Effect of player position on movement behaviour, physical and physiological performances during an 11-a-side football game

TLDR

The study aimed to compare time‑motion, training impulse, body load, and movement behaviour among defenders, midfielders, and forwards during an 11‑a‑side simulated football match. Twenty elite youth male players (average age 18.1 yr) were monitored with GPS units, and their kinematic data were used to compute position‑specific centroids and analysed with non‑linear statistics such as approximate entropy and relative phase. Results revealed significant positional differences: players’ displacements were most aligned with their own centroids, with midfielders showing the strongest coupling and forwards the weakest; forwards exhibited lower activity and greater irregularity relative to other positions, highlighting distinct performance profiles.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify differences in time–motion, modified training impulse, body load and movement behaviour between defenders, midfielders and forwards, during an 11-a-side simulated football game. Twenty elite youth male footballers from the same squad participated in this study (age: 18.1 ± 0.7 years old, body mass: 70.5 ± 4.3 kg, height: 1.8 ± 0.3 m and playing experience: 9.4 ± 1.3 years). All data were collected using GPS units (SPI-Pro, GPSports, Canberra, Australia). The movement behaviour was measured with kinematic data, used to calculate position-specific centroids (defenders, midfielders and forwards), and processed with non-linear statistical procedures (approximate entropy normalised and relative phase). There were significant effects and interactions in all variables across the players’ positions. The results showed that displacements of all players (defenders, midfielders and forwards) were nearer and more coordinated with their own position-specific centroids than with the other centroids. However, this coupling effect was stronger in midfield players and weaker in forwards. All players’ dynamical positioning showed more irregularity when related to the forwards’ centroid, as a consequence of their need to be less predictable when playing. The time–motion and physiological variables showed lower activity in forward players. Adding together, the results may contribute to a better understanding of players’ specific performances and football complexity.