A new season inevitably means new rules.
The 2022/23 Premier League campaign may not usher in a seismic change to how the game is played or watched but there will be a number of tweaks on and off the field that will impact players and supporters alike.
Here Mirror Football runs through what will be different as the chasing pack aim to overcome reigning champions Manchester City.
Five subs
A throwback to the dark days of behind closed doors football, fake crowd noise and every game on TV while fans had to stay at home. The additional two changes were brought in to combat fatigue as players faced an unprecedentedly packed schedule as the game returned from the pandemic shutdown.
Last season saw a return to three in the Premier League while most other competitions across the continent continued with five but the additional options are back for good from this weekend.
It is worth keeping in mind that head coaches will not be able to make five single changes with only three separate instances allowed to restrict disruption to the game and limit the opportunity to time-waste late in closely-contested fixtures.
Multi-ball
Another move to combat disruption and boost the amount of time the game is in play. The fourth official will now have a ball at all times while a further eight will be stationed around the pitch on cones at specific stations.
Two will be behind each goal, with another two along each touchline - but those behind the goal must be placed in a specific area to minimise any disruption with goal-line technology.
Nike have, of course, also launched a new ball for the season - the “Flight”, which is designed with the same colour scheme as the first Premier League ball 30 years ago.
Fan bans
Any supporter contemplating stepping on to the pitch to celebrate a last-minute winner this season should think twice if they want to see their team in action again any time soon.
New rules are being implemented across the game to crackdown on poor behaviour from fans which will see immediate club bans for any pitch invasions and stronger punishments for anyone found guilty of possessing pyrotechnics; which includes carrying smoke bombs or flares.
Expect an increase in prosecutions too with a belief from security officials that the increased chance of getting a criminal record will put potential offenders off. They say prosecution will be the “default response” to anyone found entering the field of play.
“English football has introduced new measures and stronger sanctions, for the start of the coming season, to send out a clear message that we will not tolerate this type of illegal and dangerous behaviour,” FA chief executive Mark Bullingham said two weeks ago.
“Football stadiums must be a safe, inclusive and enjoyable environment for all, and it is the responsibility of everyone in the game, including governing bodies, clubs, players, coaches, and fans, to ensure that we all play our part in protecting our game and each other."
Winter break
For a significant number of Premier League stars there will be no time off as they head to Qatar to play the first winter World Cup but the top flight will go on hiatus from the weekend of November 12 to Boxing Day - explaining why the campaign is also starting a week earlier than usual. The round of games scheduled between Christmas and new year has also been scrapped.
As an added consequence there will be one autumn international break instead of three, in mid-September, and the group stages of European competitions will conclude at the beginning of November
Star names who will be given some rare respite owing to their countries failing to qualify for the World Cup are Manchester City’s Erling Haaland of Norway, Liverpool ’s Mo Salah of Egypt and Tottenham ’s Dejan Kulusevski of Sweden.
Goalkeeper’s positioning
One for the rules nerds, here. When attempting to keep out a penalty kick, keepers can now step into their goal to build up momentum to make a save. The previous regulation stipulated that at least one foot needed to be on the line before the kick was taken, which some keepers felt put them at a disadvantage because they had to remain stationary or break the rules by coming off their line and towards the taker.
Coin tossing
Another minor, quirky rule - the man in charge now has to toss the coin before a match.
Not that Premier League officials would pluck a fan from the crowd to carry out the pre-match ritual previously - even if there was nothing in the rule book before now to stop them.
PL2 limits
It is not going to impact many fans but this could have implications for the next group of players to break through to your team’s first XI.
From this season the competition will officially be for under-21s instead of under-23s, although five outfield overage players can feature instead of three to enable those coming back from injury to gain some sharpness as they return.
The PL2 is essentially the feeder league to the Premier League and is the competition that replaced the Under-21s Premier League in 2016-17. The teams largely consist of players from the youth team but also is a chance for players who are recovering from injury to get important minutes.
