The Relationship Between Playing Formations, Team Ranking, and Physical Performance in the Serie A Soccer League
Cristian Savoia,
Francesco Laterza,
Antonio Lucadamo,
Vincenzo Manzi,
Vito Azzone,
Samuel A. Pullinger,
Catherine E. Beattie,
Maurizio Bertollo,
Dario Pompa
Affiliations
Cristian Savoia
The Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, The Tom Reilly Building, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 5AH, UK
Francesco Laterza
Department of Wellbeing, Nutrition and Sport, Pegaso Open University, 80143 Naples, Italy
Antonio Lucadamo
Department of Law, Economics, Management and Quantitative Methods (DEMM), University of Sannio, 82100 Benevento, Italy
Vincenzo Manzi
Department of Wellbeing, Nutrition and Sport, Pegaso Open University, 80143 Naples, Italy
Vito Azzone
Italian Football Federation, 00198 Rome, Italy
Samuel A. Pullinger
Sport Science Department, Inspire Institute of Sport, Karnataka 583123, India
Catherine E. Beattie
School of Allied Health Professions, Keele University, Newcastle ST5 5BG, UK
Maurizio Bertollo
Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics (BIND) Center, Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66013 Chieti, Italy
Dario Pompa
Behavioral Imaging and Neural Dynamics (BIND) Center, Department of Medicine and Aging Sciences, University “G. d’Annunzio” of Chieti-Pescara, 66013 Chieti, Italy
The influence of playing formations and team ranking on the physical performance of professional soccer players is an open question that needs to be explored. The present study aimed to investigate the impact of these factors on the physical exertion of Serie A soccer players. We analyzed match data from 375 players, categorizing teams based on their final ranking and comparing performance across different playing formations. The Kruskal–Wallis test and the Dunn test with Bonferroni adjustment revealed that high-ranking (HR) teams exhibited a higher percentage of high-intensity (HI) accelerations compared to mid-ranking teams, suggesting the critical role of HI efforts in achieving favorable match outcomes. Moreover, the 4-3-3 playing formation was associated with greater acceleration demands than other formations, particularly in HR teams. Our study also established benchmarks for various performance metrics, enabling coaches to assess player performance and identify potential signs of overtraining. These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the physical demands in soccer and offer practical implications for coaches and players in optimizing training and performance strategies.
