Premier League clubs set to vote on five substitute ruling on Thursday
Friday 7 August 2020 09:08, UK
Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho is open to the prospect of five substitutions being allowed in the Premier League next season.
Top-flight clubs are set to vote on Thursday whether the rule, which was brought in for the Project Restart in June, should continue for the whole of the 2020-21 season.
Mourinho did not use his full allocation of changes in any of Spurs' games following the resumption of the season, but can see its benefits, including the larger matchday squads.
He said: "I like the 20 players [in the squad]. It doesn't make any sense to travel with 20 players and then you arrive in the stadium and have to send two guys to the stands when the clubs pay every player and invest in every player.
"And it's much better for a manager to have on the bench a right-back, a left-back, a centre-back, a winger, a midfielder, a striker.
"It's much better to have everything there because it's the ammunition you need. For all tactical reasons, beauty of the game, competitive of the game, it's a fair way to treat players because they want to feel they're in the game, and they feel that on the bench.
"It's different to staying at home. So the 20 players on the bench, I love it.
"It gives you more chance to bring young people [on] and gives a much better feeling to everybody. Twenty players on the bench, I think very, very good.
"The five subs, I don't mind it. In the majority of matches, myself, I felt no need for that.
"But one thing is no need, another thing is no chance. So if you have the chance to do it, I don't think it's a problem.
"Because it can only be done in three periods, it doesn't affect much more the real time of the game, coaches cannot stop the game five times as you know. I think it's fine.
"I don't see a problem at all with that."
All 20 Premier League clubs are meeting to discuss rules for next season, including the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) and contingency plans for a possible second wave of the coronavirus.
The 2020-21 season is slated to begin on September 12, with a condensed schedule in place ahead of next summer's delayed European Championships.
Premier League shareholders are set to vote on a number of issues on Thursday as the 20 clubs, including newly promoted Leeds, West Brom and Fulham, are formally invited to take part in the 2020/2021 season.
Last season, as the clubs prepared for Project Restart amid lockdown restrictions, they voted to allow five substitutions and increase the matchday squad from 18 to 20.
There will be a vote on whether to continue with the five substitution rule or revert back to three.
