Manchester United, Manchester City and all other Premier League clubs are set to be allowed to use five substitutes during a game from next season.
Managers of both Manchester sides have previously voiced their support for the notion, which has also been constantly championed by Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp since its introduction amid the COVID-19 pandemic two years ago. City boss Pep Guardiola slammed the decision to revert back to the traditional three for this season, branding it “ridiculous” in September, before doubling down on his stance in December.
“The welfare of players should be the most important... This is the only country to not accept five substitutions, just three. Why?” he questioned. United interim coach Ralf Rangnick echoed his calls, telling the media just before Christmas: “We are in a similar situation to the one we had one-and-a-half years ago, therefore I don't see why it shouldn't be as it was one-and-a-half years ago.”
The clubs who successfully voted against re-implementing the rule in pre-season pointed to the fact that it was only ever supposed to be a temporary measure and mooted that it hands advantages to rivals with bigger squads. As a result, England remains the only 'top five' league in Europe to still limit its replacements to three per game.
The 2021/22 season was littered with postponements during the winter due to high positive COVID-19 cases in club camps, which has led to a disjointed games-played table, a tight schedule and increased cases of injury. Klopp touched on this fact only last month when reiterating the need for five substitutions. And now, it seems he, Guardiola and Rangnick are set to have their way.
A report from the Times claims the Premier League is set to re-introduce the measure from next season. It says a vote will take between stakeholders in London to pass through the rule.
Proposals include the allowance of nine substitutes to be named on the bench, as is currently the case. The sudden U-turn is thought to be namely because of the International FA Board’s (IFAB, football’s law-making organisation) decision to make the five-subs rule permanent.
Since then, club captains and managers of Premier League teams have voiced their broad support for the change during recent discussions. The Professional Footballers Association (PFA) has claimed English teams are in a weaker position during European competitions because of the tiredness induced to players due to the limit of three subs.
Its chief executive, Maheta Molango, told a FIFA congress at Doha: “Our position is quite clear. It is a situation that should never have been a debate in the first place because it’s a player welfare issue.
“In the global market if all the other leagues have five subs and we have three that means we will be in a worse position when it comes to the big games. We need to start thinking more collectively and think that if our teams are thriving in Europe that is a good thing.”
The decision to increase to five subs is also said to have been influenced by data recorded from leagues that have continued to use the five substitutes rule.
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