The topic of congested fixtures in elite football is constantlyfront of mind (6), with managers repeatedly complainingabout it. Higher rates of injuries are sometimes reported when teams have to play with only 2 or 3 days of recovery (1-4), and the need for player rotations to maintain their health is often a challenge to maintain teams` competitiveness - which can result in poorer competitive performance on the pitch. Teams playing in European competitions such as the Champi ons League (CL) or the Europa League (EL) are therefore the most exposed teams to congested fixtures (i.e., need to add at least 6 matches to the calendar in between league matches for a team only playing the first stage). However, given the depth of their squad and the quality of their players, whether those teams actually suffer from the congestion at the level of their domestic leagues remains to be examined in detail. In fact, it could be hypothesised that in contrast to common beliefs, and especially over the past years where the top clubs are becom ing even better, European teams manage to maintain their level of competitiveness in their league and that congested fix tures are not obligatorily associated with poorer results. Also, how match location may influence this performance dynamic is also to be examined; playing two away matches congested is obviously a much greater challenge than 2 home matches or non-congested matches.
© Copyright 2022 Sport Performance & Science Reports. Sport Performance & Science Reports. Alle Rechte vorbehalten.