Does A Change In Manager Lead To More Injuries?

It's 1 of nan past things a recently appointed shot head wants. They've only been astatine their caller nine for 5 minutes and already a cardinal subordinate is retired injured. Hardly nan commencement they'd hoped for - but could it person been avoided?

Along pinch nan evident nonsubjective of winning games, 1 of nan main priorities for immoderate head is to person a patient squad to prime from.

But galore experts will show you nan presence of a caller head and backroom squad tin often lead to a short-term summation successful injuries.

Physiotherapist Ben Warburton - relative of Wales rugby national fable Sam - is one.

Warburton began his profession moving pinch academy players astatine some Cardiff City and Welsh rugby national squad nan Dragons. He has since worked chiefly successful rugby, and was Wales' physio for their summertime circuit to Japan this year.

"It's very good known wrong nan aesculapian world that you get an summation of wounded incidence erstwhile a caller coach comes in," he told BBC Sport.

"Players want to impressment nan caller coach and get successful nan starting XI - it's a cleanable slate. They're apt to study a small spot little to nan aesculapian unit and whitethorn train done immoderate bumps and niggles, which tin perchance lead to an injury."

Changes to nan type of training tin besides make a large difference.

"If, for example, a caller head comes successful and wants to displacement nan attraction to gym work, that could origin wounded issues if players aren't utilized to that," Warburton said.

Ben Dinnery, laminitis of Premier Injuries - a website utilized to way and grounds wounded information for nan Premier League, agrees.

"There are tons of factors astatine play," he said. "There's nan wounded history of definite players that a caller head astir apt won't cognize arsenic overmuch astir arsenic erstwhile coaching staff.

"Then there's nan rumor of subordinate fatigue. A caller head will understandably want to get nan absolute maximum retired of nan players - but there's a consequence of overdoing this.

"And, finally, there's nan psychological effect of players moving arsenic difficult arsenic imaginable to make their people - each of which tin perchance lead to an summation successful injuries."

There are galore examples of erstwhile a caller head has quickly mislaid players to injury.

When Jurgen Klopp - famed for his high-intensity shot - joined Liverpool backmost successful 2015, his players sustained much than 20 abstracted injuries during his first 3 months successful charge.

Dutch coach Raymond Verheijen later said Klopp had "caused 20 hamstring injuries successful 10 months" and nan German kept "blaming outer factors for injuries".

When nan Reds were fixed their Christmas schedule for 2016 - which gave them little than 48 hours betwixt 2 matches - Klopp said: "You will beryllium location and say: 'You didn't execute excessively good - really did this happen?' Or: 'Injuries - oh?' And past this Dutch feline says: 'The training is not excessively good.'"

There is simply a increasing assemblage of investigation that suggests nan presence of a caller head often leads to an summation successful injuries.

A Uefa Elite Club Injury Study published successful 2023 asked 14 unnamed men's teams to study unit changes and hamstring injuries.

The findings showed caller managers bringing their ain fittingness aliases capacity coaches to a nine led to a threefold summation successful hamstring injuries.

Similarly, a 2020 study of Turkish Super League clubs recovered injuries much than doubled successful nan first 2 weeks aft a alteration successful coaching staff.

Most apical clubs usage GPS information to show their players - some during matches and training. Players deterioration devices that seizure capacity metrics specified arsenic region covered and speed.

"Some coaches spell lighter successful training during nan week, but spell excessively ray - past nan crippled becomes excessively overmuch for nan players," said Warburton.

"Equally, immoderate teams spell excessively difficult successful training during nan week and past nan players’ bodies are excessively fatigued going into a crippled and they get an injury.

"Getting that equilibrium is perfectly key."

One of nan biggest problems pinch analysing wounded information is not comparing for illustration pinch like.

"A Premier League nine playing successful nan Champions League nether a caller head could compete successful much than 60 games a season," said Dinnery.

"Comparing their wounded complaint pinch a nine little down nan convention array - which plays less games - is very difficult.

"There are truthful galore variables to consider. There's nan type of injury, past there's what we telephone nan system of wounded - really they sewage it, and past there's nan load of wounded - really agelong nan subordinate will beryllium retired for.

"When nan caller head joins nan nine is besides really significant. If they're appointed during nan January transportation model aliases during pre-season, they'll apt beryllium bringing successful players from different leagues.

"Many are untested astatine this level - and it's chartless whether these players are robust capable to header pinch nan beingness demands of nan Premier League initially."

Understandably, successful a athletics which is each astir results, managers want to instrumentality their accuracy arsenic quickly arsenic possible.

But Warburton warns rushing nan process tin beryllium dangerous.

"The caller squad coming connected committee whitethorn person to surface each subordinate successful nan gym and person a bully look astatine their GPS information connected nan transportation to spot what they've done complete nan past 4-6 weeks," he said.

"They cardinal is don't alteration excessively overmuch excessively quickly. A play training schedule needs to enactment accordant for nan first fewer weeks to trim immoderate monolithic changes successful load which nan players aren't utilized to.

"I'd beryllium mapping retired what volumes players person done passim each nan different metrics that are utilized and effort and replicate those arsenic champion you tin successful training for nan first period aliases 2 earlier nan head afloat implements their programme.

"No-one has recovered nan cleanable winning look because if they had past I conjecture it would beryllium implemented passim each nine successful Europe."