Carabao Cup next season will undergo a deep overhaul following Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s complaints about the organization of the competition.
Under Guardiola’s watch, Manchester City have won the EFL Cup four times but the Spaniard has continuously kicked against domestic fixtures that force clubs playing in Europe into tight schedules.
Speaking after Manchester City defeated Chelsea in the 2023-24 FA Cup semifinal, the former Barcelona manager said he could be forced to play Manchester City’s Reserve Team next season if the organizers don’t do rejig the competition.
”Next season when we play the (expanded) Champions League, is the same week as the Carabao Cup. How are we going to play?’ Guardiola said on the heels of a threat that he would protest additional media responsibilities under congested conditions.
‘Will we play the Elite Development Squad in the Carabao Cup? After next season we go to the Club World Cup.
”We are incredibly happy, a lot of money, incredibly prestigious. But how many days do I give off to the players?, he said.
Pep Guardiola is not the only manager who has voiced his concern over congested domestic schedules as it affects clubs playing in Europe. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta also shared a similar opinion in the just-concluded campaign.
Former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp had also spoken expressly on the need to revisit how domestic fixtures are scheduled to ease the pressure on Premier League clubs playing in Europe.
Now, according to the Telegraph, the EFL Cup will undergo major changes next season with the organizers ready to overhaul the competition’s format.
The report adds teams in the competition will be ranked so that teams playing in Europe will not face each other, especially in the early stages.
There is also a plan to spread fixtures across weeks, and further plans for more changes.
The expected changes in the competition from next season has been linked to the complaints by club managers. However, the organizers of the competition have reportedly insisted the changes are not related to the calls for rescheduling of fixtures but a necessary tweak to avoid clashing with European club competitions next season.
