Managers are forced to accept no more subs

PREMIER League managers stuck to their guns on the issue of five substitutes yesterday but most sounded keen to move on after the proposal was rejected for a third time.

Following votes on Thursday, the league approved trials of concussion substitutes and also increased the number of players who could be named on the bench from seven to nine, but the rule limiting teams to three substitutions during each match remained.

Several bosses have argued strongly in favour of reintroducing the rule allowing five substitutes to help players cope with the busy schedule, but others have said it unfairly provides an advantage to those with bigger squads.

Sheffield United’s Chris Wilder, an opponent of change who has previously clashed with Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp on the issue, said he had “talked enough” about the topic, but players and managers should just “get on with it” when it came to the hectic festive schedule.

“That’s how it is, that’s what the fixture list is,” he said. “It’s been like that for 40, 50, 60 years and yes, of course, the intensity of the games, but squads are bigger. I don’t really want to go into all that nonsense again. But we get on with it.”

For his part, Klopp said he had no interest in creating further headlines on the topic.

“I cannot do you a favour again and create headlines – everyone knows the 10 clubs who voted against it,” he said.

“It was not about advantages, only about player welfare. Pretty much only them in Europe, the world, voted against it. I don’t know what percentage of leagues now have five subs. There must be a good reason for it.”

Chelsea boss Frank Lampard disagreed with the outcome but was willing to accept it.

“I think it would have been really beneficial for player welfare,” he said. “Normally the modern-day player welfare comes out on top, I don’t think it quite has this time. But the decision’s been made, and we carry on.”

Under-pressure Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta said he was at a loss to explain why player welfare had not been taken more seriously.

“The best way to protect them and have options to protect them is to have the option to extend the substitutes,” he said.

“So it’s like, yes, we’ll give you a little bit of this so that you can have an extra two on the bench but not the option to change.

“We are the only ones doing that and for me that doesn’t make a lot of sense but obviously it’s not up to us.”