slower ball movement has been mentioned as a possible reason for in match injuries in analysis performed on liverpool this season
Out of curiosity what’s the causal chain there? Slower movement = more tackles?
yes, pretty much. in theory, moving the ball slower allows the opposition more opportunity to initiate contact / close down quicker. but it's always paired with other 'theories', like the closer players are to each other the quicker the ball travels between players, however the less distance the opposition need to travel to initiate contact.
like jessie referred to, good ball speed is generally desired to unpick defences. whether from back to front, or side to side or both.