Comparisons of external load variables among periods, playing status, and positions in professional soccer team: A case study

The aims of this study were to compare weekly variations of training monotony (TM) and training strain (TS) among periods of the season, playing status and playing positions in professional soccer athletes. Nineteen male professional soccer players were monitored daily over a 43-week period for their total distance, sprint distance (>23 km h−1), acceleration (Acc, >4 m s−2), and decelerations numbers (Dec, >−4 m s−2). Players were divided in groups of 10 starters and 9 non-starters; and by three central defenders (CD), four wide defenders (WD), four central midfielders (CM), four wide midfielders (WM), and four strikers (ST). Season data was divided in pre-, early-, mid-, and end-season. There were significant differences for TM through sprint distance between playing positions in mid- and full-season. In mid-season, sprint distance was meaningfully greater for CD than WD ( p = 0.006; g = 1.74 [0.06, 3.95]), CM ( p = 0.002; g = 2.04 [0.28, 4.46]), WM ( p = 0.005; g = 1.78 [0.09, 4.02]), and ST ( p = 0.002; g = 2.05 [0.28, 4.46]). Regarding full-season, TM of sprint distance was significantly greater for CD than WD ( p = 0.031; g = 1.59 [−0.04, 3.73]), CM ( p = 0.011; g = 1.83 [0.13, 4.11]), and ST ( p = 0.023; g = 1.52 [−0.10, 3.59]). The study revealed that TM and TS of sprint distance in mid-season was meaningfully greater for CD than for WD, CM, WM, and ST. No differences between starters and non-starters were found.