The League Cup has long been the subject of mockery. Nicknamed the ‘Mickey Mouse’ Cup, it has become an opportunity for clubs to rest their big players and give their often unused options a chance to play football.
When it was first founded in 1960, it was intended to be a more exclusive version of the FA Cup, now open to 92 clubs (top four tiers) rather than the 736 hosted by the older FA competition. However, this plan seems to have disintegrated.
Instead of more competitive football, the League Cup has become a setting for poor quality, often not even worth switching on the television for. On Tuesday evening, Liverpool made 11 changes against a much weakened Spurs side, symbolising the dismissive attitude of top tier clubs to the competition.
Winners of the FA Cup and the League Cup (now known as the EFL Cup), receive the same prize for winning – a place in the UEFA Europa League. Often this tournament is looked down upon by top clubs, due to the undesirable Thursday night fixtures and the focus on reaching the holy grail of European football – the Champions League.
However, this does not explain the discrepancy in quality between the FA Cup and the League Cup. This difference is due to the traditional and sentimental value of the FA Cup; something that the League Cup lacks. Since there is such a small interest in the latter competition, should it be abolished entirely?
I do not think that it should be completely removed. The League Cup does not serve any purpose to Premier League clubs, but does provide lower tier sides with an added opportunity to test their strength against top opposition. However, they rarely face this task due to the weak sides fielded by strong teams.
Therefore, I believe that top division teams should have to submit a separate squad for the League Cup. This squad must have a majority under-21 basis, and should have an increased quota of English players than the Premier League. This way,
Premier League teams can still provide their youngsters and unused options with minutes on the pitch; however English and youth football would improve substantially.
At the moment, the League Cup is sinking deeper into an abyss of insignificance. But if it can be reinvented as a competition for young and English talent, it would become a hotbed for scouts, youth academy analysis and an exciting naive style of play. This would be a refreshing break from the multitude of scoreless draws and gridlock performances on the weekend, and would differ dramatically from the often lethargic midweek games played by unmotivated players in the League Cup in its current format.
With a reinvigorated League Cup, fans would have a chance to examine their club and country’s future. It would certainly be worth switching on the television for.
Joshua Korber Hoffman is a 15-year-old football fanatic and Arsenal supporter. He writes a football blog called The Young Gun, in which his love for writing and the beautiful game intersect.