As a childhood Tottenham supporter, the League Cup (EFL Cup) was without a doubt my favourite club competition.
Spurs’ sole chance of winning came from the regular usage of reserve squads by rivals like Manchester United and Arsenal.
Indeed, the Spurs triumphed in February 2008, a mere month after they had soundly defeated a youthful Gunners squad 6-2 in the quarterfinals.
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However, my fondness for the EFL Cup extended beyond this remarkable accomplishment.
I still love the competition and believe it has lately improved, even if the sponsored beverages have changed over the past 40 years—from milk to Coca-Cola to Worthington’s to Carling to Carabao.
Naturally, the FA Cup is more prestigious and has more prizes than the EFL Cup—winning teams in the FA Cup will receive a total of £2.5 million, while the EFL Cup winners will only receive £100,000 in prize money.
However, the Carabao Cup is better than the FA Cup for five key reasons.
1. Straight ahead of the sanctions
Not a reprise. There was not even a halftime break until the last four. Penalties are used immediately in the EFL Cup if there is still no winner after 90 minutes of play.
Shorter games also raise the possibility of unexpected results, which heightens the drama (a penalty shootout is never boring).
2. Below the illumination
Except for the championship, every EFL Cup game takes place at night.
It goes without saying that games in the evening are typically more exuberant.
3. Complete the drawing right away.
Cup drawings are a big affair, but like anything else, timing is everything.
The EFL Cup draws take place immediately following the final game of each round, but the FA Cup draws often take place several days later.
My favourite football memories are of winning a cup and then frantically dashing back to the car to hear the draw over the radio.
4. No Wembley semifinals
The FA Cup long ago stole Wembley’s soul. The national stadium that hosted the semifinals significantly detracts from the final’s unique quality.
The EFL Cup two-leg semifinals guarantee that every club will enjoy a memorable night in front of their home audience, whatever their imperfections.
This is far better than playing a one-off game in front of 20,000 empty seats at Wembley.
5. Lack of VAR
The previous season, all FA Cup matches played at Premier League stadiums employed video-assisted referees (VAR).
However, VAR isn’t used until the EFL Cup quarterfinals.
This suggests that fans of Premier League clubs can focus solely on the game for ninety minutes during an EFL Cup encounter. Even if the striker’s toenail had violated the rules, there was no turning back.
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