Phillip Buckley
It seems that not a season passes where questions are not asked of the English League Cup. The importance of the competition has fluctuated in recent seasons, yet when the games are played the media treat it with the same respect it once held. But with fixture congestion increasing, especially for the biggest clubs in the Premier League, Europe holding more reward than ever, and weakened teams being fielded by the most unlikely of clubs, what is the future of the League Cup?
There was a time when the League Cup was treated with the utmost respect. The biggest teams in the land would never have dreamt of putting out an under-strength side, and success in the competition was almost the equivalent of the FA Cup, back when that competition still held mythical status. The 1980s saw the League Cup have huge importance as it witnessed finals between Liverpool and Tottenham, Liverpool and Manchester United, Liverpool and Everton and Liverpool and Arsenal.
You might spot the pattern. Liverpool dominated the League Cup, but that was only representative of their dominance at the time. Looking at the competition in the mid to late 1990s, Manchester United’s period of unrivalled dominance, they reached but one final, and didn’t win the trophy once. Not that United fans will lose much sleep over their lack of League Cup success.
Why was the trophy once so important though? Well, when European football was not as all encompassing as it is now the League Cup provided welcome and wanted silverware. The European Cup simply saw the winners of each respective league competing in a knockout competition. Whilst the ties were played over two legs, one bad performance, one bad result, would probably mean elimination. There was also no special system designed to keep the bigger clubs apart. In 1978 Liverpool (as holders) met champions Nottingham Forest in the first round. After losing the first leg 2-0, Liverpool could not overturn the deficit and went out. Such a situation would be unlikely to happen today as clubs from the same countries are kept apart and UEFA have a strict seeding system. In the past quite simply, there was room for the League Cup.
Following the banning of English clubs from European competition in the mid 80s, the League Cup had even less competition and produced some memorable finals. Winning the trophy would have been a huge plus for any manager’s CV. Today it is no guarantee of future employment (both Juande Ramos and Gerard Houllier left Tottenham and Liverpool despite winning the League Cup in their final year in charge) or respect.
Since 2000 there have been members of the so called "big four" who have lifted League Cup silverware, namely Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. However, when you look a little deeper everything isn’t as rosy as that fact would make it appear. Chelsea began to take the League Cup very seriously following Jose Mourinho’s arrival at Stamford Bridge. Mourinho knew the confidence value of winning silverware and its propensity to necessitate a culture of success. With a squad of two quality players for every position too, Mourinho didn’t have to worry about player burnout.
Liverpool under Gerard Houllier again saw the League Cup as a means of building a winning culture in the club. Indeed, anyone who speaks to Houllier will know the extent to which he credits the club’s success in the FA Cup and UEFA Cup in 2001 to the earlier League Cup win. It gave the players a taste of glory, and made them hungry for more. At a time when Liverpool were not in the Champions League, and unlikely to challenge for the title, the League Cup was a trophy well worth having.
Manchester United’s win in 2006 was their first in the competition since 1992. Sir Alex Ferguson likes to use the League Cup to try his younger more inexperienced players and in 2006 they showed their quality in making the final. The League Cup was never a priority for Ferguson, but when the final was reached he could not turn down more silverware and many of the younger players made way for seasoned pros.
But disrespect from the big sides is perhaps the least of the League Cup’s worries at the moment. What is more concerning is the growing trend of smaller Premier League clubs to field weakened sides in the competition. Upon Fulham exiting the competition at the hands of Burnley this season, Fulham boss Roy Hodgson explained the decision not to field his best team. "The Premier League is our priority and some of my players have niggling injuries". Hodgson’s comments illustrate that the trend of fielding a weakened side in the League Cup, which began with big clubs, has now spread worryingly down the Premier League table.
At the time of writing the League Cup is at the semi-final stage and two of the clubs involved are from the Championship. Derby and Burnley do both deserve their place in the last four of the competition, beating Premier League sides along the way. But what is strange is that teams outside the Premier League big four are not there. The League Cup should represent a perfect opportunity for any team in the Premier League to gain silverware, yet all too often many are choosing to sacrifice it in favour of the league.
Prioritising the Premier League ahead of the League Cup is perfectly understandable; after all, being in the Premier League is a licence to print money and also the "bread and butter" of any club’s existence. But sides also exist to win trophies and bring success for them and their supporters. Without European football to contend with, and the League Cup likely to be their best chance of silverware, is it unreasonable to expect clubs like Fulham to give the League Cup a high status?
What could help the League Cup is if the Football League decided to introduce new rules governing squads, in the same way the Champions League and UEFA Cup require clubs to submit squad lists before the competitions begin. If the list were limited in number to 17 or 18 perhaps, then teams like Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and others would have to make a decision at the outset. Of course they could select a number of younger and reserve players, but then, should they find themselves with a realistic chance of success later down the line they could not suddenly bring in the seasoned pros.
All too often in the past teams like Liverpool and Tottenham have looked to the League Cup to save their season. With strict squad lists they would not suddenly be able to switch their attention. If the League Cup was not good enough at the start of the season then why should it be good enough half way through?
The future of the League Cup is still far from certain; however it does have one saving grace, even as the impact of money rather than silverware governs the selection policies of more and more Premier League sides. The UEFA Cup spot granted through winning the trophy ensures that it will continue to command the attention of the footballing public for at least a few days a year. Whilst for failing managers it could buy them longer in the job, though fans may not thank the League Cup for that.
