How far do Premier League players run during each match


A typical Premier League midfielder would on average run a mini-marathon during every Premier League game they play. Especially in the most-watched league in the world, most managers insist that their players “defend from the front” and close down opposition players when their team does not have the ball.

The question that is asked quite regularly by football supporters across the globe is how far do these players run during each match? Strikers often run between 9 and 10 kilometers each match. While they may not cover the greatest area on the field, their position necessitates more quick, crisp dashes at high speed. 

These are soccer players who have been entrusted with the task of scoring goals. They are often having to run the lines between the two central defenders, limiting their space on the field. We take a look at how far the rest of a squad runs during a game.

Midfielder and Wingers – The skillful subset

Midfielders and wingers will often surpass 11 kilometers in each match. Wingers will be somewhat less, but still among the highest on the field, with the most active wide players often exceeding 10 kilometers in a match.

The midfield also has wingers who aid in attacking from the left and right of a team’s midfield. Today’s wingers include international superstars such as Lionel Messi, Eden Hazard, and Cristiano Ronaldo. When a winger isn’t attacking, he’s assisting his team in closing down opposition players in their midfield. 

A high percentage of the normal play of a football match takes place in the centre of the pitch and therefore midfielders move more than their colleagues in other areas of the team. The function of connecting the teams’ defensive play into offensive situations is primarily the main aim of the midfielders and adds to the vast distances covered by midfielders.

Defender and the Goalkeeper

Center-backs, like attackers, often average between 9 and 10 kilometers each match, with sharper, high-speed dashes rather than more continuous movements. Full-backs, on the other hand, often outperform them, particularly in today’s game, when they are expected to attack more. The most active full-backs run approximately 10.5 kilometers each game.

Defenders are responsible for ensuring that no threats are directed towards their keepers. Normally a team plays two central defenders who play in front of their shot-stopper. These two defenders seldom go beyond the halfway line except when their teams are delivering set pieces into the opposing team’s penalty box via a free kick or a corner.

Goalkeepers often run between 4 and 5 kilometers in each game, which makes intuitive sense considering that they spend the majority of football matches relatively inactive, but the top goalkeepers are now having to add the additional quiver to their skillset of having to be comfortable with the ball at their feet.

A goalkeeper’s movement is often in the form of dives and facing oncoming attackers to limit the target area. A goalkeeper also becomes active while taking goal kicks inside their six-yard box in the penalty area. In most instances, keepers’ involvement in a game is limited to the 18-yard zone (or simply called the big box), where they are allowed to handle the ball with their hands.

Leeds United – Stuart Dallas Work Rate

Work rate in association football refers to how much a player contributes to running and chasing throughout a game when not in control of the ball. The distance traveled by a player during a match is often used to calculate the work rate. 

A high work rate is appreciated because it allows players to play a more active part in defending and attacking during a match. Conversely, athletes are often chastised for their low effort rate; for example, ESPN Soccernet reporter Sam Limbert identified a low work rate as one of Arsenal midfielder Denilson Pereira Neves’ lesser attributes.

Some experts, however, like former Brazil and So Paulo youth coach Carlos de Lorenzi, caution against associating a high work rate with great skill. De Lorenzi was in charge of the early growth of talents like Brazilian superstar Kaká.

In 2020-21, newly-promoted Leeds proved to be an extreme outlier in terms of sprints. Stuart Dallas, who played as a full-back and central midfielder this season, cover the most distance of any Leeds player with 422 km – an average of 11.1 km per game.

The physiological intensity of the game may be approximated using one of those heart monitors that runners and cyclists use. For the whole 90 minutes, the average heart rate of an average Premier League footballer varies between 150-170 beats per minute, with extremely high rates when running and more moderate levels while less engaged in the game.

Centre Forwards – Quick Bursts of Speed

Strikers are massively important to all Premier League teams. They are expected not only to score goals to ensure participation in the Premier League for the following season but also have to close down opposing players when not in possession. They would therefore alternate between a relaxed jog to a quick massive burst of acceleration in an instant, continuing to do this throughout a ninety-minute football match.

For example, Romelu Lukaku of Belgium ran a total of 42 kilometers while representing his country in the 2018 World Cup, which was held in Russia. It implies that the Chelsea centre-forward was covering about 6.3 kilometers in each game he played.

Especially in the Premier League, distances covered per player per game can be huge but will be dependant on the position the player is asked to play by his manager. The physicality and speed of the league make the supreme fitness of the player a prerequisite especially in the most-watched league in the world.

Defending from the front, being skillful and physical, a high work rate from all the players, and goalkeepers being able to be skilled in using their feet are the minimum football supporters expect from all the players in their first-team squad.

Louis

Life long Portsmouth Fan and have followed football since 1993. Is there a better sport on earth?

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