Does Technical Match Performance in Professional Soccer Depend on the Positional Role or the Individuality of the Player?

Abstract

The aim of the study was to examine the impact of the positional role and the individuality on the technical match performance in professional soccer players. From official match data of the Bundesliga season 2018/19, technical performance [short (<10 m)/medium (10–30 m)/long (>30 m) passes, dribblings, ball possessions] of all players who played during the season were analyzed (normative data). Five playing positions (center back, full back, central midfielder, wide midfielder and forward) were distinguished. As the contextual factor tactical formation is known to influence match performance, this parameter was controlled for. Further, those players who played at minimum four games in at least two different playing positions were included in the study sample (n = 13). The technical match performance of the players was analyzed in relation to the normative data regarding the extent to which the players either adapted or maintained their performance when changing the playing position. When switching playing positions, positional role could explain 3–6% of the variance in short passes and ball possessions and 27–44% of the variance in dribblings, medium passes, and long passes. Moreover, we observed large interindividual differences in the extent to which a player changed, adapted, or maintained his performance. In detail, five players clearly adapted their technical performance when changing playing positions, while five players maintained their performance. Coaches can use these findings to better understand the technical match performance of single players and further, to estimate the impact of a change in the positional role on the technical performance of the respective player.

Seasonal analysis of match load in professional soccer players: An observational cohort study of a Swiss U18, U21 and first team

“…Their distribution among positions and match outcomes are summarized in Tables 3-6. Five different playing positions were categorized (central defender, full back, central midfielder, wide midfielder, forward) (Chmura et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a;Modric et al, 2022). For the first team, the definitions were made in consultation with an assistant coach directly involved in the line-up and substitutions.…”

“…To some extent, this observation may be explained by the fact that the individual match observations in the U18 compared to the U21 originate to a greater extent from offensive positions. Offensive positions are associated with higher external match loads, especially distancerelated measures (Altmann et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a;Rico-Gonzalez, Oliveira, Palucci;Vieria, Pino-Ortega, & Clemente, 2022). In their systematic review Palucci Vieira et al (2019) reported increasing match running loads with aging in youth players when determined with fixed speed thresholds.…”

“…The observed effects of the team assignment on relative high-speed running and relative sprint distance, on the other hand, proved to be larger (d high-speed running: 0.82 and 0.89, respectively, Table 8; r sprint: 0.3 and 0.33, respectively, Table 9). Although the results are inconclusive, it should be considered that the degree to which the tactical formation influences the physical match load might depend on the position of the players (Forcher et al, 2022a;Forcher et al, 2022b). Effects of player position on physical match load were documented several times (Palucci Vieira et al, 2019;Altmann et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a;Forcher et al, 2022b;Harkness-Armstrong et al, 2022).…”

“…Advancements in technology made it possible to more accurately measure internal and external loads and thus the physical demands of soccer training and matches can now be better quantified (Halson, 2014;Bourdon et al, 2017;Palucci Vieira, Carling, Barbieri, Aquino, & Santiago, 2019;Miguel et al, 2021;Torres-Ronda et al, 2022). Numerous studies assessed match loads of elite male, female, and youth soccer players regarding physical performance capacities, playing positions, tactical formation, or different contextual factors (e.g., match location, environmental conditions, match importance, preparation, fixture congestion, season phase, match outcome, nutrition strategies, game rules) (Link & de Lorenzo, 2016;Palucci Vieira et al, 2019;Julian, Page, & Harper, 2020;Altmann et al, 2021;Chmura et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a;Forcher et al, 2022b;Draper et al, 2022;Harkness-Armstrong, Till, Datson, Myhill, & Emmonds, 2022;Hulton, Malone, Clarke, & MacLaren, 2022;Sarmento et al, 2022). While the findings, especially at elite level, are not consistent, it is evident that data from one population group may not be relevant to other population groups (Palucci Vieira et al, 2019;Saeterbakken et al, 2019;Reynolds et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a).…”

“…Numerous studies assessed match loads of elite male, female, and youth soccer players regarding physical performance capacities, playing positions, tactical formation, or different contextual factors (e.g., match location, environmental conditions, match importance, preparation, fixture congestion, season phase, match outcome, nutrition strategies, game rules) (Link & de Lorenzo, 2016;Palucci Vieira et al, 2019;Julian, Page, & Harper, 2020;Altmann et al, 2021;Chmura et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a;Forcher et al, 2022b;Draper et al, 2022;Harkness-Armstrong, Till, Datson, Myhill, & Emmonds, 2022;Hulton, Malone, Clarke, & MacLaren, 2022;Sarmento et al, 2022). While the findings, especially at elite level, are not consistent, it is evident that data from one population group may not be relevant to other population groups (Palucci Vieira et al, 2019;Saeterbakken et al, 2019;Reynolds et al, 2021;Forcher et al, 2022a). At the youth level, the available data from few investigations indicate an increase of physical match loads with age, for both male and female soccer players (Palucci Vieira et al, 2019;Reynolds et al, 2021;Harkness-Armstrong et al, 2022).…”