Notational analysis provides objective performance feedback to coaches and players by allowing important moments to be recorded on video. However, some argue that notational analysis reduces complexity by presenting data in overly descriptive and systematic ways. Analysis of a soccer match between Spain and England found that Spain had double possession time and fewer ball interceptions against them per minute. England lost possession more from fouls and throw-ins. Suggestions to improve include England adopting shorter controlled passing and better intercepting the ball. Limitations included difficulty classifying some events like uncontrolled interceptions and unsuccessful tackles.

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Match Analysis – Lab 6
Notational analysis provides an objective observation of performance, allowing coaches and
players to receive more reliable feedback. Watching performances in real-time can mean that
important moments are missed; therefore the use of video aided analysis during performances
allows greater amounts of accurate information to be stored. However, it has been debated
that notational analysis has regularly caused a reduction in the complex nature of
performance by it being presented in ways which are too descriptive, systematic and
unproblematic (Mackenzie & Cushion, 2013).
Key points of interest arising from data:
 Spain had approximately double possession time overall in comparison to England,
with a ratio of 1:2.11 minutes (as seen in Figure 1).
 Greater possession time by Spain could be due to less ball interceptions by England,
per minute of Spanish possession, with a ratio of 1:1.998 interceptions per minute (as
seen in Figure 3).
 Figure 2 shows England having a greater loss of possession through the occurrence of
throw-ins and fouls, such as being offside and bad tackles, in comparison to Spain.
 A suggestion to improve England’s performance is to work on maintaining possession
of the ball by adopting more short distance, controlled passing methods.
 England can also prevent turnover of possession to Spain through greater interception
of the ball instead of tackling as, out of 8 tackles made by England, only 3 resulted in
a gain of possession and a quarter resulted in a free-kick being given.

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0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Frequency
Cause
Spain
England
Figure 2: Loss of possession cause.
1.798
3.593
Spain
England
Figure 3: Average number of opposition interceptions per minute of possession.
Ratio of 1:1.998
10.57
5.01
Spain
England
Figure 1: Overall possession time (minutes).
Ratio of 1:2.11

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Limitations
During this analysis some performance indicators were difficult to categorise, for example it
was hard to define whether uncontrolled/unintended interceptions of the ball counted as
turnovers, in terms of gaining possession, as possession was lost instantaneously. There was
also similar confusion regarding how to classify unsuccessful tackles, as they did not result in
any gain or loss of possession. A way in which to deal with the coding of events that have
various definitions is to match all codes for the performance against the ‘gold standard’
coding system, which consists of the most accurate coding definitions for notational analysis
(James, 2006). In order to maintain the reliability of this analysis, the markers were checked
through thoroughly by replaying the footage and amending any incorrect timestamps.
References
James, N., 2006. Notational analysis in soccer: past, present and future. International Journal
of Performance Analysis in Sport, 6(2), pp. 67-81.
Mackenzie, R. & Cushion, C., 2013. Performance analysis in football: A critical review and
implications for future research. Journal of Sports Sciences, 31(6), pp. 639-676.