It’s been announced today that FIFA are proposing the number of substitutions in a match be increased from three to five. This is a way they found for clubs to protect their players in case they have to play several games in a short period once the season resumes.
Portuguese radio station Renascença has been commenting on it during the Bola Branca show today, and to bring some professional information to it, they invited Wolverhampton Wanderers physical coach João Lapa.
The 36-year-old has welcomed the decision, since it would give the teams a better management of their players. He also pointed out that English clubs are already used to playing many games in a short period, but in different conditions.
“Any measures or solutions that can be presented that have some capacity to provide protection to the players, and have the possibility to do so, I think it can be an asset. It will depend on what each team will want to do with their players, and what you’ve done so far, all of this will have an influence on the next games,” João Lapa told Bola Branca.
“In England the teams are prepared to play many games throughout the year, with very busy schedules, but the truth is that we come back from a different period, with many constraints, the preparation itself will be different, because when the teams return to training not everything will be the same. Therefore, the fact that there may be more substitutions is an advantage.”
With physical coaches not knowing when the season will be resumed, he says they would need a mini pre-season so players could get fit in time.
“We have to think about what lies ahead, and we’re trying to prepare in the best way to return to the new normality, which will be training sessions with fewer players. It’s a mini pre-season with some conditions, as it happens at the season break, where the players also do some physical work, and just adjust some details. The fact that there are still no set dates for the return becomes more difficult, because we’re never sure when we could increase the loads, and that makes decisions a little more difficult.”
He’s also talked a little about the work players have been having at home.
“The player isn’t only a physical body, he also has his mental part, the wellbeing of each one is fundamental. At Wolverhampton, we work with experts in that area, and they’re very attentive and following the players. We’re very aware of what needs to be done to give the greatest support to the players in what can influence and intervene directly with the performance, so that when we return to the competition they are in the best possible conditions.”
