• Knowledge Management Research
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.241-262
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• 2023

The phenomena and game records that occur in sports matches are being analyzed in the field of sports game analysis, utilizing advanced technologies and various scientific analysis methods. Among these methods, social network analysis is actively employed in analyzing pass networks. As football is a representative sport in which the game unfolds through player interactions, efforts are being made to provide new insights into the game using social network analysis, which were previously unattainable. Consequently, this study aims to analyze the changes in pass networks over time for a specific football team and compare them in different scenarios, including variations in the game's nature (Qatar World Cup games vs. A match games) and alterations in the opposing team (higher FIFA rankers vs. lower FIFA rankers). To elaborate, we selected ten matches from the games of the Korean national football team following Coach Bento's appointment, extracted network indicators for these matches, and applied four indicators (efficiency, cohesion, vulnerability, and activity/leadership) from a football team's performance evaluation model to the extracted data for analysis under different circumstances. The research findings revealed a significant increase in cohesion and a substantial decrease in vulnerability during the analysis of game performance over time. In the comparative analysis based on changes in the game's nature, Qatar World Cup matches exhibited superior performance across all aspects of the evaluation model compared to A matches. Lastly, in the comparative analysis considering the variations in the opposing team, matches against lower FIFA rankers displayed superior performance in all aspects of the evaluation model in comparison to matches against top FIFA rankers. We hope that the outcomes of this study can serve as essential foundational data for the selection of football team coaches and the development of game strategies, thereby contributing to the enhancement of the team's performance.