Everton winger Andros Townsend has taken a swipe at Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp for "moaning" about the need for five substitutes before a new rule was introduced for the 2022/23 season.
The Premier League temporarily introduced a change in the regulations after the return from the Covid break in the 2019/20 campaign, meaning that teams were allowed to bring five players off the bench rather than the usual three. However, from the end of that term onwards, the rule was reverted to the normal three per match.
But earlier this year, it was announced that sides in the top division had voted to allow five substitutes in games from the coming campaign onwards. Many managers have spoken of their support of the issue in the past, including Everton boss Frank Lampard.
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However, Townsend believes that Klopp has "got his way" with the ruling. And he claimed that the Reds manager's comments over a number of issues have put pressure on to deliver what he wants.
Townsend told talkSPORT : "I love how Jurgen Klopp has found a way to get his way. He’s been moaning for years. They have been pushing back, and finally, they have given him his five subs.
"He will probably still use two or three in the biggest games. But who are we to argue with him? In the biggest games, Liverpool and Manchester City, they use one or two subs. They don’t use the four. It’s the games against Crystal Palace or Brentford, (when) they can’t break teams down, (when it's) 11 behind the ball. Then it's, ‘right, can we bring on five world-class internationals who are fresher and can change the game?’ That’s where it becomes unfair.
"Clearly a lot (Jurgen’s sway in the Premier League). I think we saw last season, even the season before, constantly banging on and banging on. Votes on votes on votes. Getting pushed back, then all of a sudden, they announced the five subs eventually.
"Last season again, moaning about the schedule, moaning about this and that, then all of a sudden, I think it was BT Sport putting a game on Saturday evening, which I had never seen before in the Premier League. All of this moaning... moaning puts pressure to give him what he wants and he has got what he wants on many occasions."
In April, Lampard also confirmed that he was in favour of five substitutes being introduced to the Premier League. He claimed that there might be a slight advantage for teams at the top of the division, but player welfare outweighed that possibility.
The Blues boss remarked: "I agree with the change. Whether there's a slight disproportionate advantage at the top end of the table because of the strength of squads, possibly. But in the bigger picture of player welfare and the level of the Premier League and the level of entertainment and the amount of people that watch it round the world."
