EPL must reconsider three-subs rule: Gareth Southgate
England boss joins chorus of club managers lobbying for return of five-subs rule
The English Premier League must reconsider its position on limiting clubs to making only three substitutions per match as injuries mount amid a congested schedule, Three Lions manager Gareth Southgate has said.
Football's rule-making body, the International Football Association Board, gave leagues the option of continuing to use five substitutions per match in the 2020/21 campaign after introducing the system earlier this year, with games coming thick and fast after the Covid-19 pandemic caused a truncated season.
While other top European leagues have taken up that option, a majority of EPL clubs voted against it, leading to complaints from the managers of top clubs who are involved on multiple fronts.
Southgate has joined them in urging for a return to five substitutions, following injuries to England internationals Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling, Joe Gomez and Ben Chilwell.
"We were able to make five changes against Belgium, we made four in the end and clubs don't have that option," said Southgate.
"What will it take for that to change? There were a couple of less serious injuries against Belgium, but what do we do? Wait until we get a load of really nasty ones?"
Southgate said England had been forced to give players extra days' recovery and also tapered their training schedules as the country's hopes of qualifying for the Nations League Finals ended after Sunday's 2-0 defeat by Belgium.
"I have to be fair to the club managers. They are their players firstly and they have the right to play them as they see fit," he added. "(Injuries are) a worry in the longer term because with no winter break, something has to give."
Liverpool's Juergen Klopp and Manchester City's Pep Guardiola have been critical of the EPL this season, for not looking after the players following the switch back to a maximum of three substitutes.
England host Iceland tomorrow morning (Singapore time) in their final Nations League game. - REUTERS
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