English Premier League teams recording the lowest median values for passes allowed per defensive action tended to finish higher in the league standings, according to an original research study published in Frontiers in Sports and Active Living. The investigation revealed that lower values for passes allowed per defensive action—frequently abbreviated as PPDA—were statistically associated with points accumulated both at home, with a Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient of minus 0.52, and away from home, with a coefficient of minus 0.57. Furthermore, clubs colloquially recognized as employing high-pressing tactics demonstrated consistently low average PPDA values across the analyzed competition period.
The high press operates as a collective tactical strategy executed when out of possession, specifically designed to restrict the time and spatial freedom accessible to opponents who hold the ball within their own defensive half of the pitch. Historically, quantifying this press required tracking both player trajectories and ball coordinates alongside intricate algorithmic processing, capabilities predominantly limited to elite competitions with access to spatial-temporal tracking infrastructure. Consequently, a proxy metric was established by Trainor in 2014 to calculate defensive pressure without requiring two-dimensional coordinate data, though PPDA values have remained under-reported in scientific literature with their analytical utility largely unverified.
To evaluate the metric within a comprehensive playing style framework, researchers accessed match records across the entire 2017/18 English Premier League campaign using Opta Sportsdata. The investigative team analyzed home and away teams classified into highest, middle, and lowest ranked tiers using Spearman’s Rho, Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests, and Factor Analysis. Evaluated performance variables encompassed PPDA, ball recoveries located in the middle and attacking thirds of the pitch, progressive passing metrics, and overall possession percentage figures.
While PPDA demonstrated a measurable relationship with home advantage, comparative team strength exerted a more substantial effect on tactical outputs, with stronger clubs sustaining lower PPDA figures than weaker clubs regardless of match venue. Wilcoxon signed-ranks evaluations yielded medium to large effect sizes across most tier comparisons, with an exception occurring when lowest-ranked squads competed at home against middle-ranked opponents, which yielded a non-significant probability value of 0.8. Tactical evaluations further indicated that squads maintaining high possession shares generally executed a reduced percentage of progressive passes alongside low PPDA figures—a pattern reflecting an indirect style of play against opponents exhibiting high PPDA values indicative of a low-block defensive structure.
Substantial variations in PPDA values were recorded across individual clubs, demonstrating that the metric provides descriptive utility regarding defensive systems when examined alongside complementary performance variables. The authors emphasized that defensive output remains heavily contingent upon match context, particularly during encounters characterized by substantial imbalances in possession share. For future investigations, the research team recommended evaluating the practical utility of PPDA within closely contested matches while integrating the metric alongside spatial-temporal coordinate tracking systems.
Subject of Research: Evaluation of passes allowed per defensive action as a football defensive metric
Article Title: Passes allowed per defensive action: a measure of pressing or defensive activity?
Article References: Kim, B., James, N., Sporiš, G., Carter, B., James, A., Brady, S., Kim, J., Parmar, N., Gwon, U., Dilek, A. N., & Vučković, G. (2026). Passes allowed per defensive action: a measure of pressing or defensive activity?. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living, 8, Article 1972815. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2026.1972815
Image Credits: AI Generated
DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2026.1972815
Keywords: football analytics, Premier League, defensive tactics, pressing, PPDA, Opta Sportsdata, sports science, Passes, allowed, defensive, action, measure
