Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Introduction: Football players cover around 8-13 kilometres of running in different speeds in a match. However, the reporting of the sum or average of total distance covered fail to give an accurate picture of the most physically intense and demanding periods in matches, called “peak periods”. These periods have shown to cause temporary fatigue to the players, also known as “transient fatigue”. By gaining more information and knowledge about the peak intensity periods and how they affect players, coaches could train players to meet the physiological demands of elite football matches in a more accurate and effective manner.
Aim: The aim of this study was to gain a better understanding of positional differences in peak periods in elite football and how they affect the players in terms of fatigue.
Method: This study analysed peak intense periods as well as transient fatigue effects of 37 players from two male teams playing in 45 Swedish first division matches. Position specific analysis was conducted, based on the positions central defender (CD), external defender (ED), central midfielder (CM), wide midfielder (WM) and striker (ST), as well as a merged positional comparison between the central (CEN) positions (CD+CM+ST) and lateral (LAT) positions (ED+WM). The data was acquired through Catapult Vector x7 10 Hz GPS devices. Five-minute rolling periods and the variable “PEAK” was used and stands for the sum of distance of the variables “High intensity running”, “High speed running”, “Sprinting”, “Acceleration” and “Deceleration”. The difference between playing positions was analysed using a two-way mixed ANOVA with repeated measures and an independent t-test was used for the merged positional analysis.
Results: There was a significant difference in peak, post and mean distance between the positions overall. The magnitude of the peak periods was greatest for WM and ED. The magnitude was lowest for CD. The results were similar for the post and mean distances. In terms of transient fatigue in meters, WM and ED displayed the highest values. The peak, post and mean values as well as transient fatigue in meters were significantly higher for LAT players compared to CEN players.
Conclusion: There are differences in peak periods between positions in the Swedish first division, with CD position standing out as the least demanding. Lateral positions have higher magnitude of peak periods overall compared to central positions, as well as higher transient fatigue values.
2022.