How does the mid-season coach change affect physical performance on top soccer players?

•This is the first study with a detailed analysis of the immediate effect of coach dismissal on the physical performance performed by players after changing the coach in both training and competition.•We found significant differences on the players physical responses after the coach dismissal in training.•Players developed significant higher physical responses with the dismissal coach compared to new coach in training. However, although no significant results were found, a trend of higher physical responses were shown with the new coach in match.•The likelihood of winning with the new coach is lower than the dismissal coach. Therefore, change the coach at mid-season did not produce a positive effect to reverse a negative streak of results. The aim of this study was to analyze the locomotion and metabolic responses of professional players in the top three competitive standards of Spanish soccer (First, Second and Second ‘B’ division) during the four weeks before and after dismissal the coach. Training and match load data were analyzed separately (n = 1189 events) by coach (dismissed coach and the new coach) and Wilcoxon-test was performed to compare data between coaches. In training, players covered longer distance in all speed ranges >14 km•h − 1 with the coach dismissed; medium (14–18 km•h − 1), high (18–21 km•h − 1), very-high (21–24 km•h − 1) and sprint running distance (>24 km•h − 1) (d = 0.53, 0.46, 0.58 and 0.54; respectively) on first division; and equivalent distance index and accelerations events (d = 0.63 and 0.50; respectively) on second division. Lower differences were found in matches, in which the dismissed coach showed higher equivalent distance index, accelerations and decelerations events (d = 0.69, 0.68 and 0.61; respectively) compared to the new coach in the second division. Therefore, the players covered longer high-intensity distance with the dismissed coach than the new coach in training, whilst a similar performance was found in the competition. These results suggest that the coach turnover at mid-season did no increase the players’ physical performance either in training or in competition.