Liverpool boss Klopp bemoans Premier Leagues lack of leadership over substitute rule change

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has criticised the Premier League for a "lack of leadership" over the return to three substitutions in the competition this season.

Clubs could use five substitutes last season when the league restarted in June after a three-month hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they voted against it for the 2020-21 campaign.

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Clubs participating in the Champions League and Europa League can still use five substitutes and Klopp said English clubs are at a disadvantage due to the rule change.

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"All other leagues, pretty much, in the world have five subs and England has three subs," he told a news conference ahead of their Premier League match against West Ham United.

"That makes it a massive challenge. As you know seven clubs in the Premier League play three times a week and then we travel and that makes it tricky but we all have to deal with it. We will see how it will end but it's the most challenging season for sure."

When asked whether the rule should be reverted back again, Klopp replied: "Yes, but I don't think it's possible because of this system.

"For me, it's a lack of leadership to put the question on the table and say what do you want with that. It should have been differently sold, if that's the right word, with more information, knowing more what can happen and all these kind of things by Richard Masters [Premier League chief executive].

"We never asked for any advantage, one of the top seven clubs. It's because we knew our schedule, it will be incredibly difficult to have the best games every weekend in the Premier League as well. I think we should overthink it again to be honest."

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer also questioned the decision against five substitutions while Manchester City's Pep Guardiola called on the Premier League to reintroduce the rule.

Liverpool will be without Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho for the foreseeable future due to injuries and Klopp said the league needs to do more protect footballers.

"My concern is the welfare of the players," he added. "Every now and then, it's a really big thing to talk about the mental welfare of the players but we have to talk about the physical welfare of players much more often because the boys always want [to play]. Even if they can't, they still want [to play] but we have to make fixture lists and schedules where they can.

"But this is a difficult year. It was always clear that we put in a season with nearly the same amount of games in a short period of time and we all wanted it, I wanted it, everybody wanted it.

"But that's the same in other leagues with lesser teams and they find it challenging. Ask in Germany,...

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Mesut Ozil's agent calls out Arsenal, Arteta over playmaker's exile: 'Fans deserve honest explanation'

This week, Mesut Ozil's exile at Arsenal has extended to unprecedented levels. The 32-year-old cannot play senior football again until January at the earliest after being left out of the Gunners' Premier League and Europa League squads for what manager Mikel Arteta insisted on Wednesday night were solely footballing reasons.

"My conscience is very calm because I have been really fair," Arteta said. "What I can say from my side is that it is just a football decision. My level of communication with him has been really high, and we know what to expect with each other.

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"My job is to get the best out of every player, to contribute to the team performance. Here I feel at the moment, today, that I have failed."

Ozil arrived at Arsenal from Real Madrid in September 2014 for a then-club-record £42 million fee, which became the physical manifestation of what then-chief executive Ivan Gazidis heralded as an "escalation in financial firepower." The Germany international was intended to be the crown jewel of a new era, a club loosened from the constraints of self-funding their move to Emirates Stadium from Highbury, finally ready to challenge for the game's major honours once again.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1sALfZHEqdM[/embed]

For a time, Ozil lived up to his billing of the "King of the assists." During the 2015-16 Premier League season, he set up 19 goals -- a tally only ever beaten by Thierry Henry and Kevin De Bruyne. Ozil's £350,000-a-week contract was also hailed as a landmark moment for both player and club when he agreed to stay in north London in January 2018, but instead of cementing his status as Arsenal's star player, he now finds himself fighting for his future.

Questions over his consistency and application have grown, and despite starting the first 10 Premier League games under Arteta, he has not played a minute since March 7. He hasn't even been named to a matchday squad since June 25.

These days, Ozil is a lightning rod for criticism and emblematic for some of mismanagement that has undermined Arsenal's pursuit of trophies. Yet, Ozil's agent, Dr. Erkut Sogut (he holds a doctorate in law), has predictably hit back, believing the club must come clean about the real explanations behind their treatment of the midfielder.

In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Sogut states, among other things, that Arteta is not telling the truth for claiming Ozil's absence is a football decision; Ozil should be shown the same loyalty Arteta received in his final two years as an Arsenal player; and Ozil turned down an offer from another club that included a £30 million signing-on fee to stay at Arsenal in 2018.

Mesut Ozil, pictured in training on Sept. 21. The midfielder has not played a minute for Arsenal since early March, and he has not been named in a matchday squad since June. Stuart...

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Lacazette's poor game underlines Arsenal's issues during Arteta's rebuild

Only one of Arsenal and Leicester City started with a centre-forward on the pitch, but it says a lot about Alexandre Lacazette's performance that you couldn't really tell the difference.

Mikel Arteta has made considerable progress in evolving Arsenal since taking charge last December, but Sunday's 1-0 defeat was a slip back into the past as they failed to make their early dominance pay, fizzled out as an attacking force and were undone by a classic counter-attack goal.

"I'm really disappointed, we had it in our hands in the first half," said Arteta to Sky Sports after the match. "They caught us with space at the back and in that moment we lost the game.

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"It is difficult to create spaces with 10 men behind the ball, but we should have finished the game better. When it comes to those moments, you can't give away chances at the back.

The villain of the piece from the Gunners' perspective was an all-too-familiar foe: Jamie Vardy came off the bench with 30 minutes remaining, had Leicester's first shot on target all night and scored his 11th Premier League goal against Arsenal to hand the visitors a precious win. Only Wayne Rooney (12) has breached the Gunners more times in League history, and this was an archetypal example of many that have gone before: Leicester moved the ball quickly in midfield, Youri Tielemans spotted substitute Cengiz Under with a raking forward pass and the Turkey international winger teased a ball in from the right wing for Vardy to stoop and head home.

There were, of course, no fans in Emirates Stadium to voice their disapproval, but one small crumb of comfort from their absence will come in the fact they have seen this all before. Vardy could hardly miss, such was the quality of Under's cross, but his clinical touch only heightened the contrast with what happened at the other end for the hosts all night long.

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Lacazette was not the only culprit -- Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang headed over from a Kieran Tierney cross, Bukayo Saka was unable to capitalise on several dangerous moments in an otherwise promising display, and Hector Bellerin missed Arsenal's clearest opening in the second half -- but he missed the best chance in the 29th minute when somehow failing to meet another wonderful Tierney delivery with any meaningful contact inside the 6-yard box.

One miss should never define a player, especially one who had a goal disallowed early on for an offside that was theoretically correct, but practically questionable. Granit Xhaka was deemed to be interfering with play as he stood in an offside position, blocking Kasper Schmeichel's view of Lacazette's glancing header from Dani Ceballos' second-minute corner.

For his part, Schmeichel did not protest, punching the ball out of his net in frustration at what he thought was an early concession, yet VAR...

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