Ahead of Liverpool’s match with Wolverhampton, Jurgen Klopp spoke about the Premier League’s refusal to accept the five substitution rule and the disagreement between managers and shareholders.
It is no secret that Jurgen Klopp has had trouble accepting some official decisions this season. The manager openly spoke about his frustration with this year’s football calendar and how it’s affecting his team’s fitness levels.
Liverpool’s defense has been decimated by injuries this season as the Premier League champions currently have 11 players sidelined with various lesions.
The topic has become a regular presence at Klopp’s press conferences and as the injury list keeps growing, it’s unlikely the situation will change. Although the Reds got some positive news from their medical department this week, Klopp has assured he won’t stop fighting for his players’ welfare.
The Premier League is the only major European competition that hasn’t allowed teams to make five substitutions per match. Since the English Football League has agreed to the rule, it’s normal to assume the top-flight’s executives would discuss the matter. However, after this Thursday’s official meeting via BBC Sport, it became clear the subject isn’t on the table.
Liverpool’s boss believes that if managers were included in the discussion, the rule would be approved by several votes.
“Some shareholders see differently to the managers. That is not a good sign, to be honest. It shows that these people now really ignore the player welfare, the coaches don’t do that anymore,” he claimed.
Jurgen Klopp is concerned about the various ways the heavy workload will affect the footballers.
“By the way, mental health and player welfare is a whole package. We will not stop fighting for it because it’s just the right thing to do.”
The German manager went on to explain why the rule is vital for both clubs and international teams.
“Sometimes you have to keep two subs because we see on the pitch that so many players are on the edge. You don’t know who will go down first. You cannot make early changes otherwise you finish the games with nine or ten players.”
Jurgen Klopp closed on the matter by hinting that the FA will regret not taking action. He believes that Gareth Southgate will have major issues picking his squad for the next Euros.
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