Research On Coaches' Substitutions In The 18th World Football Cup

For coaches,Technique of substitution plays an important role in their on-the-spot commanding.In the football match,a timely and proper substitution usually can bring the team a positive effect,and help the team change the passive situation;But an untimely and improper substitution often can bring the team a negative influence,and put the team in a state of predicament.So coaches should have excellent technique of substitution.Adopting the combination of the documentary analysis, video observation and mathematical statistics,this paper involving 64 matches in the 18th World Football Cup was mainly concerned with the time,the position,the reason of substitutions and the situation when coaches made substitutions,with the purpose of providing some information about characteristics of substitutions to coaches in China,especially the top coaches.1.It found that in the 18th World Football Cup,the majority of coaches used to use up all substitutions in each match,and the utilization rate of substitutions was very high.2.Most substitutions took place during the second half time of the matches,and the most frequent time for substitutions was at the middle segment of the second half.Strikers are the main objects for substitutions,and the position for substitutions was concentrated in midfield and the attacking third.There was little difference in the number of substitutions between the winning,losing and drawing situation.3.Substitutions were primarily made for tactical reasons.But substitutions being made at different times and different positions had different reasons.At first half,substitutions mainly made for non-tactical reasons,contrary to it,substitutions which took place at second half was mostly for tactical reasons.Substitutions in the positions of forwards,midfielders and wing backs were mainly made for tactical purposes,while substitutions in the positions of center backs were primarily made for non-tactical reasons.Substitutions in the winning,losing and drawing situations were all mainly made for tactical reasons.4.Substitutions under three different situations were primarily made between the players of the same positions,and these positions were concentrated in midfield and the attacking third(the most frequent positions for substitutions were forwards and wing halfbacks).Most substitutions being made between the players of different positions did not change the formations of the teams.As to the time,substitutions for tactical reasons under three different situations were all principally made at second half,but compare to other two situations, substitutions in the losing situation were made earlier.5.It took 7 minutes at most for a coach to make a non-tactical substitution after a player was sent off,and the average time the coaches took was less than 4.5 minute.When someone was sent off,coaches usually kept the number of the players in the defending third steady,and adjusted the number of the players in midfield and the attacking third by making substitutions.