Will Next Match Location Influence External and Internal Training Load of a Top-Class Elite Professional European Soccer Team?

Rafael Oliveira, João Paulo Brito, Nuno Loureiro, Vítor Padinha, Hadi Nobari and Bruno Mendes
Additional contact information
Rafael Oliveira: Sports Science School of Rio Maior–Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
João Paulo Brito: Sports Science School of Rio Maior–Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
Nuno Loureiro: Sports Science School of Rio Maior–Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
Vítor Padinha: Sports Science School of Rio Maior–Polytechnic Institute of Santarém, 2040-413 Rio Maior, Portugal
Hadi Nobari: Department of Physical Education and Sports, University of Granada, 18010 Granada, Spain
Bruno Mendes: Faculty of Human Kinetics, University of Lisboa, 1649-002 Lisboa, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 10, 1-15

Abstract: Background: The purpose of this study is to compare training load (TL) preceding a home versus away match in a top-class elite European team during the 2015–2016 season. Methods: Twenty elite outfield soccer players with a mean ± SD age, height and body mass of 25.9 ± 4.6 years, 183.1 ± 6.6 cm and 78.6 ± 6.6 kg, respectively, participated in this study. Total distance covered, high-speed running distance (HSRD), average speed (AvS), rating of perceived exertion (RPE) multiplied by training duration (s-RPE) and Hooper index (HI) were collected. Data from 24 weeks were analyzed through match-day minus/plus approach (MD-5, -4, -3, -2, -1, MD + 1). Results: All external TL variables indicated a decrease from MD-5 until MD-1 and then an increase to MD + 1 ( p < 0.01). HI decreased from MD-5 to MD-1, but s-RPE increased until MD-3 and then decreased until MD + 1. When comparing TL data that preceded home matches versus away matches, for MD-5, HSRD and muscle soreness exhibited higher values when away match neared ( p < 0.05). For MD-4 and MD-3, total distance, HSRD and AvS exhibited higher values closer to an away match than a home match ( p < 0.05). For MD-1, total distances covered were higher closer to a home match than an away match ( p < 0.01). For MD + 1, all HI items and AvS were higher when an away match was played ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study confirms and provides evidence regarding the influence on internal and external TL data preceding home and away matches from a team that played in European competitions.

Keywords: soccer training; s-RPE; Hooper index; GPS; match day; match location (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5229/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/10/5229/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:10:p:5229-:d:554665

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().