Sensor-Based Analysis of the Influence of Score Status and Playing Position on the Most Demanding Passages in Elite...

This study aimed to investigate how score status and playing position affect the most demanding passages (MDPs) in elite women's football. Data from ten matches from eighteen outfield players of the Turkish Women's National Team were collected during UEFA Nations League fixtures in the 2024-2025 seasons. Players were monitored using wearable GPS sensors, and all locomotor variables were segmented into one-minute windows to identify peak demands. The analysed variables included total distance (TD), high-speed running (HSR), sprint distance (SD), high-acceleration distance (HIAccD), high-deceleration distance (HIDecD), high metabolic power distance (HMPD), and player load (PL). Generalised Estimating Equations (GEE) were used to assess the effects of score status and playing position. Wingers (WG) showed the highest TD, HSR, and HMPD values, while centre backs covered less TD and HSR than WG. Full-backs and forwards (FW) also recorded lower TD, although FW exceeded WG in sprinting (p = 0.045, d values = 0.66 [moderate effect]). Score status influenced MDPs, with TD decreasing when the match was tied and further declining when the team was behind; similar reductions occurred in HSR, HIAccD, HIDecD, and HMPD. In conclusion, both score status and position significantly shaped peak locomotor and mechanical demands. These findings may inform individualised training, recovery programmes, and score-dependent tactical planning in elite women's football.