The purpose of this paper was to systematically review and organise the literature on soccer SSGs, in order to ascertain the most frequently researched topics, characterise the methodologies employed, and systematize the evolution of the related research areas. A systematic review of Web of Science, Pubmed and SPORTDiscus databases was performed according to PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses) guidelines. The following keywords were used: football and soccer, with each one associated with the terms: "small sided games", SSG, "drill-based training", "small sided", "conditioned games" and "position games". The search returned 394 records. After screening against set criteria, a total of 77 manuscripts were fully reviewed. The most common topics of analysis were (1) pitch area; (2) player number: (a) with/without a goalkeeper; (b) with floater(s) in/outside the pitch; (3) goal: (a) goal vs scoring zone; (b) number of goals; (c) size of goals; (4) rules modification/task constraints (a) nº ball touches; (b) offside rule; (c) others; (4) training regimen, (5) coach encouragement. This review provides valuable information on the complex relationship between technical, tactical and physiological interactions in SSGs and how the manipulation of these types of variables can improve the soccer training process.

From the previous review, novel variables were identified that require new measurement techniques. It is evident that the complexity engendered during performance in competitive soccer requires an integrated approach that considers multiple aspects. A challenge for researchers is to align these new measures with the needs of the coaches through a more integrated relationship between coaches and researchers, to produce practical and usable information that improves player performance and coach activity.

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The purpose of this study was to analyze the day-to-day variance of a typical weekly external training workload of two professional soccer teams from different countries. Twenty-nine players from two professional teams from Portugal and the Netherlands participated in this study. The players’ external load was monitored for 7 weeks, by means of portable GPS devices (10 Hz, JOHAN, Noordwijk, Netherlands). Results revealed that match day -1 (MD-1), i.e. the training day before a match, had significantly (p = 0.001) less training volume (4584.50 m) than the other days. MD-5 (training five days before a match), MD-4 (four days before a match) and MD-3 (three days before a match) were the most intense (390.83, 176.90 and 247.32 m of sprinting distance, respectively) and with large volume (7062.66, 6077.30 and 6919.49 m, respectively). Interestingly, significant differences were found between clubs of different countries (p < 0.05) with the Portuguese team showing significantly higher intensity (sprinting distance) and volume (total distance) in all days with exception of MD-1 than the Dutch team. The results of this study possibly allow for the identification of different training workloads and tapering strategies between countries in relation to volume and intensity. It should be noted, however, that both clubs used a significant tapering phase in the last two days before the competition in an attempt to reduce residual fatigue accumulation.

This study aims to examine the effect of differences in the number of players and scoring method on heart rate responses, time-motion characteristics, and technical/tactical performance during small-sided soccer games. Ten male amateur soccer players (26.4 ± 5.3 years old, 8.4 ± 3.2 years of practice, 179.3 ± 5.2 cm body height, 71.2 ± 7.1 kg body weight, 45.8 ± 2.6 ml.kg(-1)min(-1)VO2max) from the Portuguese regional league played nine different small-sided games (i.e., 3 formats × 3 scoring methods). The study used two-way MANOVA, two-away ANOVA, and one-way ANOVA, depending on the specific procedure for the analysis. Compared with other formats, 2v2 induced significantly greater values of technical/tactical indexes (p = 0.001), 3v3 induced significantly higher %HRreserve values (p = 0.001), and 4v4 led to significantly greater distance coverage and speed (p = 0.001). The study provided evidence for coaches to set different small-sided game conditions depending on the training purpose in terms of physiological, physical, and technical performance.

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