Tottenham could be set to receive a potential advantage over smaller teams in the Carabao Cup as the EFL have brought back the allowance of five substitutions for the scheduled fixtures in the fourth round.
According to the Daily Mail, that could hand a boost to Spurs and other Premier League sides in the competition including Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal, due to their squad options compared to other lower league teams.
Upon the return of football following the pause for Covid-19, clubs were permitted to make five substitutions as a result of the problems caused by the pandemic – but the rule was slowly phased out with the sport’s gradual return to reality.
The report claims Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was massively in favour of the extra two substitutions at his disposal, and has been a lead advocate for making the rule a permanent one.
The City boss has managed to receive support from 13 of the 16 teams still in the Carabao Cup, after his side wrote to the EFL to make their intentions known regarding bumping the options back up to five.
The remaining two sides who have not agreed are set to be spoken to by the organisers to ‘gauge their opinions’, however with the ties allocated between October 26 and 27, it is looking all the more likely that the rule will be passed.
Spurs Web Opinion
Although this favours clubs with bigger and more bloated squads, it is positive in the fact that potential injury worries can be mitigated.
Spurs don’t have the greatest squad depth themselves, but it is unsurprising that they have given their support for this rule considering they are in four competitions this season.
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