Pep Guardiola has said Manchester City will not “waste energy” on the Carabao Cup this season and will instead focus on the Premier League and Champions League.
City booked their place in the fourth round of the competition with a 2-1 win over Championship side Watford on Tuesday.
But Guardiola has promised that he will be able to call on his reserve team for the next tie, citing an already packed fixture schedule. “In the next round, I announce to you that I will play with the second team,” Guardiola said. “We will not waste any energy, for sure.”
Guardiola has taken the Carabao Cup seriously in the past, lifting the trophy four times in a row between 2018 and 2021.
But when asked to face Watford just 48 hours after a 2-2 draw with Arsenal, the City boss made nine changes to his side, including a debut for 16-year-old left-back Kaden Braithwaite and a competitive debut for 19-year-old midfielder Nico O'Reilly.
“The calendar is the calendar, we cannot manage it in any way,” Guardiola said. “As of today, [James] McAtee, Matheus [Nunes]Jacob [Grealish]Phil [Foden]who did not play [against Arsenal]the boy, 16 years old, is perfect.
“That's why it's a good competition, otherwise we wouldn't win four in a row.”
Erling Haaland was given the night off against Watford, while key players such as Éderson, Rúben Dias and Bernardo Silva were named on the bench.
Guardiola insisted he still wants to win the Carabao Cup but hinted he will continue to leave out his regular first-team players as they chase a fifth successive Premier League title.
“We play to get through,” he added. “We never do 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.”
