A COMPARISON OF PERFORMANCE INDICATORS IN FOOTBALL ACROSS THE TOP FIVE EUROPEAN LEAGUES

Abstract

The appetite for European football has continuously increased over the last decade with resulting debates about league supremacy. The purpose of this investigation was to comparatively evaluate the football played using aggregated seasonal match data from the top five European leagues, including the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1, over nine complete seasons from 2009-2010 to 2017-2018. Multivariate analysis of variance and profile analysis with subsequent univariate tests and post-hoc multiple comparison procedures were carried out on 15 football match performance indicators. It was observed that the Bundesliga had significantly higher averages than Ligue 1 in offensive, defensive and physical profiles. The Premier League averaged more aerial duels than Ligue 1, La Liga, and Serie A but a lower number of tackles and fouls committed. The Premier League led with average shots per game and was bettered only by the Bundesliga in the other offensive attributes, apart from offsides. Overall, the study yielded results that may find utility in further comparative football research to understand the differences in attribute profiles across leagues and serve as a basis for insights into the contrasting performances of teams from the respective leagues in continental European club competitions.