We were informed that the Premier League was set to resume on June 17, 2020 with Arsenal playing that all-important game in hand against Manchester City but with the expectations in place to wrap up this campaign in swift fashion, there was some probability that the fixture schedule was going to be insane. That’s why it came as no surprise when the FA approved the use of five substitutions, instead of the traditional three when the Premier League resumes in a couple of weeks.
For the remainder of the 2019/20 season, the number of substitutes that can be used during a match will increase from three to five players.
This is in line with the temporary law amendment made by the International Football Association Board last month.
Shareholders also approved for clubs to increase the maximum number of substitute players on the bench from seven to nine for the rest of the 2019/20 season.
Here’s the catch, there will only be three substitution windows, like it has always been but the key message here is that there are valid concerns over the fitnesses of players that haven’t kicked the ball in the best part of three months, and are now odds on to feature consistently in what I’d regard as one hell of a provisional hectic fixture schedule as shown below
| Date | Fixture | Venue | Time |
| Wed, June 17 | Aston Villa vs Sheffield United | Villa Park | 6.00pm |
| Wed, June 17 | Man City vs Arsenal | Etihad Stadium | 8.15pm |
| Fri, June 19 | Norwich vs Southampton | Carrow Road | 6.00pm |
| Fri, June 19 | Spurs vs Man Utd | New White Hart Lane | 8.15pm |
| Sat, June 20 | Watford vs Leicester | Vicarage Road | 12.30pm |
| Sat, June 20 | Brighton vs Arsenal | Amex Stadium | 3.00pm |
| Sat, June 20 | West Ham vs Wolves | London Stadium | 5.30pm |
| Sat, June 20 | Bournemouth vs Crystal Palace | Vitality Stadium | 7.45pm |
| Sun, June 21 | Newcastle United vs Sheffield United | St. James Park | 2.00pm |
| Sun, June 21 | Aston Villa vs Chelsea | Villa Park | 4.30pm |
| Sun, June 21 | Everton vs Liverpool | Goodison Park | 7.00pm |
| Mon, June 22 | Man City vs Burnley | Etihad Stadium | 8.00pm |
| Tue, June 23 | Southampton vs Arsenal | St. Mary’s Stadium | 6.00pm |
| Tue, June 23 | Spurs vs West Ham | London Stadium | 8.15pm |
| Wed, June 24 | Man Utd vs Sheffield United | Old Trafford | 6.00pm |
| Wed, June 24 | Newcastle United vs Aston Villa | St. James Park | 6.00pm |
| Wed, June 24 | Norwich vs Everton | Carrow Road | 6.00pm |
| Wed, June 24 | Liverpool vs Crystal Palace | Anfield | 8.15pm |
| Thu, June 25 | Burnley vs Watford | Turf Moor | 6.00pm |
| Thu, June 25 | Leicester vs Brighton | King Power Stadium | 6.00pm |
| Thu, June 25 | Chelsea vs Manchester City | Stamford Bridge | 8.15pm |
| Thu, June 25 | Wolves vs Bournemouth | Molineux | 8.15pm |
| Sun, June 28 | Aston Villa vs Wolves | Villa Park | 12.00pm |
| Sun, June 28 | Watford vs Southampton | Vicarage Road | 4.30pm |
| Mon, June 29 | Crystal Palace vs Burnley | Selhurst Park | 8.00pm |
| Tue, June 30 | Brighton vs Man Utd | Amex Stadium | 6.00pm |
| Tue, June 30 | Sheffield United vs Spurs | Bramall Lane | 8.15pm |
| Wed, July 1 | Bournemouth vs Newcastle United | Vitality Stadium | 6.00pm |
| Wed, July 1 | Everton vs Leicester | Goodison Park | 6.00pm |
| Wed, July 1 | West Ham vs Chelsea | London Stadium | 8.15pm |
| Thu, July 2 | Arsenal vs Norwich | Emirates Stadium | 6.00pm |
| Thu, July 2 | Man City vs Liverpool | Etihad Stadium | 8.15pm |
When you add Arsenal’s FA Cup quarterfinal clash against Sheffield United which has been scheduled for Saturday, June 27, 2020, it would mean that Mikel Arteta’s side will play five games in sixteen days, which is pretty insane if you ask me. With the games coming thick and fast, it only makes sense to have five substitutions which will give the gaffer the opportunity to rotate the squad well and keep the team fresh.
We have gone from there’s no more football to how will we watch all this football!
Finally, our friends at Unisport Store published a very cool infographic that shows a complete overview of all Arsenals kits, what boots the players wear, the gloves that goalkeeper’s wear and small “did you know” stories. Check it out below
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