Hate it or love it, data and statistics are becoming a more and more integral part of mainstream coverage of football, and the 2022 World Cup has introduced plenty of new metrics to help fans better understand the game they’re watching – and help them impress their mates down the pub.
One new statistic that has been popping up regularly in the TV coverage of the tournament is forced turnovers.
As we head towards the business end of the tournament, we’ve broken down exactly what that means and why some teams or players are forcing more than others.
RadioTimes.com brings you all the details on what forced turnovers are in the World Cup TV coverage graphics.
For more World Cup features check out: World Cup 2022 TV schedule | World Cup 2022 kits ranked | World Cup 2022 stadiums | Best players at the World Cup
What are forced turnovers?
Forced turnovers is a metric that has been introduced to illustrate how often possession has been lost due to pressure from an opponent.
That can take multiple forms, including a misplaced or intercepted pass, a successful tackle, or just losing control of the ball while under pressure from an opponent, and is activated once the team exerting the pressure gains possession of the ball.
If multiple opposition players exert pressure on the ball carrier ahead of the change of possession, they will all be credited with the forced turnover but that will still only add one forced turnover to the team-wide tally.
The statistic has been introduced to the TV coverage of the 2022 World Cup to offer insight into which teams and players are more actively engaging their opponents in an attempt to regain possession of the ball.
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