FIVE subs is now officially being proposed to help finish the season — but I think the authorities have to be more drastic than that.
In my view, teams should be allowed to have, and use, 11 substitutes.
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Premier League clubs should be allowed to make 11 subs per game when football returns to avoid injuries to players
After such a long lay-off, nobody is going to be anywhere near match fitness.
But while that will be an issue for managers, everybody is going to be in the same boat.
A bigger problem is the increased risk of injury from getting back into competitive football so quickly, after what could be over a three-month break.
The opening game back will be a bit like the first friendly of pre-season, which was always horrific.
But rarely would you see players last 90 minutes — it’s about building it up with 45 minutes here, and an hour there, until the last game or so.
So if, and it is still a big if, the season is completed and teams can only make three subs then you are saying that seven outfield players have to play the whole game.
Every player needs to be covered and able to be replaced.
Whether the laws can be changed is another matter but we are in a unique situation that calls for unique solutions.
And the only real issue for me is where you would fit them all!
This could bring a whole new meaning to ‘tactical subs’.
I can guarantee you now, if you asked every manager, a lot would want more subs.
Danny Higginbotham
You would have to ensure teams couldn’t make ten replacements in the last five minutes.
I can guarantee you now, if you asked every manager, a lot would want more subs.
Players who are not at their sharpest and can’t last the whole game are more susceptible to injury as the match goes on.
While it wouldn’t surprise me to see world-class players like Kevin De Bruyne switching it on straight away with their touch and technique, the standard is going to suffer.
It’s not going to be the same spectacle and there will be plenty of mistakes.
But because it is the same for everyone, will those errors be punished?
All players would have been given very similar training programmes, so it’s hard to see how anyone can do something revolutionary to be in better shape than the rest.
They will likely all have balls out straight away, rather than long runs to try to build a base fitness.
When I was playing, I didn’t feel “match fit” until five or six games into the season.
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Finishing the last nine games is therefore far from ideal for anyone.
If we can’t reach a start or end point, which I have said since the season was suspended, then we have to draw the line and move on.
But if the remaining games are completed, 11 subs for each side seems the fairest way.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
