Pep Guardiola has emphasized that Manchester City will not “waste energy” on the Carabao Cup due to a congested schedule that the club “cannot handle.”
The Spanish manager made nine changes to the starting lineup that faced Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday, leading to a narrow 2-1 victory over Watford in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday evening.
While key players like Phil Foden, Jack Grealish, Kyle Walker, and John Stones were included in the starting XI, several other star players, including Erling Haaland, were rested.
This strategy allowed 16-year-old left-back Kaden Braithwaite and 19-year-old midfielder Nico O’Reilly to make their debuts.
Pep Guardiola confirmed that he will not risk fielding his strongest team in the fourth round either.
He plans to prioritize the Premier League and the Champions League, allowing fringe players to showcase their talents in the League Cup.
After beating Watford, Guardiola told reporters: “The next round, I announce to you, I will play the second team.
“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 [against Arsenal], 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.”
“We play to go through,” he added.
“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.”
Manchester City won the Carabao Cup four consecutive times between 2018 and 2021.
However, this season, Pep Guardiola has placed the competition lower on his list of priorities, focusing instead on defending the Premier League title and reclaiming the Champions League trophy from Real Madrid.
Read more: Arne Slot eager to write new chapter in Liverpool’s rich history in Carabao Cup
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Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me.