Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel bats for Premier League to return to five substitute rule
According to the Independent, Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel believes the Premier League should revert back to the five substitute rule. He is convinced that it will help the players tackle the workload amid the Covid outbreak.
Coronavirus surges have wreaked havoc among Premier League teams the last few weeks. A considerable amount of players remain in self-isolation, and several games have been postponed following the outbreak. This has a sense of deja vu as clubs and players have already dealt with a similar situation in the previous year.
The Premier League implemented the five substitute rule during the previous season as the world at large struggled to cope with the pandemic. But, after the start of the new season, the rule was scrapped, and the regular three substitution limit were back into action.
However, the recent Coronavirus outbreak has put a lot of pressure on players and managers. As fewer players are available for selection, managers are not in a position to rotate players as they might have liked.
To add to their concerns, for the players who are returning from isolation, the rapid return to high-intensity games could affect their physical and mental wellbeing. Tuchel has touched upon the dire situation in his recent press conference and revealed that bringing back the five substitution rule would be a godsend.
“I just can say on this occasion I would love to push for five substitutions because five substitutions were made to protect the players when coronavirus popped up and made life difficult.”
The German manager also suggested that the sole purpose of implementing the rule is to tackle the workload. He is under no illusions that the situation the game faces today is serious.
“I think the situation is very serious and very challenging so if we decided to keep on playing at least we should have five changes to control the load.”
Chelsea’s several vital players have suffered Coroanvirus concerns in the past week. Even though Romelu Lukaku and Callum Hudson-Odoi are back, it is a big question whether they are ready to ee through an entire match.
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Chelsea stars N’Golo Kanté and Mateo Kovačić have both just returned to the squad. Risking their fitness could even create long term problems.
Therefore, allowing five substitutions at this moment would be a massive boost for Thomas Tuchel, who is struggling to put up a strong lineup amid absences. We are pretty certain that Chelsea will not be the only side who will welcome such news.