Evidence of Decreased Physical Performance During Playoff Matches: A 4-Season Study of a Liga MX Football Club

To explore and compare physical performance across different match scheduling types, including noncongested, congested, and playoffs and considering contextual factors such as match outcomes, location, and player position of a Liga MX football club over a 4-season follow-up.

Thirty-seven players participated. Physical-performance metrics included total and relative distance, maximal velocity, maximal acceleration and deceleration, high-intensity break distance, explosive distance, high-speed running (HSR), number and distance of HSR actions, and number and distance of sprints. Linear mixed-model analysis was applied to compare interactions between variables using fixed factors and random factors.

Players showed a physical decrement during the playoffs compared with noncongested fixtures in total distance (Δ = -497 m, P = .007), relative distance (Δ = 9.10 m/min, P < .001), peak velocity (Δ = 0.54 km/h, P = .003), high-intensity break distance (Δ = 14 m, P < .001), explosive distance (Δ = 58 m, P < .001), HSR distance (Δ = 43 m, P < .001), number of HSR actions (Δ = 1.86, P < .001), sprint distance (Δ = 29 m, P < .001), and number of sprints (Δ = 1.17, P < .001). Furthermore, physical performance tended to decline during playoff matches that resulted in a loss, and this was more pronounced in winger player positions than in players with other roles such as center backs and forwards (P ≤ .001).

These findings highlight a physical-performance decrease during the playoffs, which can be a key determinant of match outcomes.