What will happen if five substitutions becomes a permanent change?

Most would accept that increasing from three to five subs in the remaining fixtures is a pragmatic and sensible move. Players will have been kept from their physical peak during the coronavirus pandemic, unable to access the best facilities and assistance to maintain their fitness.

When they came back to mixed training, there were limits on the kind of work they could do, and a short time frame meant that they were not as prepared as they would have been had they mirrored a full pre-season. By allowing three subs to be increased to five, the hardest running or most vulnerable players could still stay involved but they could be removed before they entered the ‘red zone’, when they are most at risk of strains and other injuries.

The change is set to become the norm for next season, , after a majority of leagues voted for its continuation next year. There is some understandable reluctance from some figures.

Roy Hodgson, Crystal Palace’s manager, has overseen an excellent season for his club so far. On one of the smaller budgets in the Premier League, his side stand in 14th assured of their safety for next season. While every club went into this current campaign expecting to need to call upon fourteen players at most, next year there will be up to sixteen players per match who may need to contribute.

The biggest, richest clubs will be able to acclimatise and adjust most easily. They could promote a couple of youngsters, signed from around the world at 15 and cosseted to technical perfection at 19, and move them to the first team as and when needed. Instead of spending £100 million on four players this year, they may spread that over five. While smaller clubs struggle financially, the most comfortable may even be able to exploit the coronavirus pandemic to pick up players in a firesale ahead of next season.

Less affluent clubs will find it tough. Their best players may be in heavier demand as clubs above them look to stock up, and less willing to pass up a chance for European football or a title challenge. They will have to cast their net down the leagues and further abroad to top up their numbers. Their relatively underfunded youth systems will be called upon to produce players to fill gaps with less expectation that their teenagers are ready, or ever will be. Of course there will be positive surprises and more players will get a chance than they might have otherwise, but it is hard to see that serving clubs well as they fight the pressures of a relegation battle.

There may be some subjective benefits, though. The very richest sides will be able to add more talent to their squad, as they promise younger players more minutes on the pitch than they might previously have expected. Senior players can share games and prominence, so perhaps egos and careers will be even better served at well-stocked sides. With fewer injuries and less time to expend the same amount of energy, the game could become even faster and physically more intense. The end product, at the very top, could become yet more compelling and of a higher level.

In turn, that could have effects that we do not anticipate. With five substitutes, we may see teams more willing to make early interventions. Underdogs who take an early lead may be prepared to introduce more defensive players as soon as they score - even in the first half - if they know they have the chance to rejig should they need to go back to chasing the game.

Knockout games could become yet more studied as the knife-edge of elimination can be managed by more subtle and frequent tactical interventions. The amount of physical exertion demanded of full-backs could become even more exacting if managers knew they would be certain of replacing at least one of them on the hour mark. Strikers, midfielders, anyone could be tasked with more specific roles of limited duration.

Once clubs adjust to the changes, the demands and the advantages, it is hard to see why the leagues will then vote to go back. There was no real reason to have more than two subs, but we changed to three. There was no desperate cause served by changing from three on the bench, to five to seven, to almost as many as you wish. Each time, the game has adapted calmly and with few drawbacks. The same seems likely to happen now.