One of the most intriguing sections of Lionel Messi’s extensive interview with La Sexta on Sunday night involved his difficult relationship now former Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu.
The club chief departed in October amid scandal on and off the field, prompting elections to be held in January for Barça’s top job.
Bartomeu was famously at loggerheads with Messi for much of the year 2020, with Messi’s ultimately failed attempt to force an exit during the summer perhaps the final straw in the president’s doomed tenure.
Asked by interviewer Jordi Evole how Bartomeu cheated him, Messi replied with a laugh: “In many things, the truth is in many things.
“I prefer not to talk about private things that happened, I am not going to bring up what was said and what was promised, but I can assure you that many, many times in several years.”
Messi also stated that, despite his love for Barcelona, he did not regret sending the now infamous burofax transfer request, insisting he has no regrets, such was his desperation with Bartomeu.
“It is a way to formalise it and make it official,” the Argentine said. “You are saying that you want to go but you do nothing to do it.
“I have been telling him [Bartomeu] all year, not all year but the last six months many times I told the president that I was leaving, that I wanted to leave, to help me, that I wanted to leave and he no, no, no. It was a way of saying I want to go seriously.”
In the interview, Messi was also probed about the upcoming elections, which are due to take place on 24 January.
The six-time Ballon d’Or winner insisted that while he is a club ‘socio’, he doesn’t know if he will vote.
“I prefer not to position myself with anyone because if they already say that I manage the club, imagine if I say that I want a president,” Messi added. “I prefer not to do it and hopefully who it is is best for the club.
It is not going to be easy to change the situation because of the pandemic issue and it will not be easy to turn all this around, but hopefully whoever wins does well things to put the club back, how great it is, in the position where it deserves, which is not there today. “
Manchester City cruised to a 2-0 victory over Newcastle United on Saturday evening, closing the gap on Liverpool to five points at the top of the table.
The Citizens took the lead early in the first half, when Raheem Sterling wriggled into space in the penalty area, and cut the ball back to Ilkay Gundogan, who drilled home through a sea of bodies. The hosts had a number of chances to increase their advantage in the first 45 minutes, but they failed to beat Karl Darlow for a second time.
Man City never looked like losing control of this game, and put Newcastle to bed on 55 minutes, when Ferran Torres stroked a shot into the corner of the net from close range, following a Joao Cancelo cross.
The hosts had plenty more chances to win the game, but ultimately settled for the 2-0 win.
Let’s check out the player ratings from a comfortable evening for Man City at the Etihad stadium.
Ederson (GK) – 6/10 – When Ederson glanced at his calendar to see which games he could stay up late before and watch Gossip Girl without fear of it affecting his performance, he probably pencilled this one down as an all-nighter. Almost nothing to do.
Joao Cancelo (RB) – 8/10 – Played in more of a central midfield role for the Citizens, bombing on and adding his presence in the box from narrow areas. Supplied the pre-assist for Gundogan’s goal, and found Sterling time and time again with that cutting ball over the defence.
John Stones (CB) – 7/10 – Somehow skewed a header wide in the second half, looking to square it to a teammate. Probably should have had a go at goal himself. Once again dominate in defence. Good to see.
Ruben Dias (CB) – 7/10 – Tasked purely with defensive work, and although he had little to do, he did it well. Another steady and quietly impressive performance.
Nathan Ake (LB) – 8/10 – An excellent display. Up and down the pitch, joining in attacks and putting out the occasional fire behind him. Never looked out of place.
Kevin de Bruyne (CM) – 6/10 – Unusually wasteful in front of goal. Had almost too much time to think when one on one with Darlow, and fluffed his lines. Still a baller in the midfield, though.
Rodrigo (CM) – 7/10 – Sat at the base of the midfield, keeping an eye out for any brave Newcastle attacks. Didn’t have much to do, and probably could have nodded off if needs be. Substituted.
Ilkay Gundogan (CM) – 8/10 – Timed his run to perfection to strike the crucial first goal, ghosting into the box and placing the ball through countless defenders.
Bernardo Silva (RW) – 7/10 – The least effective of the attacking players. Flitted about and looked to occupy dangerous areas, but often forced to drop deep in search of joy. Hit the post when gifted a crack at goal.
Ferran Torres (ST) – 8/10 – Did not miss his chance when presented with a golden opportunity. Stroked home from close range with all the goal to aim at. Still, people have missed in that position before.
Raheem Sterling (LW) – 9/10 – The best player on the pitch. Darted into dangerous spaces time and time again, picked out the right pass or had decent cracks at goal. Supplied the opener with endless patience and skill.
Fernandinho (CM) – 7/10
Sergio Aguero (ST) – 6/10
Phil Foden (CM) – N/A
Karl Darlow (GK) – 7/10 – Beaten by Sterling’s invention on the first goal, and left completely exposed by a diving defender for the second strike. Some smart saves in between and after those landmarks.
Fabian Schar (CB) – 6/10 – Tasked with stopping the Titanic from sinking with nothing but a teaspoon to bail out the water. Gave it a go but the inevitable soon arrived.
Federico Fernandez (CB) – 5/10 – Must have thought he was doing the right thing by throwing himself in the path of Cancelo’s cross, but instead killed the ball dead eight yards from goal for Torres. The ultimate assist.
Ciaran Clark (CB) – 5/10 – Ripped apart by Sterling and Torres’ movement, and caught out over his flank on countless occasions. Tough evening for all.
DeAndre Yedlin (RWB) – 5/10 – Couldn’t stem the flow of De Bruyne’s charging runs or Sterling’s clever movement. Provided nothing going forward nor at the back.
Isaac Hayden (CM) – 6/10 – Put himself about and tried to break up Man City’s flowing attacks. Stuck to the game plan, and did his best in a team that only managed 24% possession.
Matty Longstaff (CM) – 6/10 – Possibly the best of the midfield bunch, although he couldn’t provide anything other than desire and grit. Fans love to see it, but a bit of quality is needed alongside.
Matt Ritchie (LWB) – 5/10 – Had a shocker really. All of Man City’s joy came down that left flank, and Ritchie had no answer for their speed or craft. Subbed.
Jacob Murphy (RW) – 6/10 – Had to get up and down the pitch, and was rarely gifted support in attack. Tested Ederson with a low drive when completely isolated. A tough afternoon.
Joelinton (ST) – 5/10 – Spent the evening jumping as high as he could to try and beat three defenders in the air. A tactic that was very unlikely to bear fruit.
Miguel Almiron (LW) – 5/10 – Ran a lot – although not with the ball at his feet. Unfortunately lost the ball in the build up to the second goal. Not his afternoon at all.
Reigning champions Liverpool will be looking to consolidate their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they welcome West Bromwich Albion to Anfield on Sunday.
Jurgen Klopp’s men secured two emphatic victories in the space of three days last week, toppling fellow title contenders Tottenham Hotspur at home before mauling Crystal Palace 7-0 to race four points clear of Leicester City in second.
That win at Selhurst Park, was Klopp’s 127th in the Premier League as Liverpool boss – surpassing Rafa Benitez’s club record – and given the form of this weekend’s opponents, he will no doubt sense number 128 will be on its way shortly.
West Brom lie in 19th place, five points adrift of safety, and have the second-worst goal difference out of every club in England’s top four divisions (-19). Much to the chagrin of certain sections of the fanbase, the club recently sacked Slaven Bilic, and in the Croat’s place arrived survival specialist Sam Allardyce, who was handed the usual brief: avoid relegation.
Allardyce, infamous for his direct, prosaic football, witnessed a 3-0 home defeat against Aston Villa in his first game at the helm, but holds the remarkable record of being the last visiting manager in the Premier League to come away from Anfield with three points; his Palace side won there in April 2017.
For West Brom fans, there is at least that.
When Is Kick Off? Sunday 27 December What Time Is Kick Off? 16:30 (GMT) Where Is it Played? Anfield TV Channel/Live Stream? Sky Sports Main Event, Sky Sports PL Referee? Kevin Friend
Liverpool were boosted by the return to training of midfield duo James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri this week but neither is expected to be fit enough to start. Milner (hamstring) has missed the last six matches, while Shaqiri (muscle problem) has been out since the November international break.
Thiago Alcantara, meanwhile, was also pictured in training but ‘will not be rushed’ according to Klopp and is thought to be a little further behind his fellow midfielders, with the Spaniard still recovering from Richarlison’s horror tackle in the Merseyside derby. Mohamed Salah is set to return to the starting XI after scoring twice off the bench against Palace.
As for the visitors, Jake Livermore will miss out following his red card against Villa, but playmaker Matheus Pereira will be welcomed back after serving a three-match suspension of his own. Conor Townsend, Hal Robson-Kanu and Kyle Bartley are all edging closer to a return, but this game will come too soon for them.
West Brom: Johnstone; Furlong, Gibbs, O’Shea, Ajayi; Sawyers; Phillips, Diangana, Gallagher, Pereira; Grant
Back at the top of the table, morale is riding high for Liverpool once more.
After a tumultuous start to the campaign that saw defensive talisman Virgil Van Dijk ruled out for the rest of the season, the Reds have responded defiantly, with two landmark victories firing them into pole position.
It doesn’t bode well for West Brom, though, that Palace – eviscerated by Liverpool last weekend – handed out their own drubbing to the Baggies two weeks prior. That was followed by a 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United, and then, encouragingly, a dogged 1-1 draw with Manchester City, before Bilic was given the sack.
It’s that type of performance that the man known universally as ‘Big Sam’ will be hoping his side can replicate, and it’s those resilient qualities that will be integral to any result at Anfield.
Liverpool
Crystal Palace 0-7 Liverpool (19/12) Liverpool 2-1 Tottenham (16/12)
Fulham 1-1 Liverpool (13/12)
Midtjylland 1-1 Liverpool (09/12) Liverpool 4-0 Wolves (06/12)
West Brom
West Brom 0-3 Aston Villa (20/12)
Manchester City 1-1 West Brom (15/12)
Newcastle 2-1 West Brom (12/12) West Brom 1-5 Crystal Palace (06/12) West Brom 1-0 Sheffield United (28/11)
If West Brom fans can take solace in anything, it’s Allardyce’s record at Anfield; he’s unbeaten in his last three visits.
That, though, is unlikely to faze a Liverpool side that hasn’t lost at home in the league in over three years, especially given the respective form of the two sides. Liverpool are unbeaten in 10 in the league, while the Baggies have won just once so far this campaign.
With the Salah, Firmino, Mane strikeforce set to be restored, it’s difficult to see anything other than a festive feast for the league leaders.
Prediction: Liverpool 4-0 West Brom
West Brom vs Crystal Palace Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
West Bromwich Albion vs Chelsea Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
West Ham vs Crystal Palace: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
Crystal Palace vs Liverpool Preview: How to Watch on TV, Live Stream, Kick Off Time & Team News
The upcoming January transfer window could mark the end of a short and bitter year of Christian Eriksen’s career, as Inter chief executive Giuseppe Marotta admitted that the Danish playmaker could leave the club only a year after his move from Tottenham Hotspur.
Inter’s CEO said this week: “Is Eriksen on the market? I would say so, yes. He’s not functional to our plans and he had difficulty here at Inter. I think it’s right that Christian goes away to find more space.”
It is no secret that the former Spurs playmaker has struggled to reignite his career since his move to the Serie A outfit. Eriksen could not help prevent Inter being dumped out of the Champions League earlier this month, as they also failed to qualify for the consolation of a place in the Europa League by finishing bottom of their group.
Given his high wages, it is understood that he may have to initially leave somewhere on loan, although Inter are understood to prefer a deal with an obligation to buy, as opposed to just having the option to.
Here we rank the clubs linked so far, and how suitable they would be for the ostracised creative midfielder.
United had previously been confident of pulling off a deal for Eriksen in the summer of 2019, but have again been linked with a move for the Dane as recently as this week.
But the deal seems a questionable one. Turning 29 in February, Eriksen is certainly a downgrade on Bruno Fernandes, who has been arguably the league’s standout performer since his arrival to Old Trafford in Janaury 2020.
With Donny van de Beek still finding his feet, and Paul Pogba starting to find some form, it seems like adding Eriksen would be more of a hindrance than a help.
Suitability Rating: 2/10
Having previously had a verbal agreement in place to sign the playmaker, Zinedine Zidane opted to pull out of a deal to sign Eriksen, before his move to Inter.
Feeling his midfield was already well-stocked, there has been little change and a previously viewed ‘dream move’ to Los Blancos looks as unlikely as ever for Eriksen.
Suitability Rating: 3/10
This would be, if nothing else, pretty funny. But it does actually make a more than a slice of sense.
There have been rumblings of a move away since November, with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal supposedly offered the chance to sign the Dane for a cut-price deal worth about £12m.
With Mesut Ozil having been completely frozen out at Arsenal, they are in dire need of some creativity, which Eriksen could certainly provide.
However, having spent seven years at fierce rivals Spurs, scoring 69, assisting a further 89 and becoming a firm fan favourite in the process, it is unknown whether the Dane would happily swap his London allegiance.
Suitability Rating: 6/10
With game time limited, the prospect of playing for the exciting Borussia Dortmund also represents an attractive option for the Dane, amid reports from Italy.
A lot more attack-minded than the rigid Inter side he finds himself playing for currently under the barking orders of Antonio Conte, BVB’s free-flowing football would certainly suit him..
The thought of Erling Haaland and Jadon Sancho racing onto an Eriksen through ball would worry any team.
Suitability Rating: 7/10
Offering a different option entirely to the Premier League clubs of Arsenal and Man Utd, the chance to play at PSG could be an enticing one for Eriksen.
Not only does it mean he wouldn’t be going back to England with his tail between his legs after just a year, but he’d have a decent chance of earning silverware for the first time since 2013.
With midfield options of Julian Draxler, Ander Herrera and Leandro Paredes far from world class, Eriksen would surely get a look in, especially with old boss Mauricio Pochettino set to replace the recently axed Thomas Tuchel.
The semi-finals of the 2020/21 Carabao Cup will bring a mouthwatering Manchester derby, while Tottenham have a huge chance of reaching the final as they host Brentford in the other tie.
In a change from the competition’s usual two-legged affair, the semi-finals will instead be played over one leg in an attempt to reduce the already congested fixture schedule in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic.
Manchester United and Tottenham have been drawn as the home sides for the ties. The two ties will take place on the week beginning 4 January.
The Manchester derby will be a repeat of last season’s semi-final, with City progressing over two legs in the 2019/20 campaign and going on to lift the trophy for the third year on the trot.
Tottenham booked their place in the last four with a 3-1 victory over Stoke on Wednesday evening. Gareth Bale had given Spurs a first-half lead with a glancing header after a dominant opening 45 minutes, but they were pinned back in the second half through a Jordan Thompson half-volley.
But Spurs bit back and confirmed their semi-final spot thanks to a fabulous long-range drive from Ben Davies and a thunderous finish from Harry Kane.
The League Cup is the last piece of silverware Spurs lifted, having won the competition back in 2008.
Manchester United also confirmed their last four place on Wednesday evening with a 2-0 win over Everton thanks to late strikes from Edinson Cavani and Anthony Martial.
The game at Goodison Park appeared to be going to penalties, before Cavani produced a wonderful individual goal two minutes from time. Martial wrapped up the win with a close-range stoppage-time finish.
Brentford secured their place in the semi-finals of a major cup competition for the first time in their history with a 1-0 win over Newcastle on Tuesday, while defending champions Manchester City progressed to the last four for the fourth successive season with a convincing 4-1 victory over Arsenal.
City have won the competition four times in the past five years.
There has been depressingly little to get excited about for Arsenal fans this season.
The results have been bad, the football even worse and almost every player in Mikel Arteta’s squad has been drastically underperforming.
Any hope Arsenal supporters had of the drudgery subsiding were seemingly extinguished when Gabriel Jesus put Manchester City 1-0 up inside two minutes of Tuesday evening’s Carabao Cup quarter final.
The goal was a horrific one to concede and was in keeping with the Gunners’ woeful start to the campaign. A defensive mixup between Runar Alex Runarsson, Gabriel and Shkodran Mustafi allowed Jesus a completely free header and he made no mistake, nodding Oleksandr Zinchenko’s cross into the back of the net.
After the goal went in it felt like business as usual for Arteta’s side. For a good 10 minutes or so they looked typically stodgy going forward. It was all very predictable, sterile and far too regimented.
Yet, amid this familiar dirge, the returning Gabriel Martinelli provided a much needed dose of hope and invention.
The Brazilian’s breakthrough last term was one of the high points of the Gunners’ season. Before a knee injury ruled him out for the campaign, he racked up 14 direct goal involvements in 26 games.
It wasn’t his fine statistical output that got fans’ mouths watering though, it was his entire approach. Still a teenager, Martinelli plays with no fear and despite his lengthy absence he showed a great deal of this bravery against City.
Pressing with more intensity than any Arsenal forward so far this season, he spearheaded his side’s first half fightback and was at the centre of everything promising.
He wasn’t perfect by any means, losing possession four times in the opening 45 minutes, but at least he was trying something. This is exactly what Arsenal need right now. Someone who has not had to live through their nightmarish start to the season. Someone who isn’t afraid of taking risks and getting at the opposition.
The highlight of Martinelli’s eye-catching display was providing the assist for Alexandre Lacazette’s equaliser on the half hour mark. Not giving up on his heavy first touch, the speedster raced down to the byline and produced a sumptuous, looping cross which Lacazette headed home powerfully.
Of course though, Arsenal fans are seemingly not allowed to have nice things this season and soon after setting up their equaliser, he received a heavy challenge from stand-in City stopper Zack Steffen. Sliding in to sweep up a through ball, Steffen caught Martinelli on the toe.
Although he would be passed fit to continue at the break, he lasted just a few second half minutes before hobbling off and being replaced by Nicolas Pepe. Then came that Runarsson error which gave City the confidence to put the game to bed.
Arteta will be crossing everything, hoping that Martinelli’s absence is a short one. A player of his bravery and talent is exactly what Arsenal need to lift them out of the doldrums.
West Ham at home was never going to be easy for Chelsea. Their London rivals came in just a point behind them in the Premier League standings, having won four of their last six and boasting one of the best defensive records in the division.
3-0 didn’t look on the cards before the game. It might have looked on the cards shortly after Thiago Silva’s headed opener, but for the most part, this was an encounter the Irons were well and truly in.
In games like these, you need someone to step up with the incisive touch to put it beyond doubt. And while Chelsea have no shortage of players you might expect to provide that, be it Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Hakim Ziyech or even the in-form Olivier Giroud, it continues to be Tammy Abraham with his foot on the clutch.
The England striker came up with the second goal at Newcastle towards the end of November and it was the 23-year-old who was on hand with the decisive touch here, nudging Werner’s messy effort past Lukasz Fabianski to deflate David Moyes’ side on the spot.
It had been a fairly anonymous performance to this point but the goal acted like an adrenaline shot. Within minutes, he was on hand to power in a header, sending his side home happy with a lead that flattered them after a functional, if not quite inspiring performance.
He took his Premier League tally for the season to five and while those numbers aren’t exactly frightening at the 14-game mark, you could make the case that each and every one of them has been key. He finished off a remarkable comeback at West Brom earlier in the season and a few weeks later he started one against Sheffield United, sweeping home to cancel out David McGoldrick’s opener.
He may have lacked consistency this season and some would tell you it should be Werner who starts through the middle. Yet here the German showed just why Lampard prefers Abraham in the nine role – he spurned two great chances and was perhaps fortunate a third fell into the path of his teammate to put the game out of reach.
It would be hard to blame Werner for growing frustrated as he tries in vain to impact games from the left flank, but as long as Abraham keeps providing the magic when Chelsea absolutely need it, then his wait may just have to continue.
Ultimately it was a performance in which Chelsea, and for long spells Abraham, flattered to deceive. While the scoreline and the stats may suggest dominance, Frank Lampard will be stressing the room for improvement when he debriefs his players.
He will be encouraged that his side were able to find another gear to kick into as the endgame loomed, however, and will be even happier that it was his pick to lead the line who showed his teammates how it was done.
It was another night of success for Premier League champions Liverpool as they were crowned Team of the Year at the BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year awards.
Manager Jurgen Klopp was also named Coach of the Year, while Jordan Henderson finished runner-up to Formula 1 superstar Lewis Hamilton for the evening’s main award.
This latest spate of recognition caps an extraordinary 12 months for the club, who finally ended their 30-year wait for a top flight title in July. The Reds eventually finished the 2019/2020 Premier League season on 99 points, failing to win just six games all season.
Reflecting on his side’s success in an interview with the BBC, Klopp said: “My team deserve this, because they did an incredible job. It’s a mix of talent, character, desire and the power of the club, which is a big one. That all comes together and it was a great moment when we became champions.
“We want to organise a big party when it’s allowed again, could take a little while but until then maybe we can win something else, we will see. We can’t wait to see the fans again and winning this prize in Manchester is even sweeter.”
On his own personal award, Klopp added (via Liverpool’s official website): “When the coach of the Team of the Year becomes the Coach of the Year then I had an outstanding team on the pitch obviously.
“Hendo nearly mentioned all of them, but my coaching staff is obviously the main reason why all the things worked the way they work, so I’m really happy. Usually you win a prize as a football coach, this time obviously all my contenders were from all different kind of sports and I never before won something like that. It’s really nice.
“On behalf of my coaches, I accept it obviously and take it home to Liverpool. Thank you very much.”
Klopp’s win comes just a few days removed from him controversially – in some people’s opinion, anyway – being named FIFA Coach of the Year ahead of Bayern Munich’s treble winning manager, Hansi Flick.
Henderson, meanwhile, has been one of the key components of Liverpool’s fantastic year on the pitch, and the skipper has also had a fine 12 months off it – spearheading the Players Together campaign that raised millions to help the NHS during the coronavirus pandemic.
However, the midfielder was narrowly beaten to the top prize by Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton, who won a record seventh F1 championship this year. Jockey Hollie Doyle completed the podium by coming in third place.
Earlier on in the night, Manchester United striker Marcus Rashford was commended with a special award for his incredible free school meals campaign.
Borussia Monchengladbach striker Marcus Thuram could be set for a long suspension after being sent off for spitting at opponent Stefan Posch on Saturday.
The 23-year-old is highly rated as one of Europe’s most exciting forwards, but his latest actions have caused a widespread backlash, including from his own teammates, following his dismissal.
The incident occurred in the 79th minute of Gladbach’s clash with Hoffenheim, when an altercation between Thuram and Posch led to the Frenchman spitting in the face of the defender.
The forward has been slammed for his petulant action, given the particularly precarious nature of the current global situation amid the coronavirus outbreak.
Players are living in a much different world to their usual surroundings, where contact with one another and the outside world should remain at a minimum.
The coronavirus is an airborne disease which can be transmitted from something as simple as breath or touch, so the sight of one player spitting at another has shocked the sporting world.
The footage, as seen on Get French Football News, clearly shows Thuram spitting towards the mouth of Posch, who quickly puts his hand to his face.
Thuram will have to wait to learn the length of his ban, with a longer suspension than usual likely to be enforced in order to discourage any footballer from spitting at a colleague on the football pitch again, especially in the midst of a pandemic.
The striker’s teammates were made to pay for his actions, as the hosts slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Hoffenheim, with Ryan Sessegnon bagging the winner on 86 minutes – seven minutes after Thuram was sent off in disgrace.
Following the game, Thuram posted a message on Instagram apologising to his ‘Posch, my opponents, my teammates, my family and all those who saw my reaction’, while he vowed to ‘accept the consequences’ of his actions.
Meanwhile, Thuram’s Gladbach teammate Christoph Kramer – who was only recently cleared of his own spitting charge – said via Sky Germany that the incident didn’t ‘look good’ and was not befitting of a ‘role model’.
Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has refused to rule out a return to action for wingers Callum Hudson-Odoi and Hakim Ziyech in Monday’s meeting with West Ham United.
Hudson-Odoi picked up a hamstring injury in training during the build-up to the Blues’ 1-0 loss to Everton, while another hamstring injury has kept Ziyech out of action ever since the 3-1 win over Leeds.
Lampard has sorely lacked some extra options out on the wing during Chelsea’s last two games, which have both ended in defeat, but he admitted during a press conference that the pair may be ready to return on Monday.
“It is their first day back with the group today training at a decent level, so I will have to see how they are the next two or three days to see if they make West Ham,” Lampard said (via the club’s official website) when asked about the pair’s chances of an imminent return.
Lampard was one of the managers keen to see the Premier League bring back five substitutions during games, having hoped that a change to the rules would help him protect players from suffering hamstring injuries like those of Hudson-Odoi and Ziyech.
The number of substitutions has been kept at three, although managers are now able to name nine players on the bench instead of the usual seven.
“I don’t want to talk about it as being a blow,’ Lampard added when asked about seeing his preferred rule change rejected.
“It is just that when we talked about it as managers, the overriding factor from the managers whether they were maybe for or against it, because I think there are different factors to this, was that this is a case of player welfare, making sure we are looking after the players and giving them the best opportunity to perform at an optimum level and not putting them at risk as such because of the uncertain times and the schedule.
“I think it [increasing the substitutions] would be really beneficial for player welfare. Normally in the modern day, player welfare and employee welfare comes down from the top. I don’t think it quite has this time but the decision is made and we just carry on.”
