The traditional 90-minute football match has been the standard for nearly 150 years, but Premier League clubs are shaking things up this pre-season with unconventional match formats. From 60-minute games to 45-minute halves, these innovative approaches are designed to enhance player fitness and development in unique ways.
Liverpool, for instance, will play a total of 180 minutes against Serie A side Como across two games, while Leeds United and RB Leipzig recently engaged in a 120-minute friendly split into two 60-minute matches. Even non-League teams are experimenting with 45-minute games in tournaments like the A23 Cup. At first glance, these formats may seem unnecessarily complicated, but they serve a strategic purpose.
The science behind unconventional pre-season match formats
Playing 90-minute matches early in pre-season presents several challenges. Players return from their summer breaks with a base level of fitness, and clubs must carefully manage their stamina to prevent injuries and ensure optimal performance. Glen Driscoll a former performance analyst at Liverpool, Celtic, and Leicester City, explains that traditional pre-season training often struggles to achieve rounded squad fitness within the standard 90-minute game format.
As the season approaches, managers naturally prioritize their preferred starting XIs, leaving other squad members to find alternative ways to replicate the physical work they miss out on. This can be difficult, especially when supporters are in the stadium or the team is traveling. Additionally, pre-season is about building morale, and Driscoll notes that “you don’t want half the squad already feeling like they’ve been identified as the non-starters.”
Building stamina through progressive training
During the in-season, English Football League (EFL) and top-flight sides in continental Europe aim for their players to cover an average of around 30 kilometers (19 miles) in matches per week. To reach these levels, clubs must build up their pre-season work progressively. Anton McElhone head of medical and performance at League One side Huddersfield Town, recommends a structured approach to increasing players’ distance covered over the course of pre-season.
In the first four weeks, players should aim to cover around 30-35 kilometers, with the intensity of training sessions gradually increasing. By week three, players should be able to go through 60 minutes in game conditions, and by week five, they should be ready for 90 minutes. A 45-minute game might only account for around five to six kilometers of running, but the intensity makes that distance different from the distances players run during a training session.
The benefits of innovative match formats
The average club pre-season lasts six weeks, and there is a lot to cram in. A regular 90-minute friendly does not always allow all players the necessary game time. Alan McCall a performance consultant who has worked across English and European football, suggests that clubs should start with shorter halves and progress gradually. However, given the short timeframe and the number of players involved, football does not have that luxury, so clubs must find other ways to balance the progression and load.
Some clubs have found innovative solutions, such as playing 120-minute matches split into four 30-minute halves, allowing two ‘starting XIs’ 60 minutes of game-time each. These formats help balance the load out equally across the squad, ensuring that all players receive the necessary game time to build their fitness and skills.
While these unconventional match formats may seem like a gimmick, they serve a strategic purpose in optimizing player fitness and development. As the Premier League season approaches, these innovative approaches are helping clubs prepare their players for the challenges ahead.
