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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Sport Psychology
Volume 16 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1543287
This article is part of the Research Topic Spatial-temporal Metrics to Assess Collective Behavior in Team Sports View all 6 articles

Differences in Spatiotemporal Pressure and Performance Between Chinese and German Elite Youth Football Players During Matches

Provisionally accepted
Yapu Liang Yapu Liang *Tianhe Li Tianhe Li Hansi Xu Hansi Xu *Peng Zhang Peng Zhang *
  • Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    In modern football, spatial and temporal pressure significantly influence player performance and tactical outcomes, particularly in youth competitions. This study aims to investigate the spatial pressure differences between Chinese and German U17 elite youth football teams, focusing on the ball-handler's distance to the nearest defender (D). Video analysis was conducted to measure D across various match contexts, including scorelines (leading, tied, trailing), game phases (passing and receiving), pass outcomes (successful and unsuccessful), and pitch zones. Statistical analyses were performed using non-parametric methods to compare the D under different conditions. The Mann-Whitney U test and Kruskal-Wallis H test were used to identify significant differences, with post-hoc comparisons conducted where necessary.Results show that the German team consistently maintained greater D than the Chinese team (p < 0.001, d = 0.463), highlighting their superior spatial management and tactical adaptability.Greater D was associated with enhanced offensive flexibility and defensive stability, allowing the German team to create space effectively and maintain structural integrity under pressure. In contrast, the Chinese team's smaller D suggested limitations in spatial utilisation and higher defensive engagement risks. These findings underscore the importance of tactical training emphasising spatial awareness and balanced pressure management, providing valuable insights for youth football development.

    Keywords: spatiotemporal analysis, Youth Football, Pressure, performance, TACTICS

    Received: 11 Dec 2024; Accepted: 09 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Liang, Li, Xu and Zhang. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence:
    Yapu Liang, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
    Hansi Xu, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China
    Peng Zhang, Beijing Sport University, Beijing, China

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.