Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has announced that his team will not be prioritizing the Carabao Cup this season, despite their history of success in the competition.
Guardiola emphasized that City's congested schedule has forced him to shift focus to bigger prizes, such as the Premier League and the Champions League.
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Youth takes center stage for Man City in Carabao Cup
Guardiola made nine changes to the line-up that faced Arsenal in the Premier League, fielding a mix of young talent and key players in their narrow 2-1 win over Watford in the Carabao Cup.
While regular starters like Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, and Kyle Walker were involved, star names such as Erling Haaland were rested. This allowed rising talents like 16-year-old Kaden Braithwaite and 19-year-old Nico O'Reilly to make their debuts.
🔵✨ Manchester City confirm Kaden Braithwaite as part of starting XI against Watford.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 24, 2024
16 years, 183 days old as he’s the third youngest defender in Man City history.
He’s one of many Academy talents with Pep Guardiola very happy with his development. pic.twitter.com/Y94mC0UDt5
Guardiola confirmed his plan to continue using fringe players in the next round. “The next round, I announce to you, I will play the second team. We are not going to waste energy,” said the City boss. “The schedule is the schedule, we cannot handle it anyway.”
City have won the Carabao Cup four times in a row from 2018 to 2021, but Guardiola made it clear that this season, the competition is lower on his list of priorities. “We play to go through,” he explained. “But I’m not going to take risks with the Premier League and the Champions League.”
With little time to rest, City will face Newcastle United next in a crucial Premier League match on Saturday.
