Football has gone through major change over the course of the last two years, as has the world. Focusing specifically on our beloved sport however and the game has needed to adapt due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Arsenal have played games behind closed doors, had matches postponed due to Covid-19 outbreaks, entire seasons suspended, and the rules of the game have seen VAR come into play to a greater extent. Substitutions have undergone major overhauls in the form of the number of switches a team can make in addition to the introduction of concussion substitutes.
The Premier League allowed the increase of three to five substitutes for a time but returned the number to its original trio for the 2020/21 season and the current campaign.
However, beyond the Premier League, other nations decided to stick with the five substitutions with The International Football Association Board giving temporary dispensation to leagues to make the decision.
The Athletic have reported that IFAB now intends to make this a permanent situation. The law for five substitutions will become part of the fabric of the sport and further tweaks to the wording of the offside rule are expected to be discussed at an upcoming meeting.
The Premier League has been pressured by some managers to follow their European counterparts and in 2020 Mikel Arteta said it did not make sense that England had not followed suit with so many other nations.
“I think the most important thing at the moment is the welfare of the players and the best way to protect them and have options to protect them is to have the option to extend the substitutes,” he said.
“So it’s like yes, we’ll give you a little bit of this so that you can have an extra two on the bench but not the option to change.
“We are the only ones doing that and for me, that doesn’t make a lot of sense but obviously it’s not up to us.”
If the league was to change the rules and switch it to allow sides to make five substitutions this could highlight significant flaws in the current Gunners setup.
Arsenal have struggled for depth over the winter months, with players participating at the African Cup of Nations plus the decision to allow five senior squad members to leave the club either on loan or permanently.
Arsenal need to strengthen their first team but if the five substitution rule is brought in for 2022/23, the need to address the strength in depth of the squad increases further.
Suggestions of a £180 million transfer war chest have circulated but whatever eventual figure the Gunners outlay on players in the upcoming window will need to include quality support at right-back, central midfield and the forward line.
Arsenal have already an agreement in place with New England Revolution to sign Matt Turner as Bernd Leno’s eventual replacement. Technical director Edu must spend these months until the end of the season preparing plans for the market.
Little was done in January regarding incomings. The focus remained on the sales and loans to thin the team of surplus players. Fan expectations will be that the summer sees the other side of the coin, and quite rightly too.
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