How to maintain player health and avoid injuries in Football Manager 2022

If you’re anything like us, you always favor subbing out your worst players on the pitch in Football Manager 2022. This may lead to a victorious team of exclusively superstars, but those wins will come at a cost. Playing anyone for 90 minutes straight can lead to vicious injuries which usually dovetails into team losses from there. Luckily, there are several tactics to ensure players are kept in top shape and off the trainer’s table.

Manage players’ training intensity

The best but most demanding way to avoid injuries is to change the level of intensity in the Training tab for an individual player. We’ve discovered that those at a “high risk” or “increased” status for medical problems likely deserve around a week’s worth of rest (including matches). Even if they are receiving very light training, the status will remain the same or worsen. Once those seven days are up, we recommend applying the half intensity option for at least a few more weeks before setting it to normal or double intensity.

Sub out high-risk players early

Rather than placing injury-prone stars on the bench, we’ve found it most beneficial to have them in the match for around the first 20 minutes of the game. This will raise the chances of an early lead and provide a Sharpness bonus for those getting back into the habit of playing post-injury. However, if you’re not seeing a rise in Sharpness after the match, give the player in question an extra 10 minutes or so of playing time next game.

Hiring a high-level Head Physio

All players on the team will be affected by your choice of Head Physiotherapist (or Head Physio as FM 22 calls it). Like the players themselves, this staff member also has ratings — all of which can be found in the Staff tab. The two biggest factors that can lower the chance of injury are the doctor’s Physiotherapy and Sports Science ratings.

If you spot both of these ratings to be any lower than 15, it is time to show the Physio the door. You can view and hire other teams’ doctors by pulling up the right-hand menu, clicking on the Misc option, and choosing Find Similar Staff. From here, click on the names listed to see their ratings and offer them a contract.

Although these potential candidates can ask for well over $500,000 in salary, the payoff is likely worth it as a high-rated Physio can decrease the chance and duration of health problems.

Related: How to simulate days and seasons in Football Manager 2022