Does changing the manager lead to more injuries?

It’s one of the last things a newly appointed football manager would want. They have only been at their new club for five minutes, and already one of their key players is out due to injury. It’s hardly the start they were hoping for, but could it have been avoided?

Besides the obvious goal of winning games, one of the main priorities for any manager is to have a healthy squad to choose from.

But many experts will tell you that the arrival of a new manager and team behind the scenes can often lead to an increase in injuries in the short term.

Physiotherapist Ben Warburton – brother of Welsh rugby union legend Sam – is one of them.

Warburton began his career working with academy players at both Cardiff City and Welsh rugby union team The Dragons. He has since worked primarily in rugby, and was Wales’ doctor on their summer tour to Japan this year.

“It’s known in the medical world that you get an increase in injury cases when a new coach comes in,” he told BBC Sport.

“Players want to impress the new manager and get into the starting XI – it’s a clean slate. They are likely to report slightly less to the medical staff and may train through some bumps and niggles, which could lead to injury.”

Changes in the type of training can also make a big difference.

“For example, if a new manager comes in and wants to shift the focus to working in the gym, that could cause injury issues if the players aren’t used to that,” Warburton said.

Ben Dennery, founder of Premier Injuries, a website used to track and record injury data in the English Premier League, agrees.

“There are a lot of factors at play,” he said. “There is an injury history of some players, which the new manager probably won’t know as much about as the previous coaching staff.

“Then there is the issue of player fatigue. It is understandable that the new manager wants to get the most out of the players – but there is a risk of overdoing it.

“Finally, there is the psychological impact of players working as hard as possible to make their mark – all of which can lead to increased injuries.”