Caracterização do desempenho ofensivo no futebol: uma comparação entre a Liga dos Campeões da UEFA e a Copa CONMEBOL Libertadores

Abstract

This study aimed to compare attacking performance in soccer between teams in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) and the CONMEBOL Libertadores Cup (CLA) based on key performance indicators (KPIs). The KPIs analyzed inclued goals, possession, number of passes, number of successful passes, percentage of successful passes, shots on goal, shots inside and outside the penalty area and corners. The analysis used the cluster technique to group similar indicators. The results showed the existence of four distinct clusters to group the offensive KPIs, with the importance of passes and successful passes standing out in differentiating the teams. The UCL teams were distributed among the four clusters, while the CLA teams were mainly grouped into two clusters. The CLA teams had lower attacking performance values than the UCL teams, highlighting important differences between the competitions. In addition, the analysis showed that the teams had similar performance patterns in the round of 16, followed by the quarter-finals and semi-finals, regardless of the competition. In the UCL semi-finals, Cluster 1 (CL1) was more prominent, while in the round of 16, Clusters 2 (CL2) and 3 (CL3) were more common. In the CLA, CL1 predominated in the round 16, while CL2 was used more in the quarter-finals. These results provide a comprehensive analysis of performance comparing UCL and CLA teams, highlighting the importance of accurate passing and possession in high-performance soccer, as well as having important implications for coaches and strategists in both competitions.