Variations in the physical demands and technical performance of professional soccer teams over three consecutive seasons

Zeki Akyildiz,Francisco Tomás González-Fernández,António J Figueiredo,Filipe Manuel Clemente,Aytek Hikmet Guler,Hadi Nobari,Gibson Moreira Praça,Hugo Sarmento,Esat Kaan Saka

doi:10.1038/s41598-022-06365-7

Abstract

The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to analyze the seasonal variations in the physical demands of Turkish Super League teams considering their status in the final rankings and (ii) to analyze the seasonal variations in the technical performance of Turkish Super League teams considering their status in the final rankings. This study followed an observational analytic retrospective design. In the last three seasons of the Turkish Super League (2015–2016, 2016–2017 and 2017–2018), 918 football matches, 54 teams, 25,029 observations were made. The Sentio Sports optical tracking system was used to quantify the physical demands and technical execution of players in all matches. No significant differences of external load were found between seasons analyzed (p > 0.05). The number of lost balls, ball touches in the central corridor, and goals from set pieces increased from season one to the others (p < 0.05), while the number of successful dribbles reduced over time (p < 0.05). As conclusion, it seems not occurred a progressive change in external load over the seasons, while an evolutionary trends regarding technical variables were observed.

Highlights

The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to analyze the seasonal variations in the physical demands of Turkish Super League teams considering their status in the final rankings and (ii) to analyze the seasonal variations in the technical performance of Turkish Super League teams considering their status in the final rankings
Similar to match running demands, analyses of specific technical outcomes have been researched in depth, namely to identify main outcomes as passes or finalizations as highly influenced by moderators as contextual factors, the quality of the teams, the quality of the opponents, or playing position13
Our results did not indicate an evolutionary trend in physical demands over consecutive seasons, and differently ranked teams presented similar physical responses

Summary

Introduction

The purpose of this study was twofold: (i) to analyze the seasonal variations in the physical demands of Turkish Super League teams considering their status in the final rankings and (ii) to analyze the seasonal variations in the technical performance of Turkish Super League teams considering their status in the final rankings. The number of lost balls, ball touches in the central corridor, and goals from set pieces increased from season one to the others (p < 0.05), while the number of successful dribbles reduced over time (p < 0.05) As conclusion, it seems not occurred a progressive change in external load over the seasons, while an evolutionary trends regarding technical variables were observed. In a longitudinal study conducted in English Premier League teams over seven seasons, a clear increasing tendency for performing sprinting was found, while no meaningful changes were found for total running distance. Considering that no studies were conducted in the Turkish Super League, it is important to identify and describe the evolutionary tendency of match running performance and technical performance over previous years

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Discussion

Conclusion