This article examines the effects of team composition on the performance of European football (soccer) teams. The scorelines of 1,822 matches involving 98 first-tier teams were analyzed in terms of the overall ability of the teams and the spread of player abilities (heterogeneity) within them. As expected, total team ability has a beneficial effect on performance; the number of goals a team scores is positively related to its own ability and negatively related to the ability of its opponents. Team heterogeneity on the other hand has both beneficial and detrimental effects on performance. Heterogeneous teams score more goals than homogeneous teams, but they also concede more goals. As the effect of heterogeneity on goals conceded is greater than its effect on goals scored, the net effect of heterogeneity is to depress overall performance. The results are discussed in terms of Steiner’s framework of group dynamics.
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