Back in 2020, as pretty much the whole world was grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, football saw some massive shifts. Not only was the Champions League totally reformatted, with the usual two-legged knockout rounds cut to just one game, but also many leagues decided to allow for more substitutions.
In the Premier League, three subs per game has been par for the course for decades, but five were permitted for a while. However, that was stopped starting in the current campaign, as many clubs voted to return to three, with some managers, especially those of smaller clubs, feeling that the five sub rule somehow favored more elite sides.
Yet, with several notable managers, including Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp, a strong advocate for five subs, the Premier League's governing body have decided to make a huge change.
Starting from the 2022/23 season, five subs will be allowed once again, and a total of nine subs will be allowed to be named to the bench. This certainly will alleviate pressure on both players and managers, and perhaps reduce the number of injuries players sustain over the course of the season.
In the USA, namely in the NBA, the NFL, and the NHL, unlimited subs (with some restrictions) are allowed throughout the course of the match, and some fans have wondered if that could be something that would be eventually introduced in football - especially due to its grueling and taxing nature on the players - in the distant future.
