Has major EFL rule change come too late for Sheffield Wednesday?
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Confirmation of the EFL’s decision to revert to the five-sub rule put in place in the final weeks of last season were confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.
Regulation 33.4 has been amended to permit Championship Clubs to name up to nine substitutes in their matchday squad, with five permitted to take to the pitch in any fixture. These five substitutes can be made in a maximum of three instances.
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Hide AdThe shift has been made after concerns raised over player welfare after an uptick in the number of injuries suffered by players across the league this season.
The Championship fixture schedule has been hugely condensed after the suspension of football earlier this year due to the coronavirus crisis. The season will finish on May 8 in time for the re-scheduled European Championships next summer.
Wednesday are among the clubs to have been badly damaged by soft tissue injuries most commonly associated with fatigue, with key men Massimo Luongo, Dominic Iorfa, Tom Lees and Aden Flint having missed key matches already this season.
Garry Monk, sacked as Owls boss last week, commented that the injury situation was unlike any he’d seen in his career. His replacement Tony Pulis has already hinted at a more endemic issue with injuries at the club and admitted their list of unavailable players is a cause for concern, announcing further injuries in his first media engagement on Monday.
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Hide Ad“The biggest disappointment at the moment coming in is to see the players that we've got injured,” he said.
"We've got very, very important players injured and we picked up another two injuries this week. That sets the whole thing back a little bit.
He added: "The first priority is to win some games, I think that's important. The next priority is to make sure we don't get any more injuries.
"The injury situation at the football club is very concerning, very worrying. If you are missing four or five players, very good players, then it does weaken the team, I don't care who's managing the football club or who's in charge.”