Decoding On-Field Roles in Football: A Sociological Analysis Using Intelligent MCDM Algorithm With Fuzzy Information for Player Positioning and Technical-Tactical Behavior

Football is a challenging sport that demands an understanding of on-field roles, the nuances of player positioning, and clear player roles crucial for strategic advantage and achieving optimal team performance. The football strategy involves the careful planning and execution of player roles and actions to outmaneuver opponents and achieve team goals. However, effective strategies in football are challenging due to the unpredictable nature of the game, as it involves factors like real-time decision-making, varying player skills, and the fluid dynamics of play, which add to the game’s complexity. The traditional approaches often fail to capture these nuanced details. So, football strategy demands a decision-making model that considers these details and assists in achieving optimal team performance. This study introduces a new approach to analyzing player roles and technical-tactical behaviour by proposing a sociological framework based on the multicriteria decision-making (MCDM) algorithm. The proposed study defines the complex circular intuitionistic fuzzy Bonferroni mean (Comp-CIFBM) aggregation operator (AO), its properties, and then the decision algorithm which utilizes the proposed operator and accommodates the uncertainty and imprecision inherent in data of sociological and game performance analysis by defining a multi-faceted view of each player’s contribution to team dynamics. Moreover, to demonstrate the reliability of the proposed approach in refining the strategic insights (plans to improve team performance based on analyzing players performances, team dynamics, and opposition strategies) and supporting the decisions for on-field role allocation and tactical planning in football, a comprehensive comparison has been made with the prior approaches that highlight the proposed approach’s efficacy. Overall, the findings highlight the value of a decision-making framework for improving strategic planning, allowing for a more precise and adaptable approach to football management.