“It is not for tactical changes.”
Jurgen Klopp has again called for five substitutes to be allowed in Premier League games after James Milner picked up a hamstring injury in Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Brighton on Saturday afternoon.
The Reds manager has been vocal in his opposition to a hectic fixture schedule which demands too much of players, and believes a maximum of three substitutes only compounds that added threat of an injury to the players.
In calling for five subs to be allowed, the German insisted it is not for tactical changes, but to protect players from injury, explaining that he would have taken Andy Robertson off if he had another substitute to use.
“Brighton lost two players today – and they play one game a week – with muscle injuries,” Klopp said.
“The most difficult time is coming up now, for Sheffield United as well by the way. Then we will see.
“I can explain it one last time. In this period we are in, five subs is not for tactical changes, and even if ever, one coach has the luck to use it for tactical changes then that will be the exception. Today, we made an early sub at half time, then a second sub, and we really thought if we were brave [enough] to make a third sub.
“If you are not brave then you have to wait for the third sub until the 90th minute pretty much, because until then, when they show up five more minutes for example, then you can say, ‘Ok, if we change now, probably nothing will happen. We are only three or four minutes with 10 men.’
“If we’d had five subs today, then 100 per cent I would have taken Andy Robertson off. I had Kostas Tsimikas on the bench, so he can play there for 15, 20 minutes or whatever.”
Responding to Chris Wilder’s “selfish politician” jibe, when the Sheffield United boss accused Klopp of only thinking about his own team and not the rest of the teams with weaker squads, Klopp insisted he is speaking for the benefit of every team and not just Liverpool.
🗣 "Whatever Chris Wilder says I don't speak only about Liverpool, he speaks only about Sheffield United, he admitted that. I speak about football players"
Jurgen Klopp stresses that the need for 5 substitutions is not for tactical reasons but for players fitness pic.twitter.com/E2f6yrhu5W
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) November 28, 2020
“[Five subs] is not the solution, but it’s a little help,” said Klopp. “That’s all, whatever Chris Wilder says, I don’t only speak about Liverpool, he speaks only about Sheffield United. That’s true, he admitted that in the manger’s meeting.”
