Browsing by Author "Morgans, Ryland"
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- An analysis of positional generic and individualized speed thresholds within the most demanding phases of match play in the english premier leaguePublication . Kavanagh, Ronan; McDaid, Kevin; Rhodes, David; McDonnell, Jack; Oliveira, Rafael; Morgans, RylandTo analyze the positional distances covered above generic and individualized speed thresholds within the most demanding phases of match play. Categorized by position, 17 English Premier League players’ match data were analyzed over 2 consecutive seasons (2019–20 and 2020–21). The most demanding phases of play were determined using a rolling average across 4 periods of 1, 3, 5, and 10 minutes. Distance covered in the time above the standard speed of 5.5 m/s was analyzed, with individualized metrics based on the maximal aerobic speed (MAS) test data. Results: Central defenders displayed lower values for high-intensity periods when compared with fullbacks, midfielders, and wide midfielders for both generic and individualized metrics. MAS during 1-minute periods was significantly higher for forwards when compared with central defenders (82.9 [18.9] vs 67.5 [14.8] for maximum high-speed running [HSR] and 96.0 [15.9] vs 75.7 [13.8] HSR for maximum MAS activity). The maximum effect size differences between the central midfielders, wide midfielders, and fullbacks for HSR and MAS measures under the maximum HSR criterion was 0.28 and 0.18 for the 1-minute period, 0.36 and 0.19 for the 3-minute period, 0.46 and 0.31 for the 5-minute period, and 0.49 and 0.315 for the 10-minute period. Conclusions: Individualized speed metrics may provide a more precise and comparable measure than generic values. Data appear to be consistent across playing positions except for central defenders. This information may allow practitioners to directly compare individualized physical outputs of non–central defenders during the most demanding phases of play regardless of the players’ positional group. This may provide coaches with important information regarding session design, training load, and fatigue monitoring.
- Analytical and Ecological Approaches to Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditioning in FootballPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Oliveira, Rafael; Oliveira, Rafael; Silva, Rui; Beato, Marco; Bishop, Chris; Turner, AnthonyResearch in professional football has shown that the physical demands of competitive match-play have substantially increased over the last few decades (Carling et al., 2016) as well as the training demands (Oliveira et al., 2022). As such, the role of support staff has developed to provide theoretical, scientific, and practical support to the manager in a variety of areas. These include performance analysis, strength and conditioning, and the integration of technical and tactical elements. The role of fitness and conditioning staff is to have knowledge of scientific literature and analyze performance data to condition and recover players appropriately to deal with the ever-evolving demands of elite football competition.
- Are male soccer players accumulating sufficient load across varying microcycle structures? Examining the load, wellness and training/match ratios of a professional teamPublication . Oliveira, Rafael; Canário-Lemos, Rui; Morgans, Ryland; Peixoto, Rafael; Vilaça-Alves, José; BRITO, JOÃO PAULOProfessional soccer involves varying numbers of training sessions and matches each week, which can influence load distribution. Understanding the exact distribution may allow appropriate load periodisation and planning for players. Thus, this study aimed to (i) compare accumulated load and wellness between weeks with different numbers of training sessions and (ii) compare training/match ratio (TMr) of external and internal load between weeks with different numbers of training sessions. Ten players with a minimum of 45 minutes of weekly match-play were analysed over 16 weeks. The microcycle structures consisted of three (3dW), four (4dW), five (5dW) and six (6dW) training sessions plus match-day per week. The following measures were used for analysis: duration, fatigue, quality of sleep, muscle soreness, stress, mood, rating of perceived exertion (RPE), session-RPE (s-RPE), high-speed running distance (HSR), sprint distance (SPD), number of accelerations (ACC) and decelerations (DEC). Accumulated wellness/load were calculated by adding all training and match sessions, while TMr was calculated by dividing accumulated load by match data. The main results showed that accumulated wellness and load were significantly different, with moderate to very large effect sizes, except regarding mood, duration, s-RPE, SPD during 5dW vs. 6dW and s-RPE, HSR, SPD, ACC and DEC during 3dW vs. 4dW (all p > 0.05). Moreover, 6dW was significantly higher than 4dW regarding TMr of duration (p < 0.05, moderate effect size), RPE, HSR and SPD (all p < 0.05 with very large effect sizes) and for 3dW of HSR and ACC (p < 0.05 with very large effect sizes). This study showed that 5dW and 6dW had higher training measures than 3dW or 4dW. Additionally, higher wellness was presented in the microcycles with higher training frequencies. These findings suggest that physical load and wellness were not adjusted according to the number of training sessions within a microcycle.
- Are non-starters accumulating enough load compared with starters? Examining load, wellness, and training/match ratios of a European professional soccer teamPublication . Oliveira, Rafael; Canário-Lemos, Rui; Morgans, Ryland; Rafael-Moreira, Tiago; Vilaça-Alves, José; Brito, JoãoBackground The aims of the study were to: (i) compare accumulated load and wellness between starters and non starters of a European professional soccer team; (ii) analyze the relationships between wellness and load measures and; (iii) compare training/match ratio (TMr) of external and internal load between starters and non-starters. Methods Ten players were considered starters while seven were classifed as non-starters over a 16-week period in which six training sessions and match day (MD) were considered in each weekly micro-cycle. The following meas‑ ures were used: wellness (fatigue, quality of sleep, muscle soreness, stress, and mood); load (rated of perceived exertion (RPE), session-RPE (s-RPE), high-speed running (HSR), sprinting, accelerations (ACC) and decelerations (DEC)). Accumulated wellness/load were calculated by summing all training and match sessions, while TMr was calculated by dividing accumulated training load by match data for all load measures and each player. Mann–Whitney U test was used for wellness variables, while independent T-test was used for the remaining variables to compare groups. Moreover, relationships among variables were explored using the Spearman’s Rho correlation coefcient. Results The main results showed that non-starters presented higher signifcant values for fatigue (p<0.019; g=0.24) and lower signifcant values for duration (p<0.006; ES=1.81) and s-RPE (p<0.001; ES=2.69) when compared to start‑ ers. Moreover, positive and very large correlation was found between quality of sleep and RPE, while negative and very large correlation were found between stress and deceleration, and mood and deceleration (all, p<0.05). Finally, non-starters presented higher values in all TMr than starters, namely, RPE (p=0.001; g=1.96), s-RPE (p=0.002; g=1.77), HSR (p=0.001; g=2.02), sprinting (p=0.002; g=4.23), accelerations (p=0.001; g=2.72), decelerations (p<0.001; g=3.44), and duration (p=0.003; g=2.27). Conclusions In conclusion, this study showed that non-starters produced higher TMr in all examined variables despite the lower match and training durations when compared with starters, suggesting that physical load was adjusted appropriately. Additionally, higher RPE was associated with improved sleep while higher number of decelerations were associated with decreased wellness, namely, stress and mood for non-starters.
- Are physiological, physical, wellness and load decisive markers of starting players? A case study from a professional male soccer teamPublication . Oliveira, Rafael; Canário-Lemos, Rui; Morgans, Ryland; Rafael-Moreira, Tiago; Vilaça-Alves, José; Brito, JoãoThe study aim was to compare physiological, physical, accumulated wellness and load markers within a European professional soccer team between starters and non-starters. Ten starters (age: 25.1 ± 2.2 years; experience: 7.3 ± 2.3 years) and eight non starters (age: 26.1 ± 4.6; years’ experience: 8.3 ± 4.1 years) participated in the study. The study was conducted across 20 weeks where 75 training sessions and 15 matches occurred. Wellness (fatigue, quality of sleep, muscle soreness, stress and mood) and load (rating of perceived exertion (RPE), accelerations, decelerations, high-speed running and sprinting) measures were observed. Physiological evaluation consisted of a 1200 m maximum effort shuttle test while physical capacity assessment included isokinetic strength, jump ability and balance tests. Isokinetic tests were used to assess peak torque of both legs (extension and flexion at 60◦ /s and 180◦ /s), single squat jump and single hop jump were utilized to assess jump ability and Y-balance tests were employed to examine balance. Starters presented significantly higher values for peak torque extension of the non-dominant leg compared to non-starters (p = 0.038, effect size (ES) = 0.996), while non-starters showed higher values for both Y-balance postero-medial and postero lateral (p = 0.009, ES = −1.309 and p = 0.021, ES = −1.133, respectively). Accumulated duration and RPE were lower for non-starters than starters (p ≤ 0.001, ES = 1.268, and p = 0.022, ES = 1.123, respectively). The physiological and physical tests conducted in this study do not seem to determine the starting status of players, considering that only one test revealed significantly higher values for starters. Despite the lower training and match duration for non-starters, this showed that it is possible to accumulate identical load while managing wellness regardless of starting status.
- Can different scores in first and second halves influence running and explosive-based measures?Publication . Morgans, Ryland; Radnor, John; Oliver, Jon; Scholten, Jule; Zmijewski, Piotr; Kavanagh, Ronan; Ryan, Ben; Haslam, Chris; King, Matthew; Oliveira, RafaelThis study aimed to examine the influence of different scores in the first and second half on running and explosive-based performance of elite male soccer players. Thirty-three professional players from one English Premier League team participated in the study across two consecutive seasons, 2021/22 and 2022/23. Matches were divided into half (first versus second) and nine phases; WIN-WIN; WIN-DRAW; WIN-LOSS; DRAW-WIN; DRAW-DRAW; DRAW-LOSS; LOSS-WIN; LOSS-DRAW; and LOSS-LOSS. Match physical data were monitored using an 18 Hz Global Positioning System. There was a main effect for half for all variables (p < 0.001–0.008; η2 = 0.004–0.028), with distances covered per minute and number of explosive actions per minute greater in the first-half than second-half (d = 0.144–0.374). There was an interaction effect between half and phase for m/min, high-speed running per min, high metabolic load distance (HMLD) per min, HML efforts/min, and accelerations/min (p < 0.001–0.012; η2 = 0.010–0.015). There was a reduction between first-half and second-half performance during WIN-WIN, WIN-DRAW, DRAW-WIN, DRAW-DRAW, LOSE-WIN, and LOSE-LOSE for m/min (p < 0.001; d = 0.435–0.714), HMLD/min (p < 0.001–0.004; d = 0.334–0.605), and HML efforts/min (p < 0.001; d = 0.408–0.611). In conclusion, our findings emphasise the importance of considering both match half and phase when analysing players’ physical performance to support the prescription of tailored training programs and tactical strategies to optimise performance across different match situations.
- Comparison of running and accelerometry variables based onmatch outcome, match location and quality of opponent in eliteprofessional soccer players. A five-season studyPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Radnor, John; Fonseca, Jose; Rhodes, Dave; Ryan, Ben; King, Matthew; Zmijewski, Piotr; Oliveira, RafaelThe aim of this study was to compare external match load, according to match outcome, match location, and opponent quality across five competitive seasons. Forty-six professional outfield soccer players from the same English Premier League club across the complete 2018/19 to 2022/23 seasons were involved in the study. For each match, the outcome (win, draw, loss), match location (home, away) and quality of opponent (top or bottom six teams, remaining mid-table teams) were recorded. Players covered significantly more m/min and performed more decelerations when playing against the top six compared to mid-table or bottom six teams (p < 0.001; d = 0.213–0.322). There were no differences in external match load depending on match outcome. There were significant opponent×outcome×match location interactions for each position across most of the external match load measures, but these differed in magnitude forspecific metrics and positions(p = 0.001–0.048; d = 0.300–1.741). The present study provided novel information on external match load and the influence of match outcome, match location and opponent quality. This may support and contribute to understanding how to improve training methods to physically prepare players to cope with varying contexts.
- A comprehensive review of the effects of cherry juice and chocolate milk supplementation on football performance and recoveryPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Lee, DONGYOON; DI VIRGILIO, Thomas; Ryan, Ben; Oliveira, RafaelBackground: Football matches and training sessions can induce metabolic and mechanical stress, leading to inflammation, oxidative stress, and muscle damage, all of which may negatively impact subsequent performance. Montmorency tart cherry, rich in phytochemicals and anthocyanins, is believed to aid in recovery and alleviate muscle soreness. Similarly, chocolate milk may promote glycogen synthesis, protein synthesis, and rehydration. The aim of this study is to review the effects of cherry juice and chocolate milk on athletes and summarize results to inform future research on football recovery. Methods: This comprehensive review identified relevant literature through an extensive search of the PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and SPORTDiscus databases, using combinations of keywords related to cherry juice, chocolate milk, and exercise. Studies were selected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. Results: A total of 372 studies were identified through the search [Cherry juice: n = 137; Chocolate milk: n = 235]. After assessing eligibility, 27 studies were included based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria [Cherry juice: n = 14; Chocolate milk: n = 13]. These studies investigated the effects of cherry juice and chocolate milk on various aspects of post-training or post-competition recovery, including muscle damage, inflammation, oxidative stress, and physical performance in athletes from different sports. Conclusion: Based on the reviewed literature, the ingestion of cherry juice and chocolate milk has the potential to reduce muscle damage and soreness and enhance recovery after exercise and physical activities in athletes from various sports. These positive results suggest that cherry juice and chocolate milk may also benefit football players as recovery strategies. However, further research is needed to determine the optimal dosage, timing, and duration of supplementation, as well as the long-term effects on recovery and performance in football-specific contexts.
- Contextualized high-speed running and sprinting during English Premier League match-play with reference to possession, positional demands and opponent rankingPublication . Morgans, Ryland; Mandurino, Mauro; Beato, Marco; Ryan, Ben; Zmijewski, Piotr; Moreira, Alexandre; Ibrahim Ceylan, Halil; Oliveira, RafaelThis study aimed to compare high-speed running (HSR) and sprint distances (SD) when in- (IP) and out-of-possession (OP) during official English Premier League (EPL) match-play over three consecutive seasons considering playing position, match location and opponent ranking. Match data from 31 male professional soccer players was obtained via an optical tracking system. Results showed that during the IP phase, playing position emerged as the only significant predictor for both HSRIP and SDIP. Wingers showed the highest HSRIP compared to centre-backs who exhibited the lowest values (p < 0.001, ES = 4.19). Similar data were found for SDIP (p < 0.001, ES = 3.30). HSROP was significantly affected by both ranking difference (β = -0.039, p = 0.001) and match location (β = 0.369, p = 0.001). HSROP decreases as the ranking difference increases and tends to be higher during away matches (p = 0.001, ES = 0.24). SDOP was affected by both ranking difference (β = -0.023, p = 0.001) and match location (β = 0.166, p = 0.001) and decreased as the ranking difference increased. SDOP was also higher during away matches (p = 0.001, ES = 0.23). Additionally, a significant interaction was found between playing position and ranking difference (β = 0.005, p = 0.010). Lower ranking differences correspond to higher SDOP values. In conclusion, these findings highlight that by applying these IP and OP insights into practical coaching strategies, teams can potentially enhance individual physical performance and adaptability across different match situations and seasons.
- Do contextual factors influence running and accelerometry GPS based variables in professional women soccer players? A case study about the effect of match location and resultPublication . Oliveira, Rafael; Ceylan, Halil İbrahim; Fernandes, Renato; Morgans, Ryland; Nobari, Hadi; Nalha, Matilde; Brito, JoãoThe aims of this study were to compare external match load between home and away matches as well as the result of the match (win, draw, and loss). The secondary aim was to quantify external training load that preceded the next match taking into account both match location and result. Ten elite women soccer players participated in the study (age 24.66 ± 2.3 years). Seven home and seven away matches in which four wins, three draws, and seven losses occurred. The following global positioning system (GPS) metrics were analyzed: duration, total distance, high-speed running distance (HSR, > 15 km/h), number of accelerations (ACC) and decelerations (DEC), average speed, and player load. There were no significant differences between match results and match locations. Regarding comparisons of training data preceding different match results, only duration and player load did not differ while HSR, number of ACC and DEC showed to be higher when the next match was a loss (p < 0.05, moderate to very large effect). Regarding comparisons of training data preceding different match locations, only duration, total distance, and player load did not differ while HSR, average speed, number of ACC and DEC in all zones were higher when the next match was at home (p < 0.05, moderate to very large effect). In conclusion, this study showed that match result and location did not have a significant effect on GPS metrics exhibited during match-day. However, training data influenced the contextual factors of the next match which should be considered when planning training session.