As England get set to take on Italy in the European Championship final, Gareth Southgate will be thinking about how and when to use his subs during the big game.
The luxury of having substitutes to use at your disposal is paramount to a team's success in winning games, but how many will Southgate be allowed to use in Sunday's coveted final?
As a result of the coronavirus pandemic, Euro 2020 became the first major tournament in which five substitutes can be used by each team.
The measures were announced by UEFA in March in order to help ease player workload at the end of an intense season compressed by the COVID-19 outbreak.
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An official UEFA statement read: "As the reasons for the five-substitutions rule remain valid against the background of national and international football calendars affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and given that the rule is already in place for the World Cup qualification matches that will run from March 2021 to March 2022.
"It was decided to extend the amendment to UEFA Euro 2020 in June/July 2021, the UEFA Nations League finals in October 2021 and the UEFA Nations League relegation play-outs in March 2022."
Almost all top-level football typically deploys three subs but that changed last season, including in the Champions League, where five were also used.
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In fact, the Premier League was the only top division in Europe not to have allowed five substitutes for the 2020-21 season.
And with the Euro 2020 final within touching distance, players will go on a much-needed break with the campaign kicking off on 14th August.
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Euro 2020, England, Italy
