Gareth urges rule rethink

LONDON • The Premier League's decision to stick with three substitutes, rather than the five adopted elsewhere across Europe, will continue to be a hot-button issue as injuries pile up.

According to statistics website Premier Injuries, there have been 103 muscle injuries in total over the first eight rounds this season, a 16 per cent increase compared to the same period last year.

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters last week said that the English top flight was expected to stick to its three-substitute rule as clubs had twice voted against an increase and there was "little appetite for a change".

But England manager Gareth Southgate yesterday lent his voice to the growing chorus calling for a relook amid a congested schedule resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. He will be without Jordan Henderson, Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell for their final Nations League home game against Iceland at Wembley today due to injuries.

Southgate believes that the complaints made by Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, Liverpool counterpart Jurgen Klopp and Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer have merit.

"We were able to make five changes against Belgium, we made four in the end and clubs don't have that option," he told reporters yesterday. "What will it take for that to change?

"There were a couple of less serious injuries against Belgium but what do we do? Wait until we get a load of really nasty ones?"

He added that England had been forced to give players extra days' recovery and also tapered their training schedules after their hopes of qualifying for the Nations League finals, set for next October, ended over the weekend.

"I have to be fair to the club managers. They are their players firstly and they have the right to play them as they see fit. (Injuries are) a worry in the longer term because with no winter break, something has to give."

While England have nothing to play for as the Iceland match, their last international game of the year, will be nothing more than a dead rubber, Southgate has urged those selected to make a case for retaining their places in the Three Lions' set-up.

"It's obvious throughout the autumn, we've been missing so many players in every camp," he said.

"But I'm focused on the players that were here because the players that were here gave absolutely everything and there were some excellent individual performances.

"I think we've seen that there isn't much between ourselves and Belgium. There are some other outstanding teams around Europe. France have obviously qualified against Portugal, who are another top side. It's so competitive.

"You know, four European teams made the last four of the World Cup. Three different ones qualified for the last four of the last Nations League.

"It looks like three different ones again will qualify for this Nations League. That sums up how competitive Europe is.

"We're a team who I believe have improved across the autumn, having had 10 months without playing."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS