Open Access
Are football managers as efficient as coaches? Performance analysis with ex ante and ex post inputs in the Premier league
(Routledge, 2019) Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Iraizoz Apezteguia, Belén; Lera López, Fernando; Ekonomia; Institute for Advanced Research in Business and Economics - INARBE; Economía; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
There is a controversy on sport performance literature about what type of inputs might explain more deeply the performance of sports clubs (inputs specification controversy). By one side, several papers have analysed sports teams' performance using the match-related statistics or wages as inputs, well-known as ex post inputs. By other side, some authors have criticized the use of these ex post inputs, and recommend the use of ex ante inputs, as the market value of the players. We have analysed the performance of football teams estimating technical efficiency with three different inputs specification. The methodologies employed were data envelopment analysis (DEA) and a bootstrapped DEA. Our sample is composed by English Premier League football clubs, during three seasons (2012/13-2014/15). The DEA results indicate that the correlation between the three models is positive and significant. The DEA-bootstrapped results help to restate the robustness of the estimations and endorsed the inputs choices. The correlations of the estimations with market value and match-related statistics are the most striking (90% and 94%, DEA and bootstrapped DEA), which indicate that the existent discussion related to the use of match-related statistics as input is unjustified, because it does not affect significantly the efficiency estimations.
Open Access
Análisis del performance del fútbol inglés con inputs ex ante y ex post
(Servicio de Publicaciones de la Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, 2017) Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Lera López, Fernando; Iraizoz Apezteguia, Belén; Economía; Ekonomia
Hace más de cuatro décadas, Scully (1974) definió la representación convencional del proceso productivo de los clubes profesionales de fútbol. El output se mide en términos de éxito del equipo (victorias) y el input es el talento/calidad de los jugadores. Posteriormente se han desarrollado otros enfoques. Actualmente se considera que dicho proceso productivo está compuesto por dos etapas, que se pueden analizar de forma conjunta o separada. En la primera, la plantilla y el cuerpo técnico entrenan para mejorar sus aptitudes técnicas, tácticas, físicas y psicológicas, con el objetivo de desarrollar y mejorar jugadas durante un partido de fútbol. En la segunda, dichas jugadas, que deberían ser culminadas con goles, pueden convertirse en victorias, empates o derrotas para los equipos. Todo el proceso produce unos resultados deportivos y económicos. La desagregación del proceso productivo en dos etapas ha generado una controversia en la literatura en relación a la especificación de los inputs a considerar. Diversos trabajos (e.g., Dawson, Dobson, & Gerrard, 2000; Lee, 2006) sostienen que la manera correcta de analizar el proceso productivo es utilizando los denominados inputs ex ante, medidas de la calidad de la plantilla previas al comienzo de la temporada deportiva, como el valor de mercado de los jugadores o la valoración de los jugadores en ligas fantásticas (del Corral, 2012; Zambom-Ferraresi, Lera-López, & Iráioz, 2016). Sin embargo, otros trabajos (Espitia-Escuer & García-Cebrián, 2006; Zambom-Ferraresi, García-Cebrián, & Lera-López, 2017) utilizan inputs ex post que, en su mayor parte, son estadísticas del rendimiento deportivo de los equipos durante un partido. El objetivo de este trabajo es contribuir a esta discusión, para lo que se lleva a cabo un análisis empírico de las diferencias obtenidas en las estimaciones considerando ambos tipos de inputs.
Open Access
Determinants of sport performance in European football: what can we learn from the data?
(Elsevier, 2018) Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Ríos Ibáñez, Vicente; Lera López, Fernando; Economía; Ekonomia
Nowadays game-related statistics in the sports industry are demanded by coaches, players, managers, journalists, supporters, fans, video games developers, betting markets and academics. However, the employment of game related statistics to analyse performance in football (soccer) has inherent problems given it is a multifaceted and complex phenomenon. This study analyses the importance of a large number of possible determinants of sport performance in the 'Big Five' European football leagues during the period 2012/13-2014/15. To this end, Bayesian model averaging techniques and relative importance metrics are employed. The results obtained point to the existence of a set of robust determinants in sport performance. This set of drivers comprises (i) assists, (ii) shots conceded, (iii) saves made by the goalkeeper, (iv) the number of precise passes with respect to the total number of passes, and (v) shots on target. The results of the study support the idea that offensive actions are more relevant than defensive ones. In addition, we find the existence of some performance indicators that have usually been ignored by previous analyses, such as saves made by the goalkeeper and assists. These findings could help the decision-making process of the coaching, scouting and managerial units of football clubs. Finally, the modelling techniques employed in this context can be generalized to gain knowledge in other fields of knowledge to extract factors affecting complex problems from large data sets. This could be particularly interesting when previous research has not yet obtained a well-defined and robust set of factors explaining these complex problems.
Open Access
The effects of the red cards in knockout competitions: an analysis of the Uefa Europa League
(Universitat de València, 2019) Lera López, Fernando; Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Burguete, David; Economía; Ekonomia
Este estudio analiza la influencia de las tarjetas rojas en la UEFA Europa League. Esta competición tiene un formato diferente a las ligas regulares, con un número relativamente pequeño de partidos y una alta incertidumbre de resultado. Por esta razón, se supone que jugar parte del partido en inferioridad numérica debido a las tarjetas rojas podría afectar el rendimiento de los equipos. Además, se estudia el posible cambio en la tendencia del juego para ambos equipos. Hemos considerado cinco temporadas, donde sucedieron 200 expulsiones. Hemos analizado la relación de las tarjetas rojas con seis variables: faltas, tarjetas amarillas, córneres, remates a portería, posesión del balón, y diferencia de goles. Los resultados muestran que las tarjetas rojas cambian las tácticas deportivas desarrolladas por los equipos, con un aumento de las acciones ofensivas y de la posesión de balón para los equipos con superioridad numérica. Los resultados pueden tener implicaciones significativas para los entrenadores deportivos en términos de tácticas y estrategias.
Open Access
Efficiency in European football teams using WindowDEA: analysis and evolution
(Emerald, 2018) García Cebrián, Lucía Isabel; Zambom Ferraresi, Fabíola; Lera López, Fernando; Economía; Ekonomia; Universidad Pública de Navarra / Nafarroako Unibertsitate Publikoa
Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to analyze efficiency and its evolution in teams that played in the UEFA Champions League during nine seasons. The aim is to present a research procedure for determining the most accurate data envelopment analysis to estimate and compare the efficiency. Design/methodology/approach: First, the authors analyzed the existence of a temporal trend using the S-statistic. The authors calculated the Kruskal–Wallis statistic to verify if there is stability in relative ranks. The results of the aforementioned tests have indicated that window analysis is an accurate methodology to apply to the sample. The authors analyzed 94 clubs with a sample of 288 observations, obtaining 768 efficiency ratios. They have been calculated using super-efficiency which enables to discriminate efficient units. Findings: Results indicate that there is a low efficiency level in the nine seasons observed. There is a strong correlation between sports results and the efficiency of semifinalists. The authors conclude that improvement in a club’s efficiency could enhance its sports results. Finally, as practical implications, the authors highlight benchmark teams and alternative sports tactics to help clubs become more efficient and achieve better sports results. Originality/value: This paper contributes to sports efficiency literature by presenting a research procedure to identify the most accurate methodology to be applied to panel data. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first empirical study on international football competitions applying WindowDEA to incomplete panel data.