How does the workload applied during the training week and the contextual factors affect the physical responses of professional soccer players in the match?

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine whether match physical output can be predicted from the workload applied in training by professional soccer players. Training and match load records from two professional soccer teams belonging to the Spanish First and Second Division were collected through GPS technology over a season ( N = 1678 and N = 2441 records, respectively). The factors playing position, season period, quality of opposition, category and playing formation were considered into the analysis. The level of significance was set at p ≤ .05. The prediction models yielded a conditional R-squared in match of 0.51 in total distance (TD); 0.58 in high-intensity distance (HIRD, from 14 to 24 km · h−1); and 0.60 in sprint distance (SPD, >24 km·h−1). The main finding of this study was that the physical output of players in the match was predicted from the training-load performed during the previous training week. The training-TD negatively affected the match physical output while the training-HIRD showed a positive effect. Moreover, the contextual factors – playing position, season period, division and quality of opposition – affected the players’ physical output in the match. Therefore, these results suggest the appropriateness of programming lower training volume but increasing the intensity of the activity throughout the weekly microcycle, and considering contextual factors within the load programming.

Relationship between training load and match running performance in men's soccer

“…Notwithstanding the above discussed relationships between training volume and relative match demands, our results revealed positive moderate relationships between prior training workload intensity and relative match demands. In fact, another study on 56 male professional soccer players from two different teams confirmed that the physical performance exhibited during a match could be predicted based on the training workload volume of the week leading up to the match [26]. Our findings are in contrast with the above-mentioned study which revealed that mTD and mHSR had strong associations with the previous wtTD and wtHSR loads -in terms of wtTD.…”

“…Our findings are in contrast with the above-mentioned study which revealed that mTD and mHSR had strong associations with the previous wtTD and wtHSR loads -in terms of wtTD. Also, the same authors [26] suggested that may be preferable to maintain training intensity high while maintaining training volumes low. This may be reflected by lower total distances covered and higher high-intensity activity during training.…”

“…Although there are some studies comparing accumulated training load relative to match load, there are a lack of studies analyzing possible associations between mean training load intensity and match running performance in soccer [7,24]. In fact, one of the few studies on this topic revealed that match running performance metrics, especially TD and HSR, had strong associations with the previous weekly training workload volume [26]. However, that study did not directly test the relationships between training intensity with match loads.…”

“…However, that study did not directly test the relationships between training intensity with match loads. Some distance-based metrics can depend on tactical characteristics and other contextual factors [26,27]. Also, accelerometry-based measures seem to be useful for monitoring neuromuscular status [28].…”

Weekly Variations of Short-Duration Maximal Jumping Performance in Soccer Players: Exploring Relationships With Accumulated Training Load and Match Demands

“…However, this type of protocol is usually tested over very short periods (pre- or post-assessments within a week). Other contextual factors, such as the quality of opposition and coach encouragement, might also influence the responses of the players during a training week and the official matches in-between (Guerrero-Calderón et al, 2021 ). Therefore, these different methodological approaches between studies make comparisons with these findings difficult.…”