padrões ofensivos parecem ser influenciados pelo resultado momentâneo do jogo, com exceção para a equipa de Espanha, que utilizou um estilo de jogo indireto, independentemente do resultado momentâneo do jogo.

Effects of ball recovery on top-level soccer attacking patterns of play / Repercussoes da recuperacao da posse de bola nos padroes de ataque de futebol de elite

In soccer, ball recovery is the purpose of the defensive phase and it is also the first stage of the attack. Identifying how and where the ball is regained in elite competitions, taking in consideration the competition stage, is central to an understanding of the attacking patterns and of the diachronic order of events, and such knowledge can be used to develop specific drills in training. This study aims to characterize ball recovery patterns while taking into account the pitch zone(s) and the competition stage, and to investigate the influence of each type of ball recovery on the subsequent patterns of attacking play in matches played by the World Cup 2010 semi-finalists. Observational methodology and lag sequential analysis were applied, with the use of SoccerEye observational instrument, SoccerEye recording software and SDIS-GSEQ analytic software. Twenty-four matches were recorded from public TV broadcasts, yielding 1,619 attacks. Direct ball recovery was the most common form, with a tackle and defensive behaviour followed by a pass in the central mid-defensive zone resulting in goal attempts. Interceptions occurred mainly in the central mid-offensive zone inducing unsuccessful attacking patterns of play, while interventions by goalkeepers were most likely to occur in the central defensive zone with no significant associations with any ending of attack behaviours. Patterns of attacking play depend on the form of ball recovery. The pitch space and the form of ball recovery are similar when we compare both stages of the World Cup 2010.

Recuperar a posse de bola é o objetivo da fase defensiva em Futebol, sendo simultaneamente o primeiro momento do ataque. A identificação do local e da forma como a bola é recuperada em competições de elite, tendo em consideração a fase da competição, revela-se fundamental para o entendimento dos padrões ofensivos e do diacronismo dos eventos, permitindo o desenvolvimento de processos de treino específicos. Pretende-se caracterizar os padrões de recuperação de posse de bola, tendo em consideração a(s) zona(s) do terreno de jogo e a fase da competição, e analisar os padrões ofensivos que resultaram de cada tipo de recuperação de bola nas equipes semifinalistas do Campeonato do Mundo 2010. Utilizou-se a Metodologia Observacional através do instrumento de observação SoccerEye, do software de registro SoccerEye e do software de análise SDIS-GSEQ. Através de transmissões públicas de televisão, registraram-se 24 jogos do Mundial 2010, tendo-se obtido 1.619 ataques. A recuperação direta da posse de bola foi a forma mais utilizada. O desarme e a ação defensiva seguida de passe na zona central média-defensiva originaram oportunidades de gols. As intercepções ocorreram na zona central média-ofensiva, resultando em ataques sem eficácia, enquanto as intervenções do goleiro ocorreram na zona central defensiva sem relações significativas com comportamentos indutores de final de ataque. A configuração dos padrões de ataque é influenciada pelo modo como a bola é recuperada. O local e a forma de recuperação da posse de bola são similares quando comparadas as duas fases do Mundial 2010.

Eficácia ofensiva e variabilidade de padrões de jogo em futebol / Attacking efficacy and game pattern variability in soccer

O presente estudo pretende caracterizar e comparar os padrões de jogo ofensivos realizados pelas equipes semifinalistas do Campeonato do Mundo FIFA 2010 - Espanha, Holanda, Alemanha e Uruguai. Através do instrumento de observação SoccerEye e do "software" de registro SoccerEye (v1.0, Março 2011), recolheram-se 1938 sequências ofensivas de 28 jogos (sete por equipe) transmitidos por estações públicas de televisão. O instrumento de observação SoccerEye é constituído por sete critérios: 1) Início da fase ofensiva; 2) Desenvolvimento da Transição-Estado defesa/ataque; 3) Desenvolvimento da posse de bola; 4) Final da fase ofensiva; 5) Espacialização do terreno de jogo; 6) Centro do Jogo; e 7) Configuração Espacial de Interação. Para a análise sequencial dos dados utilizou-se o "software" SDIS-GSEQ (v5.0.77, 2010). Verificou-se que a seleção da Espanha, vencedora do Campeonato do Mundo FIFA 2010, tende a rematar à baliza adversária após passe curto positivo (z = 4,12) ou drible (z = 4,38), ambos os comportamentos realizados na zona central ofensiva (z = 3,94). A Espanha tende a marcar gols após uma ação do goleiro adversário (z = 5,95), que por sua vez resulta de um remate (z = 8,43) à baliza adversária. Conclui-se que a eficácia ofensiva das equipes semifinalistas no Campeonato do Mundo 2010 não se confina aos métodos e aos estilos de jogo utilizados, mas parece estar relacionada com a respetiva variação durante o mesmo jogo e/ou entre jogos diferentes, em resposta aos constrangimentos que o confronto com o adversário coloca.

The present study aims to characterize and compare the attacking game-patterns performed by the semi-finalist teams during the FIFA World Cup 2010 - Spain, Germany, The Netherlands and Uruguay. With the use of SoccerEye observational instrument and SoccerEye recording software (v1.0, March 2011), 1938 attacks were recorded from TV public broadcasts during 28 matches (7 per team) played by the semi-finalists. SoccerEye observational instrument includes seven criteria: 1) Start of the offensive phase/Ball possession recovery; 2) Development of defense/attack Transition-State; 3) Progress of ball possession; 4) End of the offensive phase; 5) Patterns of field space position; 6) Centre of the game; and 7) Spatial patterns of teams interaction. Data analysis was performed with the use of SDIS-GSEQ software (v5.0.77, 2010). Our results showed that Spanish national team-2010 FIFA World Cup winner - tended to realize shots on target after positive short passes (z = 4.12) or dribbles (z = 4.38), both actions occurring in the central offensive zone (z = 3.94). Also, Spain tended to score goals due to an intervention of the opponent goalkeeper (z = 5.95), that is a consequence of a shot on target (z = 8.43). We concluded that successful attacking game-patterns performed by 2010 FIFA World Cup semi-finalists were not a direct consequence of similar attacking game-methods or styles of play, but probably were related to its variation during the match and/or between matches, according to the constraints created by the opponent.