Styles of Play in Elite Development Soccer: Analysing and Identifying Attacking Styles of Play In the Premier league 2

Smith, R (2026) Styles of Play in Elite Development Soccer: Analysing and Identifying Attacking Styles of Play In the Premier league 2. Masters thesis, Liverpool John Moores.

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Abstract

This study looked to analyse previous research on tactical behaviours and patterns and observe the effect different styles of play have on a range of KPIs. The main aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of different possession types and observe their association to different KPIs in the Premier League 2. This study analysed 8249 possessions in the Premier League 2, using a range of statistical tests, (X2, Odds Ratio) to measure the effect the styles of play had on different offensive and defensive variables.
Key results from this study include counterattacks as a style of play was the most effective in producing goals (3.7%) and shots (16.5%). The elaborate possession type was the most frequently used style of play but yielded a lower percentage of goals (1.24%) and shots (7.8%) per possession (percentages). There was also found to be significant associations between possession type and variables such as opposition defensive pressure, space utilisation and end-zones.

Item Type:	Thesis (Masters)
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Football; Analysis; Styles of play; Attacking Styles of Play; Development Football
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GV Recreation Leisure > GV561 Sports
Divisions:	Sport and Exercise Sciences
Date of acceptance:	1 June 2026
Date of first compliant Open Access:	18 May 2026
Date Deposited:	18 May 2026 10:18
Last Modified:	18 May 2026 10:19
DOI or ID number:	10.24377/LJMU.t.00028575
Supervisors:	McRobert, A and Fernandez Navarro, J
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/28575

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