CompetitionsPremier League

Klopp angrily rejects claim that five substitutes rule favours Liverpool

Jurgen Klopp has angrily denied that Liverpool’s defeat of Internazionale showed he would have an advantage with five substitutes in the Premier League, and insisted attitude was key to winning at San Siro.

Klopp has been a leading advocate of the five-substitutes rule being reintroduced to the Premier League, in line with other major European leagues, on the basis it would ease the increased demands on players. He therefore took exception to an online report that claimed the Inter game demonstrated a club with Liverpool’s resources would gain an advantage over other Premier League teams with five substitutions available.

“Honestly, for people to suggest it is an advantage tactically has nothing to do with it [his argument],” he said. “Absolutely nothing. It’s absolutely not true that it gives us an advantage. I can’t believe it is still discussed like this. It is the reason why in this country it is still not five subs. In pretty much all the other countries it is the case. It doesn’t make Bayern 20 points ahead of other teams or in Italy all of a sudden the better teams are running away with it. They are not. It is a very tight competition. In this country we hide behind the fact that: ‘It helps them, I can’t see how it helps us.

“Look at Crystal Palace and the offensive players they have. They could change all three in each game. Five subs is a must-have for the future. It should be now already but at least for the future because we have to make sure we give the players opportunity to save energy. Because they cannot do it on the pitch we have to do it like this. Nobody thinks it’s an advantage from a tactical point of view. A few people think: ‘That’s why Klopp wants five subs, because he can bring these guys on.’ It has nothing to do with that.

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