Jurgen Klopp has launched another plea for the ‘five sub’ rule to be introduced in the Premier League, with Liverpool among the clubs facing a “horrible schedule.”
Klopp has been one of the main advocates for five substitutions being permitted in the English top flight, as is the case in the majority of Europe’s major leagues.
In England, five changes are already available in both the FA Cup and League Cup, while the same rule is in place in the Champions League, which paints a stark contrast for Liverpool.
This recent run has seen Klopp rotate his side both between games and during, but ahead of the visit of Inter Milan in the Champions League, he reiterated his backing for the rule to be brought in by the league.
“We played now the final on Sunday, then Wednesday, then Saturday, now Tuesday. That’s actually a horrible schedule,” he said when asked about more changes to his side.
“If we can make changes on decisive positions, like the machine room, midfield, and these kinds of things, then it’s possible [to maintain form]. If not, then not.
“Maybe I start out of the blue with it, but it’s essential that, at one point, we go again for the five subs in the Premier League.
“It is, because we have three competitions where we have five subs and one we don’t have that.
“But even for the teams that don’t have three competitions [with it], only two, it makes so much difference.
“I don’t understand why it takes that long to understand it. Because the Premier League has to save their top-class players as well.
“It cannot be that we [don’t] do it because some clubs think it will be an advantage for the bigger clubs. It’s not about an advantage, it’s about the game.
“You keep the players in a better place, you would get much less injuries, definitely, over the years – we will see that if we finally introduce it.
“We had five subs in the final, five in the FA Cup and three now at the weekend. That’s really important.
“The schedule is fine for us, we are used to a tough rhythm, that’s not a problem.
“But Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday-Tuesday is really tough and it’s not perfect. But we could make changes, that’s why we will be ready again.”
That Liverpool find themselves on a 12-game winning streak – and a 15-game unbeaten run – given their fixture list since the turn of the year is a marker of their quality.
Within that run, the Reds played 120 minutes and penalties in the League Cup final against Chelsea, with the “unbelievable intensity” of that tie, and the spectacle it offered supporters, convincing Klopp further.
“This game we played there was a completely different level. Unbelievable intensity, 120 minutes like this – that’s because Liverpool and Chelsea face each other,” he continued.
“It’s great for the supporters, it’s great for everybody involved in football that you can have games like this.
“Usually, finals are kind of…not so exciting, a lot of tactics, stuff like this. But when [teams of] this calibre face each other then it’s ‘all in’, and I think that’s really good for football.
“And that’s why we need five subs, I tell you. I don’t know why you (journalists in the room) are laughing – it’s not funny. We need five subs.”
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