Tottenham boss Antonio Conte weighs in on Premier League five substitution rule change

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has delivered his verdict on the Premier League’s decision to change the rule to a maximum of five substitutions allowed from the next season onwards. This stance was taken through a voting process that involved all the clubs, and an overwhelming majority voted in favour of it, with four unknown sides being against the decision.

The change was allowed to be made after a detailed study was carried out in the rest of the top leagues that already followed this five sub rule. The research had revealed that the top sides did not enjoy any special advantage over the other clubs prompting them to go through the voting stage. Coaches will be able to name nine players on the bench to compensate for the rule change. However, only three windows are allowed to make the substitutions, which also includes the half-time break.

Speaking in the pre-match press conference (h/t Football.London), Conte has expressed that he is in favour of this change. However, the boss did add how he was against the rule to be implemented this term, considering how teams at the bottom would not have been able to prepare for the change, unlike top clubs who enjoy a wide array of options.

Agree with the boss

“My view is it’s right now to take a decision for next season. I was negative to change the rule during the season because there was a period when someone tried to change it from three to five. That’s honestly unfair. You give an advantage to top teams if you do this. Now it’s ok because other leagues there are five substitutions. It’s important to know this and in the summer every team has to know that they have to strengthen their squad. With five subs you can totally change a game in tactical and physical aspect. Right now only the top teams can do this but everyone will have to now.”

It is good that the change was made, and one may even say it was long overdue, considering how other top leagues have done the same. Fortunately, the rule will now be applicable from the next campaign onwards, and we can make the required changes accordingly.

What’s more, this change would now offer us the chance to assess our transfer plans even further. Perhaps, the North London side could make more signings this summer since we can use more options to freshen things up during matches.

We would benefit a lot from this substitution change as it suits Conte’s demanding methods while offsetting the side effects it would have on the squad. After all, the Italian boss is renowned for his pressing methods and with this new rule, the pressure can be maintained for longer periods.

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It will be interesting to see how this rule change would affect the tactical side of the game from next season onwards. The physical side can be anticipated much more easily as it offers us the possibility to maintain our press as much as possible.

What’s more, it also enables us to reduce injuries that players pick up through work overload while offering the opportunity to keep the squad fresh during a congested fixture list. Only time will tell how we can take advantage of this rule change after this summer.