Premier League substitution rule change can benefit Liverpool long-term

Add as preferred source on Google

The Premier League made a change to a substitution rule this week. It’s one that could have a long-term benefit at Liverpool.

A rule change means Premier League clubs can now have nine substitution options rather than seven. While they’re still only allowed to make three, their is a wider range of players to pick from.

Jurgen Klopp doesn’t believe this will address his current concerns, though – and he’s absolutely right.

The Liverpool boss is worried about running players ragged, given the compacted schedule and short pre-season. He wanted five substitutions per game and doesn’t believe this is a compromise.

It isn’t, of course – the number of options was never the issue. You could give him 50 but it still won’t allow him to rotate more.

But despite all of that, this is a change that can benefit Liverpool going forward.

Academy class

The main reason is this – it gets more kids on the bench. It’s something Liverpool like to do before putting youngsters into the first-team setup.

We saw it with pretty much every kid who has broken into the side. They all get a chance to experience the first-team from the bench first.

Most recently that was with Leighton Clarkson, Billy Koumetio and Jake Cain. Clarkson, of course, quickly took a step up and started in the Champions League, with Koumetio coming off the bench in the same game.

And that tells us Cain is likely next to make a Premier League or Champions League debut.

The extra substitutes don’t just get more kids on the bench, though, but allows Klopp to have them there for the right moment.

Say the Reds are 5-0 up in a game later in the season. Nine options means someone like Koumetio is more likely to be there when Klopp can risk bringing him on.

We’re very excited about this class of academy kids. There are some huge talents there, some of which are already in the setup, like Curtis Jones, Rhys Williams and Neco Williams.

Others are on the brink, like Clarkson, Koutmetio and Cain, but also Layton Stewart, Paul Glatzel and Owen Beck – who trained with the first-team this week.

So long-term, this rule change grants more experience and more opportunities to the exciting young players at Liverpool.

That has to be a good thing.