With FIFA announcing new rule changes on a temporary basis as there will be five substitutes on match days. There is also an announced expansion in match day squads as there will be now 23 players named. According to FIFA in regards to the new substitute rule "There will still only be three substitution windows for those five changes to be made. Subs can also be made at halftime." While this benefits all the clubs in the Premier League, it especially benefits Everton. This article will take a look at how this new rule change will benefit the team.
More Attacking Options
While Everton has a lot of scoring options, the five substitute rule might allow them be lethal in the attack. That should give players like Moise Kean, Richarlison, Gylfi Sigurdsson, and Dominic Calvert-Lewin more opportunities to score. It really will depend on whom manager Carlo Ancelotti starts and what players will come in depending on the tactics he employs, but having more forwards or attacking midfielders come in will make them harder to defend. Obviously Ancelotti will decide who goes out as dictated by the match, but he has a lot of options to use when attacking the net. It gives players like Theo Walcott, Oumar Niasse, Anthony Gordon, Bernard, Alex Iwobi, Tom Davies, Fabian Delph, and Andre Gomes chances to bring another element, apply more pressure to opposing defenses, and score goals. Whether Cenk Tosun is back from his loan at Crystal Palace and is available from his injury is not clear, but he could also help in that department. That being said, it allows Everton the opportunity to score a lot more goals.
More Defensive Options
Again, obviously dictated by how the match goes, it would seem more likely to see Ancelotti sending out backs and/or a defensive midfielder if the team is holding a lead. It all depends on who the starting backline is, but it would seem like Ancelotti would take out a striker or attacking midfielder in favor of a back. Having such players as Leighton Baines, Djibril Sidibe, Michael Keane, Yerry Mina, Mason Holgate, Seamus Coleman, and Lucas Digne makes things easy for them to send out if playing with a lead. With the club having more attacking options to score more goals, with this new rule allowing more substitutes on the field, the perimeter around the net will certainly get tighter for opposing offenses to get anything done. Muhamed Besic returns from his loan at Sheffield United after injuries had depleted the roster and Morgan Schneiderlin's impending move to Nice, but the club might have to look at their academy of under-23s for someone to fill in.
Better Opportunities To Matchup
Everton actually is in a good situation there as the club is deeper than most clubs in the league, but that doesn't mean they have the same type of depth as the traditional powerhouse clubs like Manchester United or Chelsea. However, it should allow the club to match up better in matches and making it an even playing field. Ancelotti could theoretically send in an extra back or defensive midfield depending on what is happening on the field or he could even substitute in two attacking options at that point. In some ways it will be like a chess match with the substitutes as Ancelotti will have to send in a certain player from whatever position to matchup against the opposition. Ancelotti will likely make those decisions once he sees what the opposition does.
Many Players Get A Chance
With the club vying for a Champions League spot or even Europa League, many players will get many chances to help contribute. It also gives the team a better opportunity of whom to keep and who to sell/not keep. It does allow other players such as Anthony Gordon or Jarrad Branthwaite a chance to develop into becoming more productive players. It gives players certain roles to fill too and that might be something they relish, especially in key situations. Besides, more options to use, the more fresh their bodies are in future games.
While certainly Everton could fall flat on their faces and struggle for the rest of the campaign, it would seem likely that this new substitute rule is beneficial to them. While it's more beneficial to the powerhouse clubs, it will help the Toffees get more results from the reasons laid out. A chance at European competitions is much more likely because of this. As of this writing, injuries have seemingly piled up for the club as Jean-Philippe-Gbamin, Yerry Mina, Theo Walcott, Fabian Delph, Cenk Tosun, and Theo Walcott are all injured. However, once some of those players become more healthy as the campaign rolls along, the team does become more lethal.
Comments