Euro 2020 goal analysis: an ecological dynamics approach for football shooting practice

The development and practice of shooting skills in football often involves the use of stationary defenders and inanimate equipment. Previous research has focused on the biomechanical, physiological and psychological aspects of shooting, with less attention being applied to the ecology of shooting within the performance environment. The aim of this study was to identify and analyse Euro 2020 goal scorers’ perception of defender proximity between the moment of the assist pass and the finish to offer guidance to coaches when designing shooting practice drills. Using an observation approach, goals scored by one- and two-touch finish (n=67) were analysed. Data collected were the proximity changes between goal scorer and defenders at the moment of the assist pass and finish. Proximity zones were based on the goal scorer’s ability to take one, two, or three or more touches before shooting. Intra-rater and inter-rater reliability scores for the observation approach were high. 340 defender positions were analysed using dependent samples t-test and results revealed the proximity between goal scorer and defenders to significantly change between the moment of assist pass and finish if the defenders were within a closer proximity. Defender proximity changes outside of a two-touch zone for the goal scorer showed to have no significant impact. Data suggest that the use of stationary defender positions or inanimate equipment may not be effective when performing shooting practice drills due to the proximity changes the goal scorer will experience in the performance environment. Results showed all goals were scored from central pitch positions from assist passes in both central and wide areas. Practical implications are offered to guide coaches in practice drill design to create an ecologically dynamic environment where defenders change position between the moment of assist pass and finish.