Match Running Performance in UEFA Champions League: Do More Successful Teams Really Run Less?

Abstract

It is often hypothesized that more successful teams from elite football competitions achieve lower match running performance (MRP) than less successful teams. However, the results of previous studies investigat- ing the associations between MRP and different success indicators are inconsistent. The main objective of this study was to identify the association between teams’ MRP and the UEFA club coefficient as an indicator of long-term success in highest-level football. Individual MRPs (n=547) of 378 outfield players were jointly evaluated into the team MRP and used as cases in this study. All data were collected by the semi-automatic optical video system InStat Fitness from matches (n=20) of the UEFA Champions League group stage (UCL) in the 2020/2021 season. MRP variables included total distance covered and distance covered in different speed zones: walking (<7.1 km/h), jogging (7.2–14.3 km/h), running (14.4–19.7 km/h), high-speed running (19.8–5.1 km/h), and sprinting (>25.2 km/h). Pearson’s correlation coefficient was used to identify the association be- tween the teams’ MRP and the UEFA club coefficient. Results indicated that the UEFA club coefficient was positively and negatively associated with sprinting and jogging distance covered, respectively. These findings show that teams with a higher UEFA club coefficient performed a lower amount of running at low intensity and a greater amount of running at maximal intensity, suggesting that teams are achieving greater long-term success in highest-level football play at a higher game pace.