Liverpool, December 27 (BNA): Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has become the latest Premier League coach to express his frustration at being allowed to make just three substitutions in a match at a busy time with many teams severely affected by coronavirus cases.
England’s top flight is one of the few leagues to make the decision not to use five substitutions for matches, according to the Associated Press.
This measure was introduced in May 2020 to enable teams to better deal with the busy schedule when football resumes after a suspension due to the Corona virus, and has been retained permanently by most countries.
Clubs in England voted to reinstate three players last season and this season. This issue has been reignited, though, by the COVID-19 outbreak in several teams over the past month following an increase in cases with the spread of the omicron variant.
“This great game is so great because usually a player is on the field in good shape, well trained, has recovered well and can play. That is why we love the game,” Klopp said.
But now the situation is clear… The best league in the world and the strongest league in the world is the only league in Europe that still has three players. It’s not right.”
England is the only one of Europe’s major leagues to play matches during the festive period, with some teams in the middle of a three-match series in seven days.
However, many matches have been postponed due to the COVID-19 outbreak in the teams.
The Premier League has now canceled 15 matches in just two and a half weeks due to coronavirus problems, the most recent of which was Leeds, Aston Villa, Arsenal and Wolverhampton – both of which were scheduled for Tuesday.
Four players have been absent from Klopp – Virgil van Dijk, Fabinho, Thiago Alcantara and Curtis Jones – after contracting the virus over the past two weeks, but they are back in training and could play against Leicester on Tuesday.
“Especially at this moment, you can bring players back after the Covid virus or after the injury, and because of the matches that you have to play, they have to play immediately,” Klopp said. “Then you can’t take them out (off the field) after 60 minutes because you have to change others, that kind of thing. It’s a real problem.”
Klopp agreed that things would not change in the Premier League, with smaller clubs feeling at a disadvantage compared to the likes of Manchester City and Liverpool in terms of squad depth.
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