Latest research in football - week 6 - 2019

#1 Design, Validation, and Reliability of an Observation Instrument for Technical and Tactical Actions of the Offense Phase in Soccer
Reference: Front Psychol. 2019 Jan 24;10:22. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00022. eCollection 2019.
Authors: Ortega-Toro E, García-Angulo A, Giménez-Egido JM, García-Angulo FJ, Palao JM
Download link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6353797/pdf/fpsyg-10-00022.pdf
Summary: The use of observational methodology in the sports context provides coaches and other sports professionals with flexible tools that adapt to their needs. In collective sports, the use of these instruments is common for the technical and tactical analysis of the game. Based on the importance of data quality in these instruments, the purpose was to design, validate, and test the reliability of a mixed observational instrument of field formats and category systems to analyze technical and tactical actions in the offense phase in soccer. The instrument collects information regarding the actions with the ball, moment of the play (start, development, and end), and contextual situation for the offensive team and for the goalkeeper. The instrument design, validation, and reliability calculation were done in four stages: (a) review of the literature, (b) design the first draft of the instrument, (c) experts' qualitative and quantitative review of the instrument, and (d) observer training test (reliability calculation). The content validity was established by 12 experts (Ph.D. in sports science or soccer coach with at least of 10 years of coaching experience). The Delphi methodology was used. Experts did a quantitative (scale 0-10) and qualitative evaluation. Experts were asked about: (a) comprehension of the criteria, categorical cores, degree of openness, and their definitions, (b) pertinence of categorical cores and degree of openness, and (c) whether to include other categorical cores or degree of openness in the observation instrument. The lowest Aiken's V index was 0.91 for the categorical core "numerical situation with opponent goalkeeper." The inter- and intra-observer reliability presented good levels of agreement. The lowest Kappa index was 0.96 for the inter-reliability in the categorical core "defensive pressing lines" and was 0.98 for the intra-reliability in the categorical core "ball height (start of ball possession)," "distance of the defensive player," "ball height (end of ball possession)," "numerical situation," and "defensive pressing lines." The coefficients of the generalizability analysis showed a high level of accuracy, validity and reliability of the instrument. The results show that the instrument allows to obtain objective, valid and reliable information about the offensive phase in soccer.


#2 Change-of-direction, speed and jump performance in soccer players: a comparison across different age-categories
Reference: J Sports Sci. 2019 Feb 6:1-7. doi: 10.1080/02640414.2019.1574276. [Epub ahead of print]
Authors: Loturco I, Jeffreys I, Abad CCC, Kobal R, Zanetti V, Pereira LA, Nimphius S
Summary: This study examined the age-specific development of vertical jump height, straight and change-of-direction (COD) speed, and COD deficit in one-hundred and eighty-two elite soccer players from different age-categories (U15, U17, U20, and Senior). All participants were players of two distinct clubs and were undertaking different training routines, as planned by their technical staff members. For this purpose, the soccer players performed: (1) squat and countermovement jumps; (2) a maximal 20-m linear sprint speed test, and (3) the Zigzag COD test. The magnitude-based inference approach and standardized differences were used to compare the age-groups. Sprint speed at longer distances (20-m) increased progressively across the age-ranges. In contrast, speed and acceleration performances at shorter distances (5-m) were better in U15 than in the other age-categories. The COD speed did not change throughout the younger categories but presented a meaningful decrease in the Senior category. Surprisingly, despite the progressive increase in volume and intensity of neuromuscular training from younger to older categories, the COD deficit presented a gradual increase across the age-groups. It is possible that simple modulation of the strength-power training program during the maturation process is not sufficient to produce faster adult players with enhanced ability to change direction. Therefore, coaches are strongly encouraged to implement specific COD training practices to tolerate braking at increasing running speeds and appropriate volume and intensity of soccer specific training throughout the players' specialization process.


#3 Prevalence of labrum and articular cartilage injuries of the hip on 3T magnetic resonance imaging of asymptomatic elite soccer players
Reference: Rev Esp Cir Ortop Traumatol. 2019 Feb 2. pii: S1888-4415(18)30173-5. doi: 10.1016/j.recot.2018.10.008. [Epub ahead of print] [Article in English, Spanish]
Authors: Márquez WH, Gómez-Hoyos J, Gallo JA, Espinosa B, Rivas N, Llano JF, Osorio J, Martin HD
Summary: The purpose was to establish the prevalence of lesions of the labrum and articular cartilage of the hip in asymptomatic elite soccer players by performing 3T magnetic resonance imaging. Eighty-four asymptomatic hips of 42 professional soccer players were evaluated. Male subjects older than 18 years were included. Cam and pincer deformity were defined as an alpha angle greater than 55 degrees and a lateral centre edge angle greater than 39 degrees, respectively. Labral injuries were classified with the Czerny classification and cartilage damage was classified with the Outerbridge classification. Specific statistical tests were used to establish the relationship between anatomical variances of the hip and the presence of chondral and labral injuries. FAI morphology prevalence was 25%. Abnormalities such as cam (22.5%) and labral injuries (33.8%) were found. Those cases with reported labral injury were predominantly intrasubstance damage (18.8%). Anatomical features of FAI were found to be related to lesions of the femoral cartilage (P<.001), chondrolabral damage (P=.042), or both injuries (P<.001). Asymptomatic labral or cartilaginous injuries of the hip were reported in 25% of the included professional soccer players. These injuries were associated with anatomical features of FAI.


#4 Effects of playing position, pitch location, opposition ability and team ability on the technical performance of elite soccer players in different score line states
Reference: PLoS One. 2019 Feb 5;14(2):e0211707. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0211707. eCollection 2019.
Authors: Redwood-Brown AJ, O'Donoghue PG, Nevill AM, Saward C, Sunderland C
Download link: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0211707&type=printable
Summary: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of playing position, pitch location, team ability and opposition ability on technical performance variables (pass, cross, corner, free kick accuracy) of English Premier League Soccer players in difference score line states. A validated automatic tracking system (Venatrack) was used to code player actions in real time for passing accuracy, cross accuracy, corner accuracy and free kick accuracy. In total 376 of the 380 games played during the 2011-12 English premier League season were recorded, resulting in activity profiles of 570 players and over 35'000 rows of data. These data were analysed using multi-level modelling. Multi-level regression revealed a "u" shaped association between passing accuracy and goal difference (GD) with greater accuracy occurring at extremes of GD e.g., when the score was either positive or negative. The same pattern was seen for corner accuracy away from home e.g., corner accuracy was lowest when the score was close with the lowest accuracy at extremes of GD. Although free kicks were not associated with GD, team ability, playing position and pitch location were found to predict accuracy. No temporal variables were found to predict cross accuracy. A number of score line effects were present across the temporal factors which should be considered by coaches and managers when preparing and selecting teams in order to maximise performance. The current study highlighted the need for more sensitive score line definitions in which to consider score line effects.


#5 Age-related differences in flexibility in soccer players 8-19 years old
Reference: PeerJ. 2019 Jan 29;7:e6236. doi: 10.7717/peerj.6236. eCollection 2019.
Authors: Cejudo A, Robles-Palazón FJ, Ayala F, De Ste Croix M, Ortega-Toro E, Santonja-Medina F, Sainz de Baranda P
Download link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6357869/pdf/peerj-07-6236.pdf
Summary: Muscle flexibility is a main component of health-related fitness and one of the basic components of fitness for the performance in some sports. Sport and health professionals require the flexibility profile of soccer to define quantitative aims in the training of flexibility. The aim of this study was to identify age-related differences in lower extremity flexibility in youth soccer players. Seventy-two young male soccer players (age: 13.0 ± 3.1 y; body mass: 50.5 ± 15.3 kg; stature 158.2 ± 16.8 cm; BMI: 19.6 ± 2.6 kg/m2) completed this study. Measures of eleven passive hip (hip extension (HE), hip adduction with hip flexed 90°(HAD-HF90°), hip flexion with knee flexed (HF-KF) and extended (HF-KE), hip abduction with hip neutral (HAB) and hip flexed 90°(HAB-HF90°), hip external (HER) and internal (HIR) rotation), knee (knee flexion (KF)) and ankle dorsiflexion (ankle dorsiflexion with knee flexed (ADF-KF) and extended (ADF-KE)) ranges of motion (ROM) were taken. Descriptive statistics were calculated for hip, knee and ankle ROM measured separately by leg (dominant and non-dominant) and age-group (U10, U12, U14, U16 and U19). The data was analysed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) to examine the interaction of 11 ROM in the different players' age-group. Generally, U10 and/or U12 soccer players obtain the highest mean value in almost all ROM evaluated (U10: HAD-HF [39.6° ± 4.3°], ADF-KE [32.3° ± 4.1°], HER [63.5° ± 5.6°] and HAB-HF90°[64.1° ± 7.5°]; U12: HE [17.7° ± 6.2°], HAB [35.6° ± 3.0], HIR [60.8° ± 4.7°] and KF [133.8° ± 7.1°]). Nonetheless, significant differences between the players' age-groups are just found in HAD-HF90°(p = .042; ES = .136), HAB (p = .001; ES = .252), HIR (p = .001; ES = .251), HER (p < .001; ES = .321) and HAB-HF90°(p < .001; ES = .376) ROM, showing a progressive and irregular decrease in these ROM until the U19 team. The findings of this study reinforce the necessity of prescribing exercises aimed at improving HAD-HF90°  ROM in U16, HAB ROM in U14, HIR ROM in U16 and U19, HER ROM in U12 and U19, and HAB-HF90°  ROM in U16 and U19 players within everyday soccer training routines.


#6 Effects of the long-term consumption of hydrogen-rich water on the antioxidant activity and the gut flora in female juvenile soccer players from Suzhou, China
Reference: Med Gas Res. 2019 Jan 9;8(4):135-143. doi: 10.4103/2045-9912.248263. eCollection 2018 Oct-Dec.
Authors: Sha JB, Zhang SS, Lu YM, Gong WJ, Jiang XP, Wang JJ, Qiao TL, Zhang HH, Zhao MQ, Wang DP, Xia H, Li ZW, Chen JL, Zhang L, Zhang CG
Download link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6352569/pdf/MGR-8-135.pdf
Summary: Expending a considerable amount of physical energy inevitably leads to fatigue during both training and competition in football. An increasing number of experimental findings have confirmed the relationship between the generation and clearance of free radicals, fatigue, and exercise injury. Recently, hydrogen was identified as a new selective antioxidant with potential beneficial applications in sports. The present study evaluated the effect of 2-month consumption of hydrogen-rich water on the gut flora in juvenile female soccer players from Suzhou. As demonstrated by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay and 16S rDNA sequence analysis of stool samples, the consumption of hydrogen-rich water for two months significantly reduced serum malondialdehyde, interleukin-1, interleukin-6, tumour necrosis factor-α levels; then significantly increased serum superoxide dismutase, total antioxidant capacity levels and haemoglobin levels of whole blood. Furthermore, the consumption of hydrogen-rich water improved the diversity and abundance of the gut flora in athletes. All examined indices, including the shannon, sobs, ace, and chao indices, were higher in the control group than those proposed to result from hydrogen-rich water consumption prior to the trial, but these indices were all reversed and were higher than those in the controls after the 2-month intervention. Nevertheless, there were some differences in the gut flora components of these two groups before the trial, whereas there were no significant changes in the gut flora composition during the trial period. Thus, the consumption of hydrogen-rich water for two months might play a role modulating in the gut flora of athletes based on its selective antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities.


#7 Effects of a multifactorial injuries prevention program in young Spanish football players
Reference: J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2019 Feb 5. doi: 10.23736/S0022-4707.19.09219-3. [Epub ahead of print]
Authors: Chena M, Rodríguez ML, Bores AJ, Ramos-Campo DJ
Summary: The high injury rate in football has highlighted the need to research strategies that allow the modification of the dynamic risk factors. Most of the preventive proposals have focused on standardized protocols. However, the aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a multifactorial injuries prevention program (MC-7) in Spanish football players. A total of 219 Spanish football male players aged 16-23 were studied. The study was conducted over two consecutive seasons (2012-2013, 2013-2014). The first season was the control season (SC) and the second one was the experimental season (ES). Injuries were recorded prospectively during the two seasons in accordance with the criteria established by the consensus statement. During CS the injuries were just observed, while during ES, the players participated in the MC-7: training methodology, specific warm-up protocol (FIFA 11+), basic injury recovery strategies, continuous training of coaches, conferences for parents/family and education sessions for players. The frequency of injuries was significantly reduced by 63.8% in the ES. Muscle-tendon and joint injuries were reduced by 65% and 56.7% respectively, with a significant decrease in the lower-limbs injuries. The incidence of injuries was reduced by 71.4%, with significant differences in the typology, location and severity of injuries. The rate of injury in football is reduced when multifactorial strategies are applied. Reducing the frequency and severity of injuries allowed players to greatly increase their available for sports practice.


#8 ACTN3 single nucleotide polymorphism is associated with non-contact musculoskeletal soft-tissue injury incidence in elite professional football players
Reference: Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2019 Feb 5. doi: 10.1007/s00167-019-05381-x. [Epub ahead of print]
Authors: Clos E, Pruna R, Lundblad M, Artells R, Esquirol Caussa J
Summary: Muscle injuries are common in professional football, even though prevention protocols are being implemented. Genetics constitutes a novel field for studying intrinsic injury risks and performance. Since previous studies involving single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have shown that SNPs influence muscle injury rate, injury severity and recovery time, the aim was to study the association the SNP of ACTN3 has with those parameters in professional football players. The medical staff team recorded non-contact musculoskeletal soft-tissue injuries in 43 professional football players in 7 different seasons (2007-2012 and 2015-2016). Injury rate, injury severity and injury recovery times were established. Players were genotyped by extracting DNA from a blood sample and using a polymerase chain reaction. Injury rate was associated with the SNP of ACTN3 (p = 0.003). The 577R allele was more frequent in subjects than in a normal population by showing presence in 93% of the subjects and suggesting that it could influence football performance. No statistically significant differences in injury severity and recovery time were associated with the SNP of ACTN3. Genetics is gaining in importance when assessing injury risk and performance in professional football. ACTN3 can be regarded as a biomarker of injury susceptibility in this discipline. Identifying those players with the highest injury susceptibility through genetics could lead football teams to individualise workloads and prevention protocols.


#9 Relationships between Anxiety, Emotional Intelligence, and Motivational Climate among Adolescent Football Players
Reference: Sports (Basel). 2019 Feb 1;7(2). pii: E34. doi: 10.3390/sports7020034.
Authors: Castro-Sánchez M, Zurita-Ortega F, Ubago-Jiménez JL, González-Valero G, Chacón-Cuberos R
Summary: Emotional and motivational factors are fundamental in the context of sport, as they directly relate to sports performance and anxiety. The present study aimed to analyze the relationships between motivational climate (MC), emotional intelligence (EI), and anxiety within a sample of footballers playing at a low level. The sample was composed of 282 registered football players aged between 16 and 18 years old (16.96 ± 0.77), playing in the lower tier in the province of Jaen (Spain). Data were self-reported, with participants responding to the Perceived Motivational Climate in Sport Questionnaire (PMCSQ-2), the Schutte Self-Report Inventory (SSRI), and the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The results showed that footballers who reported higher levels of state anxiety and trait anxiety also demonstrated lower EI and more negatively perceived and regulated their emotions. Moreover, an ego-oriented climate was associated with higher levels of anxiety, while a task-oriented climate was related to lower levels of anxiety and higher levels of EI. No relationship was identified between the emotional aspects of young footballers and holding a motivational orientation toward an ego climate. Football players who more greatly perceived a task-oriented climate had higher EI and usually reported lower levels of anxiety related to sport performance. It is therefore important to promote intrinsic motivations and develop the capacity of footballers to regulate their own emotions.


#10 A Brazilian Football Player Still on the Pitch After 10 Years of Parkinson's Disease with Severe Freezing of Gait
Reference: Mov Disord Clin Pract. 2014 Dec 6;2(1):43-44. doi: 10.1002/mdc3.12110. eCollection 2015 Mar.
Authors: Vale TC, Pedroso JL, Barsottini OG, Lees AJ
Download link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6353400/pdf/MDC3-2-43.pdf