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Opinion: Premier League needs more flexibility as we approach the hectic part of the season

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So this isn’t necessarily an opinion that just affects Fulham, but it’s certainly one that could affect them going forward.

But with the Christmas and New Year’s schedule now officially on the horizon (pretty much starting with next midweek’s game with Brighton and Hove Albion), the cries from the likes of Jürgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola regarding substitutes and the stress on the players, especially if their past form is anything to go by.

It’s a discussion that has been going on for some time now, and I’m pretty sure that we will get some sort of debate about it again this year, when you combine the usually busy schedule with the truncated season on top of that, something is going to have to give. One way to do that would be to increase the subs allowed per match, something that Scott Parker has said in the past he is vehemently against.

Do you agree with Parker's comments?

Yes

No

However, I think a better way to get around it would be to expand the squads. At the moment clubs can only have 25 man squads to choose from (as well as academy players and so on), but I think once the January window rolls around, in order to allow for more rotation and as backups in case of emergency, I think they need to scrap that limit or at the very least increase it, say to 30, just until the end of the season.

If that means that clubs can bring in those that didn’t make the cut, as we did with Stefan Johansen, Kevin McDonald, Jean-Michel Seri and Josh Onomah, or if they want to buy the players to help them get through these next six months, the choice is theirs.

But I do think that the winter pileup, combined with what we’ve already dealt with in terms of injuries, there is going to be a breaking point, and having more players available is possibly the best way for the clubs to help navigate their way through it.

What about you? Do you think something needs to be done to help clubs get through these next few months?

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