Physical and Physiological Stresses on Footballers at Different Playing Positions: A Narrative Review

Abstract

Introduction: Football is a physically demanding sport that calls for significant amount of fitness, technical and tactical expertise.Interestingly, team positioning is one of most crucial components because it exhibits shared decision-making and player interaction inconformity with team principles of gameplay. Football training guidelines should be based on the unique necessities of distinguishableplaying positions. The goal of this article was to confirm inconsistencies and consolidate existing research.Materials and methods: Searched databases included PubMed, Google Scholar and Medline. Inclusion criteria was published articlebetween 1991 and 2021, human subjects, being available in English, including population relating to football and have the outcomeof interest.Results: Based on relevance, 22 studies met the inclusion criteria for qualitative syntheses.Discussion: Research suggests that activities during football game are directly influenced by playing position, and athletes tend todevelop physical characteristics following the demands of their specific position. Physiological, physical and behavioral monitoringtechniques are utilized to assess the changes occurring during a competitive game.Conclusion: Patterns and level of work rate observed during game play vary from individual to individual and cannot be generalizedthroughout even players playing at a similar position, let alone the entire population of football players.