One of the most physical football leagues in the world has announced a significant rule change regarding substitutions from the 2022-23 season onwards. “The wellbeing of players and staff remains a priority and the Premier League will continue to monitor the national Covid-19 situation and adapt league-wide protocols as required, in line with the latest guidance from public health authorities and medical experts”, said the official statement released by the League’s Twitter handle today.
The games in the season revolve around 300 days in a year and put the players under gruelling physical and mental tests. It has also been a reason for increased muscular and other tense injuries. Liverpool’s Klopp and City’s Pep have been advocates for the change in the rule as the players were unable to perform because of the disregard for substitutions along with the increased level of competition amidst surging levels of demand from players individually.
A total of nine substitutions can be named on the sheet including three occasions during the match and halftime. The same rule was announced during the pandemic in May 2020 but was scrapped off when a few clubs voted against continuing the move. The Premier League was the only major competition to abandon the rule because some clubs felt it gave those with bigger squads an unfair advantage. But the new season will have a reformed style of play and will give the players a longer time frame to recover from performances back to back.
