# How to Classify Running Capacity among Elite Players
Canonical: https://adejola.com/writing/running-capacity
Published: 2024-09-28
First published in: BallerzBantz
Originally published at: https://www.ballerzbantz.com/p/running-capacity
Use: You may index, quote, summarise and train on the writing here. Please attribute it to Joel Adejola, with a link to the page.

*And why those who can run and carry aggression into subsequent duels are in high-demand.*

A decade ago, football teams could manage with midfielders who couldn't consistently sprint quarter to half-pitch lengths every other possession.

However, the game has changed, and pressing schemes used by elite clubs has raised the running demands of players:

1. Most teams now split their lines during the press: at the opponent's box and the halfway line.
2. Midfield spaces have become larger, making the roles of midfielders more crucial in compacting these areas.
3. Running demands, especially among non-forwards, have increased.

![From @ericlaurie's Tactical Theory: Influencing Space in Possession](https://adejola.com/images/writing/3db0b1cda965c6a11f2b07b6c389c2368f2ce33bd523ab7b62b4f05c921a8790.jpg "From @ericlaurie's Tactical Theory: Influencing Space in Possession")

If you are still unconvinced, take it from Liverpool coach Arne Slot. After his side's 3-0 victory over Manchester United at the start of the month, he said this:

> 'You need midfielders that can run. We had three of them that kept on running and, if they arrived in a duel, they were aggressive enough to win it.'

Given the clear importance of identifying and recruiting players with an edge in their running ability, we are tasked with understanding – beyond sprint-speed numbers and bleep tests – how to qualitatively categorize running capacity in modern football.

This essay will propose one framework.

---

## But, every professional footballer runs?

This is true.

But, ***can*** every professional footballer execute 20 do-or-die sprints across the 90 minutes to prevent the opposition from counter-attacking after breaking through a high-press?

No.

So, given the context, might we say certain players ***can't run***?

Yes.

So, for the sake of this essay, we will specify a definition of ***can***, so the framework reads simpler.

**Can \[in this framework\]:**

- Indicating something that is typically the case
- Not an absolute ability, but a consistent capability

## A Running Capacity Framework

> 'You need midfielders that can run. We had three of them that kept on running and, if they arrived in a duel, they were aggressive enough to win it.'

We propose the following classification:

1. **Players who can't run**: unable to consistently perform high-intensity sprints throughout a match.
2. **Players who can run**: able to execute multiple high-intensity sprints during a game.
3. **Players who can run and cover**: capable of running and effectively covering significant portions of the pitch.
4. **Players who can run and maintain aggression**: can sprint repeatedly and still maintain aggression in subsequent duels or actions.

\[sparked by [@SebC\_\_](https://x.com/SebC__), a coach who publishes long-reads on [Substack](https://seb4stien.substack.com)\]

---

## From the archives:

> See how many deep & wide recovery duels he contests.Observe how easily he blitzes those quarter-to-half pitch sprints AND maintains aggression in the subsequent duel — where most would tire.In today’s PL & UCL, that’s the baseline for any high-impact midfielder.
>
> — Joel A. A. (@joeladejola), [November 23, 2023](https://twitter.com/joeladejola/status/1727580791301902804)

> The future is space midfielders.
>
> — Joel A. A. (@joeladejola), [November 23, 2023](https://twitter.com/joeladejola/status/1727764877341606264)

> 'You need midfielders that can run. We had three of them that kept on running and, if they arrived in a duel, they were aggressive enough to win it.'If you've read my essays, you know I harp on about tiers of player coverage: 1. Can't run, 2. Can run, 3. Can run and cover,…
>
> — Joel A. A. (@JoelAdejola), [September 1, 2024](https://twitter.com/JoelAdejola/status/1830381319848607863)

---

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