Influence of age category and playing position on match physical demands in football players
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This study aimed to compare the physical match demands between first-team and U19 players during the football season and to evaluate the differences across playing positions. A total of 41 matches and 395 individual player game observations (U19 = 188 and first-team = 207) were included in this study. The following playing positions were examined: Centre Backs (CB), Wide Midfielders (WM), Defensive Midfielders (DM), Attacking Midfielders (AM) and Forwards (FW). Total distance covered (TD), maximal sprinting speed (MSS) high-speed running distance (HSR), sprint running distance (SR), high metabolic load distance (HMLD), number of sprints (NS) and maximum sprinting speed (MSS) were measured using an 18.18 Hz global positioning system (GPEXE® SYSTEM, EXELIO srl, Udine, Italy). First-team players demonstrated greater physical match demands and higher exposure to high-intensity activities than U19 players, although no significant difference was observed for MSS. Regarding positional differences, WM, AM, and FW exhibited greater physical requirements, while CB and DM generally experienced lower locomotor and sprint-related demands during competitive matches. These findings may help practitioners facilitate the progression of young players into senior environments and optimize training prescriptions according to playing position.
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