# Heatmaps & Touch Maps · Football Level 8: Expert

Football · Level 8: Expert · Insporta Book (https://book.insporta.app/football/level-8/heatmaps-touch-maps/)

Heatmaps & Touch Maps in Football (Level 8: Expert) on Insporta: 100 sourced facts behind 10 tests. Covers: what a heatmap shows; touch maps; and more.

How to read football's maps: heatmaps, touch maps, average positions, passing networks, shot maps, maps by role, maps for coaches and players, the opponent on a map, a season on a map and where maps mislead.

## Test 1: What a heatmap shows

- A heatmap colours the pitch by how many of his touches or actions fell in each area, hottest where they were most concentrated. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Each touch is spread into a small soft patch and the patches are added up, which turns dots into a smooth surface. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Teams change ends at half-time; flipping one half keeps a left-back on the left of the picture for the whole match. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Most tools colour the hottest spot of each map at full strength, so a quiet match can look as bright as a busy one. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Event data logs actions on the ball, so off-ball runs and positioning are missing unless the map is built from tracking data. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A winger may hug the touchline with the ball and tuck into midfield without it; one combined map would blur both jobs. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The map shows where he was active, not whether his passes, dribbles or tackles there were good. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Direction is normalised before smoothing, so both halves are added to the same picture. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A single short cameo can show almost anything; a season shows where he really plays. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The activity runs high up the pitch along the top touchline, which is the left flank for a team attacking to the right. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 2: Touch maps

- A touch map keeps every action visible, while a heatmap blurs them into a smooth surface. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Touches add up all of a player's actions on the ball, which is why they are used to show involvement. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A striker who touches the ball in the box often is in position for chances, whatever the finishing that follows. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- With only a handful of actions, smoothing can create a misleading hot area; separate dots show exactly what happened. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Touches far from goal are the footprint of a striker who comes short to connect midfield and attack. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A winger kept high for the counter-attack rarely helps in his own half, and the map shows it. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Separate colours for passes, dribbles, shots and defensive actions turn a map of places into a map of jobs. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The further forward a player's role, the more of his touches fall in the penalty area. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Direction and sample size come first; only then do the clusters say something about the role. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Almost all of his touches are inside the penalty area, the profile of a forward who lives in the box. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 3: Average-position maps

- Each player's dot is the average of where his on-ball actions happened during the chosen period. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A winger who spends half the match on each side averages to the middle, a place he may have barely visited. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- After a substitution or a change of system, averages from the two shapes blend into one that never existed. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Bigger circles mark the players most involved on the ball, which shows where a team's play runs through. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A side may build as a 3-2-5 and defend as a 4-4-2; one average for both phases hides the change. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Tracking follows every player all the time, so the average reflects positioning, not just the moments on the ball. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Full-backs whose average sits that far forward spent much of the match in attack, the sign of a dominant, attacking side. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The time window comes first, because substitutions and tactical changes alter the averages. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Average positions follow the team's shape from the goalkeeper up to the striker. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- His average sits beside the holding midfielder rather than out wide, the pattern of an inverted full-back. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 4: Passing networks

- Thicker lines mark pairs who exchanged more passes, which shows the routes a team's play took. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Nodes sit at each player's mean location, so the network shows both the shape and the connections. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A minimum number of passes keeps the main connections readable instead of a web of faint lines. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Network analysts call this centrality: the more connections run through a player, the more the team relies on him. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- If most passes run through one player, pressing or screening him can break the team's usual routes. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Without links from midfield, the striker was not receiving the ball in the way the team's attacks usually need. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Only successful passes create links, so the attempts that were cut out, and the risk they carried, are invisible. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Positions and pass counts come from the same time window, usually up to the first substitution. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The pivot and the centre-backs build most of the play; a goalkeeper rarely passes straight to his striker. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The thickest lines all meet at 6, who links both centre-backs with both central midfielders. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 5: Shot maps

- Bigger circles are better chances, so the map shows both where a player shoots from and how good those shots were. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Every penalty comes from the same place with about 0.76 xG, which would dwarf the open-play pattern. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Lots of small circles at distance is the signature of a player who shoots whenever he can, not when the chance is good. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Filled markers for goals and hollow ones for other shots let the reader compare outcome with chance quality. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A single match may hold three or four shots; a season shows where a player really tends to shoot from. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Knowing that a side shoots mainly from the edge of the box or from cut-backs shapes the keeper's positioning. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Mapping the shots it conceded shows whether the defence keeps attempts to long range or lets opponents near goal. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Marker size follows xG, from a long speculative shot to one of the best chances in football. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The same data gives location, quality and outcome in one picture. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The three large circles sit near the six-yard box, while the small ones are from outside the penalty area. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 6: Maps by role

- The role moves him from the flank into central midfield when his team has the ball, and the map follows him there. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- As the only player on his side of the pitch, a wing-back runs from his own box to the opponent's. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Coming out to clear through balls and join the build-up puts many of his touches beyond the box. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The role asks him to defend his own box and arrive in the opponent's, so his activity stretches along the middle. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A false 9 drops into midfield to receive and combine; a target man stays high against the centre-backs. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Wingers told to stay wide stretch the defence, so their activity hugs the line in the attacking half. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A 'left-back' may play as a midfielder in possession; the map shows the job he really did. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The holding player screens the defence, the box-to-box player covers the middle, and the 10 lives behind the striker. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A centre-back stays in his own half, a winger mostly in the other half, and a wing-back covers both. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The activity runs along the whole bottom touchline, the right flank for a team attacking right, from one box to the other. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 7: Using maps with coaches and players

- Players think in terms of space on the pitch, so a map lands faster than a row of figures. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Comparing the map with the areas the coach asked him to occupy starts a concrete conversation. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The overlay turns a general impression into a specific gap between plan and reality. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A map shows where things happened; the clips show why, which is what a player can change. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Easy access lets players look back at a match in minutes, before the next session. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Seeing, for example, that a winger has barely entered the final third lets the coach change something for the second half. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A map chosen for a question, such as 'is our left side overloaded?', is far more useful than a general picture. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The material is prepared first; the review ends with a small number of concrete points. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The simpler the picture, the faster a player can take it in between sessions. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The hot areas sit well inside the dashed line, in the left channel and centre, not on the touchline. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 8: The opponent on a map

- If most of the opponent's attacks come down one side, the defending side can strengthen it. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Pressing where the opponent already gives the ball away turns its weaknesses into chances. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Knowing whether they go short or to one target area tells the team where to set up for the second ball. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- If crosses come mainly from deep on one flank, the defenders there can be told to close that space. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Recoveries high up the pitch mean an aggressive press; knowing its zones helps a team play around it. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- If one centre-back or the pivot starts most moves, the press can be aimed at forcing the ball elsewhere. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A red card, the score or one opponent can distort a single game; several show the habits. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The report exists to shape the plan; patterns from several matches matter more than one striking picture. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The closer to the opponent's goal the ball is won, the shorter the route to a shot. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Most entries come along the top of the picture, the opponent's right and so the home team's left. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 9: A season on a map

- Across many matches the unusual days wash out and the player's normal zones stand out. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A side that presses high at home and sits deeper away will put its players in different places. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A new system or a new job, for example a winger moved inside, shows up quickly on the map. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Half a season at left-back and half at centre-back averages into a map that fits neither job. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- More touches in the box usually means more chances; a falling rate warns of a problem before the goals dry up. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A full-back who lives in the opponent's half against weak sides may spend big matches defending his own box. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Using, for example, the last five matches keeps the picture current, so changes show up quickly. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Direction must be consistent before combining, and a change of role is best shown as separate maps. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Short windows react quickly but are noisy; a whole season is stable but slow to show a change. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- His touches in the box roughly doubled, from 3.1 to 6.4 per 90, so the new set-up puts him near goal far more often. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

## Test 10: Where maps mislead

- If each touch is spread too widely, two distinct zones become one large blob and the detail is lost. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Event data sees only moments on the ball; tracking follows every step, including all his runs without it. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A side 2-0 up for an hour and a side chasing a goal will produce very different maps whatever their usual style. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The Laws allow a range of lengths and widths, so providers scale each ground to a standard pitch to make maps comparable. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- A defender who prevents passes by standing in the right place makes fewer tackles and touches, so his map is quieter. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- The colour measures how often, not how well; he may lose the ball most in the very area where he is busiest. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Definitions of touches and actions vary, so two maps of the same player can differ for reasons that have nothing to do with him. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Colours by action keep what he did; plain dots keep only where; smoothing blurs even the exact places. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- Source and sample come first, then the orientation, then the context that may have shaped the picture. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))
- In 20 minutes a player may touch the ball a dozen times, and each map colours its busiest area at full strength anyway. (Source: Football analytics literature (Opta, StatsBomb, FBref definitions))

Sources: IFAB Laws of the Game / FIFA & UEFA technical reports / Opta, StatsBomb and FBref definitions / club and analyst publications / peer-reviewed research

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