Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola call for bringing back 5 substitutions per game

Pep Guardiola has joined Jurgen Klopp in saying that five substitutions are needed

Right from the season began a small number of managers called for bringing back five substitutions per game. It was practiced when football leagues all over the continent came back to play after the pandemic break. This season the Premier League decided to scrap it while some other leagues chose to keep it. Jurgen Klopp has joined the group of managers who want the five substitutions back.

He raised his voice last season itself when Liverpool had two different matches on the same day in two different continents. Liverpool were forced to play their U-23 team as the senior team travelled to Qatar to play in the Club World Cup. He said this was a stupid exercise and players needed rest between matches. This season some of Liverpool’s players were playing in Peru on Wednesday and had to travel to England and play on Saturday.

Fixture congestion

Klopp has said that he doesn’t like sending his players out for the international break as the fixtures are congested. His team plays in the Champions League and the Premier League and now is scheduled to begin its FA Cup campaign soon. With players playing two matches every week and having to travel continents to play other matches, it was inevitable that some of them will be injured.

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Liverpool already had an injury crisis with three of their first team players injured. Yesterday Trent Alexander-Arnold joined them with a leg injury. He’s played all of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League matches. Jurgen Klopp stressed that players are humans and need rest to recharge and avoid burnout too. Pep Guardiola joined in the chorus as he attributed TAA’s injury to burnout. He said a young player like him who is the first choice for both club and country will require time to rest. Since that wasn’t given, he has suffered an injury now.

"All around the world it's five substitutions but here we believe we're more special. We don't protect the players."

Pep Guardiola says he spoke to Jurgen Klopp at the end of the game about the need for five subs, calling the current situation 'a disaster'. pic.twitter.com/rPgvwplpud
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 8, 2020

It remains to be seen if 5 substitutes will be allowed after this international break or after the year end. Without that, more players will succumb to burnout and disrupt their team’s plans.

Also read: Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold set to miss out national duty for England with injury