Most goals in football result from first-touch shots, according to new research.
The findings come from the first academic study to analyze shots on goal in football from the goalkeeper’s perspective.
Researchers at the University of the Basque Country in Spain are looking at how to make goalkeeper training more effective.
Markel Perez-Arroniz, a PhD student in the Department of Physical Education and Sport, said: “We wanted to explore the real situations that goalkeepers face, so that training could then be optimized.
“Otherwise, goalkeepers may well be preparing for less frequent situations and so the most common ones are not being worked on sufficiently.
“There must be top-level teams that already have this information, but our scientific study makes the data available to everyone.”
The researchers worked with the goalkeeper trainers, Arkaitz Crespo and Jon Zabala, at Spanish second division club SD Eibar.
The team statistically analyzed 179 Spanish La Liga matches in the 2019-2020 season.
Specifically, an analysis was made of 2,238 shots aimed at 15 goalkeepers, and 16 specific variables were observed including the direction of the ball, the part of the body used by the shooter to hit the ball, the distance and area from which the shot was made, and what the goalie did to stop the shot.
The analysis, published in the journal Apunts Sports Medicine, showed that the most dangerous shots on goal are those made with the first touch.
Perez-Arroniz said: “We found that this happens with around 75% of goals.
“These are fast, difficult to predict moves and there is less time to react.
“The goalkeepers do not have sufficient margin to position themselves well on the pitch or to activate their bodies properly.
“So, it would be a good idea to design training sessions geared towards this type of shooting.”
The study also showed that deflected shots are another of situations that require specific training.
The researchers say difficulties arise when the shot hits another player and its trajectory changes slightly.
Perez-Arroniz, whose thesis focuses on goalkeeper training, said: “In these cases, the ball doesn’t go straight in, its course changes halfway, so it’s difficult for goalkeepers to make decisions.
“It may be useful to do quick-reaction exercises to deal with these unknowns.”
A second phase of the study showed that teams at the top of the table tend to make a lot of touches before finalising their moves, and don’t shoot on goal as much from set pieces or crosses.
Perez-Arroniz says that it would be useful to carry out similar studies in leagues at other levels and in other countries.
He added: “The weather could also be taken into consideration: the situations of play may vary depending on whether the pitch is wet or dry, and, so, the consequences could be different.”
Source: Talker News / Digpu NewsTex
