Guardiola says Man City will not 'waste energy' on Carabao Cup
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that the club will not "waste energy" on the Carabao Cup. Instead, the Spanish boss is set to focus on bigger competitions, such as the Premier League and Champions League. The coach's comments came following City's narrow Carabao Cup win against Watford on Tuesday. The reigning English champions […]
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has claimed that the club will not "waste energy" on the Carabao Cup. Instead, the Spanish boss is set to focus on bigger competitions, such as the Premier League and Champions League. The coach's comments came following City's narrow Carabao Cup win against Watford on Tuesday.
The reigning English champions jumped out to an early lead on the night thanks to goals from first-team regulars Jeremy Doku and Matheus Nunes. Watford thought they got back into the game through a wonderful strike from Kwadwo Baah in the 21st minute. Nevertheless, the goal was disallowed due to an apparent foul by the forward. Replays, however, showed that the challenge from Baah was shoulder to shoulder.
City was forced to play the match less than 50 hours after the grueling game against Arsenal. As a result, only Doku and Kyle Walker retained their place in the starting XI on Tuesday. Highly rated youngsters James McAtee, Nico O'Reilly, and 16-year-old defender Kaden Braithwaite were included in Guardiola's lineup.
Guardiola has lifted Carabao Cup four times with City
The victory against the Championship side puts City into the fourth round of the competition. Although the exact date of their next Carabao Cup game is not yet known, the fourth round is scheduled for either October 29th or 30th. This would be sandwiched between two Premier League matches. City hosts Southampton on October 26th and then travels to Bournemouth on November 2nd.
As the fixture list begins to pile up, Guardiola has already warned fans that he will pick reserves in the next Carabao Cup matchup. "The next round, I announce you, I play the second team," stated Guardiola. "We are not going to waste energy, for sure."
"The schedule is the schedule. We cannot handle it anyway. Today for [James] McAtee, Matheus [Nunes], Jack [Grealish], Phil [Foden], who didn't play, the young lad, 16 years old, it's perfect. That's why it's a good competition. Otherwise, we wouldn't win four in a row."
Guardiola, however, insisted that he still wants to win the Carabao Cup, despite his comments. "We play to go through," continued the coach. "We never throw a competition. Never. But we played 50 hours ago. I'm not going to [take] a risk with the Premier League and the Champions League in this competition."
The Spanish manager has previously taken the Carabao Cup very seriously. No other coach has collected more trophies in the competition than Guardiola. City lifted four consecutive Carabao Cup titles from 2018 to 2021.
Star City midfielder recently suffered significant knee injury
Guardiola's remarks come as superstar midfielder Rodri suffered a serious knee injury against Arsenal. City officials confirmed on Wednesday that the Spaniard endured ligament damage to his right knee.
The club, however, opted not to reveal how long Rodri will be on the sidelines. Recent reports have suggested that the star could miss the remainder of the 2024/25 season. Fellow midfielder Kevin De Bruyne is also nursing an injury.
Just days before the injury, Rodri claimed that players could go on strike to combat fixture congestion. Soccer's governing bodies have received heat for expanding several competitions in recent months. Top international players featuring for big clubs could soon play up to 85 total matches within a year.
Guardiola is far from the only coach to shift focus away from the Carabao Cup. The tournament launched in 1960 as a secondary knockout competition to the FA Cup. Many managers from big clubs regularly play a mix of backup players and youngsters in the tournament. It is typically a way to give certain players more time on the pitch.
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