The influence of short-term fixture congestion on position specific match running performance and external loading patterns in English professional soccer

The aim of the current study was to investigate positional specific physical performance and external load responses to short term fixture congestion in English professional soccer. A total of 515 match observations were categorised as G1: the first game in a week with4 days following a previous game, G2: the second game in a week played4 days since G1, and G3: the third game in a week played with4 days between each of the previous games. Global positioning system and accelerometer-based metrics were partitioned into fifteen-minute epochs. These data were then analysed using a linear mixed model to assess both the within and between game positional differences. Total, low-intensity (4.0 m·s