Influence of competitive level and playing position on the physical and technical demands of professional men’s football

This study investigated the differences in physical and technical performance between players in Spain’s First and Second Division professional men’s football leagues, with a specific focus on playing positions and phases of play (in and out of possession). Drawing on data from 1,608 official matches across the 2021/22 and 2022/23 seasons, involving 44 teams, the research employed advanced tracking technologies (TRACAB and Mediacoach) and technical event analysis (OPTA) to provide a comprehensive assessment of physical demands and technical actions. In possession phases, First Division central midfielders (CM) and forwards (FW) covered significantly more distance at high speeds (p = 0.010 and 0.027; ES = -0.49) and during sprints (p = 0.041 and 0.025; ES = -0.45 and -0.59), whereas wide defenders (WD) demonstrated greater high-intensity efforts in both possession and defensive phases (p = 0.002–0.009; ES = -0.50 to -0.59). Conversely, central defenders (CD) and wide midfielders (WM) did not show significant differences in physical demands between divisions. Technically, FW in the First Division recorded higher values in total passes, forward passes, attacking zone passes, successful dribbles, and crosses, while WM showed significantly greater totals in passes, forward passes, and attacking zone passes compared to their counterparts in the Second Division. In contrast, Second Division players, particularly CD and WD, executed longer passes (p = 0.025 and 0.001; ES = 0.29 and 0.20), suggesting a more direct style of play. In conclusion, the study demonstrated that competitive level and playing position significantly influence the physical and technical demands of professional football. The findings suggest that technical proficiency, particularly in offensive play, complements position-specific physical demands in highintensity actions as a key differentiator between divisions.