## 4 Discussion
The present study reports 32% of goals scored by set pieces in both leagues, which aligns with the relevant literature because these types of possessions are least frequent compared with positional attacks or counterattacks [13]. The present data reveal that corner kicks and penalties achieved the highest percentage of goals (both with 36%), followed by indirect free kicks (14%), throw-ins (8%), and free kicks (6%). Corner kicks seem to be reported consistently as one of the most productive set pieces in goal-scoring [3; 4; 34], and are a characteristic of contemporary soccer. In the present study, corner kick goals also unveil differences between the two leagues, with EPL presenting more goals than SLL (\(p<0.05\)). Reference [37] report a similar trend, with the EPL being the most productive league regarding goals scored from corner kicks compared to the other \"big-five leagues.\" This can be due to the physical advantage EPL players seem to have [8; 38] combined with the major capacity of EPL defenders to win air duels [6]. When comparing offensive patterns between leagues, [10] reported a higher percentage of combinative attacks in SLL than in other leagues (EPL included) in creating scoring opportunities. The same trend was found in our study, with SLL having more goals from positional play/fast play than EPL (46 % vs. 31%; \(p<0.001\)). We also found differences in the counterattack, with an advantage for EPL (34% vs. 22%; \(p>0.001\)). Reference [10] only reported differences between Bundesliga and the others, without differences between SLL and EPL. Physical attributes can affect the game style, or some championships may choose players with a particular profile to match the type of game played there. SLL seems to have players with more technical quality, and EPL has more athletic players, taller than in SLL [8; 38], generally stronger physically [9; 10], and that can be helpful in air duels. Reference [12] refuted this idea when comparing the \"big-five leagues\", defending that no differences were found between players after analyzing their individual actions in Champions League matches. Goal-scoring will be specific to the team's style of play and the technical profile of players [13]. However, when analyzing these results together, researchers must be aware of the terminology used, and caution must be taken when making comparisons of the results to avoid comparing different concepts; there is no consensus or missing information for some styles [39]. In addition, the offensive game style seems to be affected by the competition in which the data are collected, and researchers and coaches must be aware of that when making comparisons. The current study results show a more significant percentage of goals scored with less than three passes in both leagues, which aligns with the literature [14; 16; 36]. This can be due to several reasons: more effective set pieces and counterattacks [4; 13; 40; 41; 42] with these patterns involving fewer touches on the ball; meager possessions are more commons during a match [14] and it is expected that it also originates more goals [16]; shorter possessions resulting in goal seem to be a tendency of the match with quicker attacks being more effective in disrupting the opposite defense contrary to longer possessions that allow the defense to adjust and minimize surprise effects [14]. After normalizing the goals scored for 100 possessions, [16] concluded that shorter passing sequences (0-4 passes) were favorable to goal-scoring (9.52 goals for 100 possessions vs. 7.28 goals for longer sequences of 5-8 passes). In parallel, [2] studied the offensive patterns of FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, and both teams reported passing sequences of four or more passes as the most common, a fact they attribute to the superior quality of the players in comparison to most of the teams, with higher passing sequences demanding more tactical and technical skills.