Position-Specific Match Demands in Professional Soccer Assessed Using GPS Technology: A Repeated-Measures Analysis

Playing position influences soccer match demands, but comparisons may be biased by unequal playing time and repeated observations from the same players. This retrospective observational study compared GPS-derived running and change-of-velocity demands across five positional groups while accounting for within-player clustering and match exposure. The primary analysis included 84 player-match observations from 21 male professional outfield players across six competitive matches. Linear mixed-effects models included playing position and match as fixed effects, log-transformed playing duration as a covariate, and player as a random intercept. After Holm correction, position was associated with total distance, high-intensity running distance at ≥19 km/h, distance at ≥25 km/h, sprint count, peak speed, accelerations at ≥3 m/s², and decelerations at ≤-3 m/s² (adjusted p ≤ 0.020). At equivalent exposure, central defenders recorded approximately 49% less high-intensity running than wingers and fewer sprints, accelerations, and decelerations than several other groups. Midfielders achieved a 3.06 km/h lower adjusted peak speed than side defenders/full-backs. Findings were robust to two sensitivity analyses. Position-specific monitoring should combine accumulated match dose with exposure-adjusted estimates and account for repeated observations when players contribute data from multiple matches.