Technical Analysis of The Goals Scored in 3 Different European Leagues in The 2020-2021 Football Season

Goals are the most important criterion in determining the outcome of a football match. Therefore, analyzing tactical behaviors before and during goals is crucial. The aim of this study is to classify the goals scored in the 2020–2021 football season in the Turkish Super League (TSL), English Premier League (EPL), and French League 1 (FL1) according to technical and tactical criteria and to reveal the differences and similarities between the leagues. The scope of the research consists of a total of 3209 goals scored in 1180 football matches played in 3 different European Leagues (Turkish Super League, English Premier League, and French League 1) in the 2020–2021 season. Each goal was classified according to the minute interval it was scored, the area where the attacking move started, the number of touches by the player before scoring, and the goals scored from set pieces. The frequency and percentage distributions of all data were calculated separately for each league. According to the results obtained, the most goals were scored in the TSL (f: 1136 goals), while the least goals were scored in the EPL (f: 1024 goals). Looking at the distribution of total goals by minute intervals, the most goals were scored in the last quarter of the game in TSL (f:199; %17.5), EPL (f:166; %16.2), and FL1 (f:186; %17.7), while the least goals were scored in the added time of the first half. When looking at the number of touches by the player who scored the goal, it was found that the most goals were scored with one touch. Regarding the direction of the attacking move, it was observed that the rate of goals scored after wing attacks was lower in FL1 than in TSL and EPL, but the number of goals scored from central attacks was higher. According to the results, it is understood that the teams in the leagues have different game structures, which are decisive in determining the goal criteria. However, evaluating physical game features together with technical and tactical criteria will help to better understand the differences and similarities between the leagues.