Jurgen Klopp has joined Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, bashing the congested scheduling of Premier League games. Should the English Premier League revert back to five substitutions?
After a victory against Everton, Manchester United’s gaffer Ole Gunnar Solskjaer slammed the Premier League authorities for scheduling them for an early kick-off at Goodinson Park.
He was against being the first fixture of Matchday 8 on Saturday, as his team was made to play despite them playing a Champions League game in Turkey on Wednesday. The manager even said that the heads of the league set the team up to fail with the tight scheduling. In the same interview, Ole gave an update regarding the injuries to his players.
He said:
"We were set up to fail. The kickoff time set us up to fail. We have been to Turkey, played loads of games this season already, we got back Thursday morning and we are playing Saturday lunchtime, it’s an absolute shambles (Via: @Goal)"
He also criticized the authorities for draining the players mentally and physically. A few players like Mason Greenwood seem to have been affected due to the pandemic and things going on around him. The manager was skeptical about the international breaks too.
He opined:
"Players this season, in these times, a pandemic, mentally and physically, it’s draining. Let us play on a Sunday, there’s an international break after this, it’s a joke. (Via: @Goal)"
Players like Luke Shaw and Marcus Rashford were injured during the game with the fullback subbed off due to his injury. According to the Manchester United website, the English left-back is set to remain sidelined for a period of up to four-six weeks.
In the midst of all this, players are on international duty which seems to affect their mental and physical fitness.
Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp also had the same view as that of his counterpart at Old Trafford.
The Reds manager was of the opinion that the authorities should take care of the congested scheduling of games. Liverpool suffered a major setback as Trent Alexander Arnold suffered a calf injury that has ruled him out for at least six weeks.
In the due course, Trent will miss six games for the Merseysiders who are experiencing an injury crisis at the moment. After the 1-1 draw against Manchester City, Jurgen Klopp stated:
"Usually, in a season, we all have October, November and then a very, very tricky December; this year, the October is like the November, the November is like the December, and the December is still like December. Via (@ThisisAnfield)"
The English top-flight should take charge regarding these incidents as players’ international duty is getting hampered because of injuries. With teams set to play Euro 2020 next year, it becomes important for players to prove themselves to their national team managers.
Luke Shaw was all set to receive his England call-up after a year or so. Sadly, the player will miss the chance to make a strong case for himself for EURO 2021.
Marcus Rashford and TAA have been in tremendous form and injury can mount the problems for Gareth Southgate, the England team gaffer.
Things can be a lot better for English clubs if Premier League authorities revert back to the five substitutions rule, unanimously.
At the start of this season, the executives failed to get 14 votes that were required to allow five substitutions and increase matchday squads.
It is high time for the EPL body to return to the ruling as it will not only give first-team players the required amount of rest but will also give other players a chance to showcase their talent on the big stage.
At the back end of last season, Greenwood (Manchester United), Nathaniel Phillips, Curtis Jones (Liverpool), and Eddie Nketiah (Arsenal), were all able to garner some top-flight minutes.
The managers were also able to reassess their strategy and tactics accordingly because of the rule. It is just a safer option that is a win-win for all parties involved.