Multivariate Analysis of the Offensive Phase in High-Performance Women’s Soccer: A Mixed Methods Study
Round 1
Reviewer 1 Report
This study investigates offensive success in women’s soccer via the mixed-methods analysis. Overall, the author conveys the ideas clearly throughout the manuscript, while some revisions need to be conducted as follows:
Abstract
Line 21, change “analyses” to “analyze”.
Introduction
The author mentioned the findings of the contextual and tactical area in soccer games, while the author still needs to add some statements on why these two areas are important and the reason to choose these two areas in the analysis for this study (e.g. how does your research goals fill the gaps in the current findings in the related areas). Additionally, it would be great to explain why you choose Mixed Methods research for this study.
Methods
Lines 205 – 206, you define the success in the analysis, while can you specify “Sent to Area” in more detail? Additionally, does that mean all the other events will be defined as “No Success”? If so, you should specify in this section.
Discussion
The author should mention the limitations of this study at the end of this section.
Author Response
Dear Reviewer, thank you for your comments and suggestions on this article. Next, I detail the modifications made to the revised article.
Point 1: Abstract: Line 21, change “analyses” to “analyze”.
Response 1: It was a writing error. It has already been corrected. (Line 20)
Point 2: Introduction: The author mentioned the findings of the contextual and tactical area in soccer games, while the author still needs to add some statements on why these two areas are important and the reason to choose these two areas in the analysis for this study (e.g., how does your research goals fill the gaps in the current findings in the related areas). Additionally, it would be great to explain why you choose Mixed Methods research for this study.
Response 2: Thanks for these suggestions. The clarifications you suggested have been added to the last two paragraphs of the introduction (Lines 105-114, 119-121)
Point 3: Methods: Lines 205 – 206, you define the success in the analysis, while can you specify “Sent to Area” in more detail? Additionally, does that mean all the other events will be defined as “No Success”? If so, you should specify in this section.
Response 3: Thanks for this clarification. The decision has been made to include the definitions for the Goal, Shot, Sent to Area and No Success categories in section 2.3: Observation Instruments (Lines 190-194) We hope these definitions help readers understand these categories. In the methods section, it has been specified that the rest of the ball possessions have been defined as No Success. (Line 233)
Point 4: Discussion: The author should mention the limitations of this study at the end of this section.
Response 4: The decision has been made to include the limitations of the study and future lines of research in an independent section. This was written after conclusions of the study (Lines 519-526)
Reviewer 2 Report
Dear authors, I find this article very well structured and well written. However, I attach some considerations that I hope will help:
Abstract
The abstract adequately summarises the research, including the objective, the methodology and the sample. However, the results and main findings are not clearly defined.
Keywords:
The Keywords selected are appropriate and will allow a quick search by interested researchers.
Introduction
It presents the general idea of the research with an adequate and up-to-date theoretical framework.
- Gender refers to a non-biological cultural concept, sex should be used; male or female. Change throughout the document.
- Lines 42-44, 98-100, 104-106 should be provided with reference studies.
Materials and Methods
The process of creating the interview or the use of a validated instrument is not defined. Neither is the procedure for conducting the interviews. It should be justified why 8 interviewees and not 10 or 56 (references of similar studies).
How many interviews with coaches and players? And description of the sample: sex, age, years of experience, etc.
Regarding the observation, each action is not defined to determine what it is and what it is not, for example The Goal, Shot and Sent to Area or not.
Justify the size of the sample, if only because it is the number of matches that have been accessed.
Justify with references that the coefficients obtained are appropriate: line 194 and 198.
Data analysis
Well described
Results and Discussion
Very well presented.
Conclusions
I think that the 477-479 line needs to expand its justification. Clarify exactly the relationship-correlation.
Limitations and Future Lines of Research
I would include this section individually and make clear "the problems" encountered.
In general
Attends to the scope requested for the Special Issue "New Methodological, Technical-Tactical and Biopsychosocial Perspectives in Opposition Sports".
The article is interesting because it offers a comprehensive analysis in a major sporting event and in the field of women (little studied).
Reference 11 should be revised, formatting error.
Author Response
Response to Reviewer 2 Comments
Dear Reviewer, thank you for your comments and suggestions on this article. Next, I detail the modifications made to the revised article.
Abstract
Point 1: The abstract adequately summarises the research, including the objective, the methodology and the sample. However, the results and main findings are not clearly defined.
Response 1: Thanks for your suggestion. The results have been clearly defined in the abstract (Lines 21-24).
Introduction
Point 2: It presents the general idea of the research with an adequate and up-to-date theoretical framework.
Response 2: Thanks for your opinion.
Point 3: Gender refers to a non-biological cultural concept, sex should be used; male or female. Change throughout the document.
Response 3: Based on this suggestion, the modification of these concepts has been made throughout the document (Lines 40, 50)
Point 4: Lines 42-44, 98-100, 104-106 should be provided with reference studies.
Response 4: Thanks for the suggestions. These lines have been justified by reference studies (Lines 43, 99, 105)
Materials and Methods:
Point 5: The process of creating the interview or the use of a validated instrument is not defined. Neither is the procedure for conducting the interviews. It should be justified why 8 interviewees and not 10 or 56 (references of similar studies).
Response 5: The process of creating the interviews and conducting it has been detailed (Lines 159-166). The fact of having conducted eight interviews has been justified by two reference studies (Sarmento et al., 2014; Sarmento et al., 2020) in which 8 and 2 in-depth interviews with coaches were conducted (Line 152)
Point 6: How many interviews with coaches and players? And description of the sample: sex, age, years of experience, etc.
Response 6: A description of the sample has been added in Table 1. (Line 169)
Point 7: Justify the size of the sample, if only because it is the number of matches that have been accessed.
Response 7: A justification on the sample size has been added. “Also, allowed all matches were closed games. In the matches analyzed there were no major differences between teams. This fact did occur in group stage matches (e.g., EE.UU. 13-0 Thailand)”. (Lines 142-144)
Point 8: Justify with references that the coefficients obtained are appropriate: line 194 and 198.
Response 8: The coefficients were justified according to the Landis & Koch scale (1977). Thus, the value 0.869 was considered as Almost Perfect and the value 0.708 as Substantial. (Line 219-226)
Conclusions:
Point 9: I think that the 477-479 line needs to expand its justification. Clarify exactly the relationship-correlation.
Response 9: Thanks for your suggestion, the relationship has been justified (Lines 508-514)
Limitations and future lines of research:
Point 10: I would include this section individually and make clear "the problems" encountered.
Response 10: This section has been added, referring to the problems and limitations of the study. Mention has also been made of future lines of research (Lines 519-526)
Reviewer 3 Report
I would suggest stressing the importance of practicing sport through the introduction section as reported by Palermi et al. in "Guidelines for Physical Activity-A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Their Application in the General Population. Have We Achieved Our Goal?" Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 4;17(11):3980. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17113980. PMID: 32512767; PMCID: PMC7313455.
Author Response
Point 1: I would suggest stressing the importance of practicing sport through the introduction section as reported by Palermi et al. in "Guidelines for Physical Activity-A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Their Application in the General Population. Have We Achieved Our Goal?" Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020 Jun 4;17(11):3980. doi: 10.3390/ijerph17113980. PMID: 32512767; PMCID: PMC7313455.
Response 1: Dear Reviewer
Thank you very much first for your review of the study.
The authors of this study, as graduates and in Sports Sciences, agree with you that the practice of physical activity is very important for its more than proven benefits for health. In this sense, his study "Guidelines for Physical Activity-A Cross-Sectional Study to Assess Their Application in the General Population. Have We Achieved Our Goal?" it is a very valuable contribution to society, and to the claim of a healthy lifestyle. But after discussing the proposal to include a quote about the benefits of physical activity among my fellow authors of the present study, we have doubts about its fit in an article like this. The present study is very specific, which addresses in a very concrete way one of the most important behaviors in football, such as dynamic offensive actions. Humbly, and after reviewing the article again to find a place to fit your appointment, we find it very difficult to fit it because the article does not address the benefits of sport.
Currently, the 54 references that our work presents are about soccer and methodology. The article in its entirety addresses this, high-level women's soccer and observational methodology such as Mixed Methods. We believe that it would be too heterodox for the reader of the paper to find a quote that is out of context from the rest.
But thank you very much for your suggestion anyway, and we value very positively the practice of a healthy life based on correct health behaviors.
