Efeito de um calendário sobrecargado no desempenho no futebol de elite

The aim of this paper is to analyze the impact of playing a high amount of minutes in competition during the season on elite soccer per- formance. Distances covered at various speeds and the time spent in high- intensity activities by 68 players that completed the entire match in the FIFA World Cup Brazil 2014 were examined. A k mean analysis classified the pla - yers according to the number of minutes played throughout the season: high, medium and low amount of minutes. Additional variables such as the score- line, quality of the opponent and playing position were included. Data were examined through linear regression analysis. Overall, the results suggested that playing a high amount of minutes during the season does not affect phy - sical performances in elite soccer. Central Midfielders covered higher total distances and distances covered at high speed than the other playing posi- tions (p<0.01), while Central Defenders covered significantly less distance than the other playing positions (p<0.01). Winning or losing match status was not associated with changes on the physical performance profiles of the players. These results could be used by coaches and analysts to improve the