Coaching strategies and performance patterns in elite Italian football: a comparative analysis of possession and direct-play styles
Possession-oriented teams outperformed direct-play teams in both offensive and defensive indicators, underscoring the strategic role of coaches in orchestrating effective build-up play. These descriptive findings highlight how tactical choices are strongly associated with measurable outcomes in elite Italian football, offering data-driven insights for coaching methodologies and future research.
Authors
- Gabriele Morganti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9448-3872)
- Cristoforo Filetti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3931-7879)
- Laura Pantanella
- F. Cantore
- Bruno Ruscello (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5381-9146)
- Gianluca Briotti (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0551-572X)
- Marco Porta (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1997-4193)
- Elvira Padua
Institutions
- University of Rome Tor Vergata (IT)
- Università Iuav di Venezia (IT)
- University of Milan (IT)
- Consorzio Venezia Ricerche (IT)
- Ospedale Civile di Venezia (IT)
- Venezia Tecnologie (Italy) (IT)
Publication Details
- Journal
- The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness
- Published
- 2026-01-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.23736/s0022-4707.25.17359-3
- Primary Topic
- Sport Psychology and Performance
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00