Premier League 24/25 rule changes will make Everton and Liverpool change approach

The start of the Premier League season is just days away. Liverpool kick off their new campaign with a trip to new boys Ipswich Town on Saturday afternoon, while Everton welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Goodison Park.

Manchester City became the first team to lift the English top flight on four consecutive occasions in May, and that came off the back of winning five trophies in 2023. At the other end of the table, Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton Town were all relegated to the Sky Bet Championship.

Sean Dyche has overseen something of a squad transformation at Goodison this summer, with five new recruits arriving. After back-to-back relegation battles, the hope is that the Blues will be away from danger this time around.

While it has so far been a summer of transition at Anfield with Arne Slot replacing Jurgen Klopp. However, when it comes to transfers, Liverpool remain the only club in the top-flight who are yet to sign a new player this summer.

But while Reds supporters currently have no new signings to watch in action this weekend, there are a number of new and updated rules set to be implemented. The Premier League has seen plenty of changes in recent seasons, from the introduction of video assistant referees (VAR) and the expansion of substitutes from three to five.

The new rules this season, however, are more subtle, and without being informed, they might even go unnoticed. Of course, rules can change during the season, and one that is expected is the introduction of semi-automatic offsides, although this will have to wait until after one of the first two international breaks.

Coming in as of this weekend is a change to the added time rules. Last season saw large amounts of minutes added on at the end of games, and to try and remedy this, goal celebrations will be accounted for differently.

Teams will be allowed 30 seconds after a goal is scored to get back into position; any time over this will be added to the additional time by officials. The IFAB has updated the laws for fouls and misconduct to the following: Clarification that non-deliberate handball offences for which penalties are awarded are to be sanctioned in the same way as fouls, which are an attempt to play the ball or a challenge for the ball.

Penalty kicks must see the ball either touch or overhang the centre of the penalty spot before being taken. Meanwhile, encroachment during penalty situations will only be penalised if it has an impact, such as an encroaching player scoring a rebound.

How team news is released has also changed. Teams will now be able to release their line-ups publicly 75 minutes before kick-off, as opposed to the previous allotted time of one hour.

In line with the expansion of substitutions from three to five, now teams will be able to have five substitutes warm up on the touchline at once as opposed to the previous three. Also, ball assistants positioned behind the goals can return the ball directly to the goalkeeper as opposed to a nearby cone; players and coaches delaying restarts from the technical area will be given yellow and red cards for infringements, respectively.