Analysis of motor and technical activities of professional soccer players of the UEFA Europa League

Abstract

The aim of this study was a detailed physical and technical activities analysis of professional soccer players. The studied match performance variables included physical activity and technical actions. The study included 147 soccer players participating in 10 matches of the 2008-2009 and 2010-2011 Europa League seasons. Physical and technical variables were analyzed according to players’ positions on the field. The study was performed using the Amisco Pro (version 1.0.2.). The statistical analysis revealed that the total distances covered by studied players ranged from 10,335 m to 11,760 m, with the total sprinting distance ranged from 167 m to 346 m. While in ball possession, the forwards and external midfielders covered a 10-fold longer total sprinting distance than the central defenders (p < 0.05). The technical analysis showed that the players retained ball possession between 36.4 s and 64.9 s per match, and they had no more than 2.3 ball touches per individual possession. More specifically, the central defenders performed successful passes at 76.7%, and forwards at 69.7%. In conclusion, elite soccer players feature the ability to repeat high-intensity actions, while losing a certain number of ball possessions, and to perform technical actions quickly during matches.