Assessing and visualizing principles of play in soccer

Abstract

Recent advances in soccer analytics have significantly expanded the use of spatial and temporal data to un￾derstand tactical behaviour. However, many visualisation tools remain limited in their ability to contextualize these behaviours according to established principles of play. This paper presents a context-aware visualisation framework that leverages StatsBomb Open Data to identify, illustrate, and interpret tactical patterns in pro￾fessional soccer. The tool enables analysts to explore match phases through key tactical dimensions such as compactness, pressing, width, support, and penetration, using event-level data enriched with positional data (360 freeze frames). Unlike generic dashboards or statistical summaries, the proposed system integrates spa￾tial relationships and collective movements, offering a more accurate representation of team behaviour across different match contexts. By combining visual methods with tactical theory, the tool supports coaches and an￾alysts in identifying the match principles of play, thereby facilitating a deeper understanding of performance dynamics.