Micah Richards has made it clear on Football Focus that it’s ‘still unfair’ on the bottom teams to re-introduce five substitutes amid continued calls from Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp.
After project restart, teams were allowed to use five subs given the number of games they were all playing during such a compact period of time.
Added with that, there hasn’t been a proper pre-season for teams heading into this delayed 2020/21 campaign and Liverpool have been one of the sides who have been hit hard when it has come to injuries.
Despite all of this and Klopp’s continued calls to bring five subs back, Richards sent a blunt message in regards to that rule being brought back.
“It’s still unfair to the bottom teams,” said Richards. “I don’t care what way you look at it. It’s still unfair to the bottom teams if you have that amount of quality that can come off the bench.”
From Liverpool’s perspective, they wanted five subs re-introduced before injuries hit them this season, so it’s not something they have wanted since things have gone wrong in the treatment room.
But the likes of Chris Wilder, who Klopp has had a war-of-words with recently, is one of the managers who does want those in the Premier League to stick to just three.
In truth, it’s each to their own and everyone seemingly looking after themselves, so it will be interesting to see if Klopp’s, Pep Guardiola’s, and others in favour are heard.
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