Dr. López del Campo, Author at Football Innovation Hub

28 Jul “Do Teams Really Run More Without the Ball? It Depends on How Long They Have It”

Posted at 13:51h in Research

Does a team always run more without the ball? This data-driven analysis of over 8,000 LALIGA match records shows that physical effort during in-possession phases can exceed out-of-possession demands—especially when ball possession drops below 36%. Discover how possession percentage reshapes match running performance and what...

24 Jul «Knowing a flag is red is not enough. What matters is why it was raised—and how heavy it is.»

Posted at 13:15h in Research

A multifactorial injury risk model developed by LALIGA’s Football Intelligence & Performance Area. Based on 18 weighted, evidence-based variables—including load metrics, genetics, recovery and match exposure—it offers a contextual scoring system to classify players as high, moderate or low risk before every match. Designed for...

16 Jul Interaction effects between possession status and percentage: insights from modeling match-running performance across possession status in male soccer

Posted at 13:23h in Paper

Do teams really run more without the ball? For years, the common conclusion has been simple: players cover more distance out of possession than in possession. This study shows that the answer is not that simple. Using 8,468 individual match observations from 412 outfield players in the 2018–2019...

08 Jul «Tell me how you accelerate and I’ll tell you who you are»

Posted at 11:51h in Research

What can a single acceleration reveal about a professional footballer’s playing style? In this advanced analysis by LALIGA’s Football Intelligence department, we combine applied sports science with real data from the 2024/25 season to decode the physical-tactical profile of each playing position in LALIGA. Building...

03 Jul From Data to the Pitch: Do You Really Train the Way You Compete?

Posted at 12:47h in Research

Are your small-sided training sessions truly representative of what happens during matches? This article presents a cutting-edge model developed by LALIGA’s Football Intelligence Area using real match data and artificial intelligence to dynamically detect and classify small-sided game contexts based on opponent behavior, tactical systems,...

30 Jun “You’re cleared to play… but are you ready to perform?”

Posted at 10:33h in Research

How long does it really take for a football player to return to peak performance after a muscle injury? This study, conducted by the University of Seville and LALIGA's Football Intelligence Department, uses machine learning models to analyze the real impact of time-loss injuries on...

Author: Dr. López del Campo