Mikel Arteta calls for ten substitutes in response to football’s hectic schedule
Arsenal’s manager, Mikel Arteta, is urging for an expansion in the number of substitutions permitted in football matches following the loss of Thomas Partey and Gabriel Jesus due to new injuries.
With a crucial game against Sheffield United ahead, the Gunners are aiming for the English Premier League title this season.
The absence of Jesus and Partey might present challenges for the team, adding to their recurring injury setbacks.
The demanding schedule of both club and international matches is making it difficult for players worldwide to maintain their fitness.
Until recently, teams were restricted to making only three substitutions per game, a limit that was then raised to five.
Arteta is now proposing a further increase in substitutions, suggesting an extension to ten substitutions to offer teams greater adaptability and to help minimize the impact of injuries on their squads.
The Spanish gaffer said, as quoted by ESPN: “If we have more games, more competitiveness and physically the standards are higher — by playing more minutes — we have to do that [increase the 25-man squad size] or instead of five subs, we have 10.
“The five subs is now something normal but it was a big fight to go from three to five. I cannot imagine the game in the conditions we are in today after last year and the World Cup without five subs, it would be so difficult.”
Footballers are being overburdened with an excessive number of matches throughout the calendar year, resulting in a rapid increase in player injuries.
If no action is taken, it’s becoming increasingly unlikely that we’ll witness a player completing an entire season without succumbing to injury in the near future.
Mikel Arteta calls for ten substitutes in response to football’s hectic schedule