Why Liverpool could bring Dejan Lovren on vs Everton under new Premier League substitution rules

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Liverpool returned to Premier League action against Everton in the Merseyside derby on Sunday.

Yet, after the coronavirus shutdown, new Premier League rules have been added that will take some time to get used to.

That includes the amount of substitutions each team is allowed to make in 90 minutes.

Some fans watching on were surprised that Dejan Lovren was allowed to come onto the pitch as a substitute despite Jurgen Klopp having already made substitutions in three goes.

So, what are the new rules regarding substitutions? And why have the Premier League changed their rules?

What are the new substitution rules?

Usually, each team is allowed to make three substitutions, with seven players on the bench to choose from.

Due to the current situation, every team is allowed to name nine players on the bench and make five changes during the match.

Despite the change, managers will have to choose wisely as each team has to make the permitted five substitutes in three different segments.

For instance, a manager could not stop the game on five separate occasions to make the five changes – to dismiss any chance of time-wasting.

However, half-time does not count as a stoppage.

That means Klopp was able to stop the game three times to make his substitutions alongside making one at half-time.

Why have the rules changed?

With players not being in the peak condition they would usually be in at this point of the season, the Premier League have allowed more substitutions per game for every side.

As well as this, there are 92 matches to complete in a less than two-month window, so fixtures will be closer together.

This of course increases the chance of players picking up muscular injuries, so managers will be determined to give them all the rest they can.