We travel to Exeter City tomorrow with our hosts at something of a disadvantage due to international call-ups.
Prior to last weekend, Gary Caldwell’s side were short two players – Northern Ireland’s Josh Magennis and Finland’s Ilmari Niskanen. That had Caldwell unhappy, but then earlier this week, on-loan midfielder Kamari Doyle was called up from the England Under 20 standby list, making it three players out.
However, as Doyle’s call-up came late, Exeter were not able to postpone the match, and will now face City minutes three players who have contributed five goals, four assists and made a collective 38 appearances in League One alone – including cup games, they have nine goals.
The irony is that Doyle’s call-up was necessitated by withdrawals from the squad. One of those withdrawals was Nico O’Reilly, who played against the Imps for Manchester City U21s after pulling out of the England setup.
In his pre-match interview, Michael Skubala was asked about the situation facing the Grecians and how that affects the Imps as we head down the M5 tonight.
“It’s really out of my control, to be honest,” Skubala said. “It’s the EFL rules, and they’re there for everybody to see and understand. Whether I agree or disagree is pretty irrelevant.
“Unfortunately, I think this is probably one of those rules that hurts them at this point. But for me, I think these things tend to even out over the course of a season. Whatever the situation, you’re always going to find moments as a club where you might not want to play a game or where you do, depending on whether you want your best players available.
“That said, I do believe these things balance themselves out. I can’t change the rules, and neither can they. So, from where we are, regardless of how I feel about it, we just have to make sure it doesn’t affect our preparation or mentality going into the game.”
Gary Caldwell has been quick to point out the disadvantage, which is clever management of the situation as it allows Exeter a ‘free hit’ almost, something that Michael is mindful of.
“Sometimes situations like this can galvanize a group, so we need to be mindful of that as well,” he added. “It could give opportunities to players who haven’t been playing, and they might be eager to take their chance. Sometimes that works in your favour too. So, I think it’s a double-edged sword in that respect. But yeah, it’s definitely out of my control who makes these decisions.”
From a fan perspective, even if it does give us a perceived advantage, it feels grossly unfair on the home side. It feels that perhaps if the game was not scheduled for Sky TV, then there might have been more flexibility in the EFL’s decision.
The added complication of a 12:30 kick-off is also a factor, although it’s highly unlikely the EFL would give a flying rat’s ass about supporters travelling. If this decision has been influenced by anything, it’s simply the Sky TV money.
It reminds me a little of a game we played against Oxford a couple of seasons ago, when we had a raging injury crisis, and call-ups but, if memory serves, only two players were called up and we had to push on with the game.
It’s certainly a situation that will ignite a discussion around international breaks extending deeper into the EFL in the near future.
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