Burnley boss Sean Dyche has laughed off claims of a row with Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp over his demand for more substitutions.
Despite insisting three is plenty even in the current climate, Dyche has now cheekily upped the ante, claiming he would be pushing for seven subs if he was in charge of the Reds.
Klopp claims Dyche's three-subs argument is putting player welfare at risk, but the Burnley boss insists he has no axe to grind and said: “If I'm now the Liverpool manager, do you think I want five subs?
“Of course, I do, exactly. If I was at that level at that club I'd say the same. In fact, I'd say I wanted seven subs because I've got all these top-class footballers who want to play and the more I can get them on the pitch, the better."
Clubs voted last season against permanently allowing the five subs used during Operation Restart in 2020, and Dyche is happy to fight his corner for smaller sides worried a return would benefit the larger squads of the Premier League big guns.
He added: “People suggested I was talking about Liverpool and I wasn't. The fact is their challenge is different to ours. Their success brings lots more games.
“If you're facing my challenge now, you say, 'Hang on a minute, does five subs give me more power? No, it doesn't, because I haven't got 25 world-renowned figures in my squad'.
“By common sense, five subs would benefit them, but it's not about the big clubs, it's about the Premier League – and they make the decisions, so there's no pressure on me as a manager.
“To say I wouldn't be in favour of five subs is a misconception. My view is that the superpower clubs just have a bit more leeway because they carry big squads of top international players. If you can change five of those, it must be some kind of advantage."
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