This year more than any other the Carabao Cup is not the Mickey Mouse cup… just ask the four desperate semi-finalists
FOR many years, it was the after-thought competition.
A cup that nobody really cared about.
An opportunity to give the reserves an autumn run-out.
And the prime candidate to be the first on the chopping board if something had to give in the increasingly crowded calendar.
Yet this week, for all four clubs and managers involved in the Carabao Cup semi-finals, it is not just important – it is vital.
The chance to exorcise a 50-year-old ghost, prove words of promise have merit and substance, set down a marker or show the challenge for bigger prizes is a real one.
It means, too, that none of Eddie Howe, Ange Postecoglou, Arne Slot or Mikel Arteta will be thinking of taking anything lightly or resting their best players for future encounters. This matters far too much for that.
For Howe and Postecoglou, in particular, the pressures from outside their in-house environment are huge.
The Toon boss does not need telling that EVERY Newcastle fan craves silverware – especially as the majority of them were not even alive the last time the club won a trophy.
Indeed, even that trophy – the 1969 Inter City Fairs Cup, earned by a 6-2 aggregate final victory over Hungarians Ujpest Dozsa – is no longer viewed by Uefa as being a “real” one, with the European governing body only recognising its successor competition, the Uefa Cup.
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On five occasions since then, the Toon Army has travelled to Wembley desperately hoping to see history made.
And on all five occasions, the latest in 2023 when Newcastle lost to give Erik ten Hag his Manchester United false dawn, they have marched back to the North East beaten and bedraggled.
Howe knows more than anyone what a trophy would mean, not just for the club, but also for himself.
An underpinning and underlining of the progress he has made despite financial fair play restrictions preventing him from being able to take full advantage of the club’s Saudi ownership.
Bringing home the trophy bacon, having beaten Chelsea, Arsenal and either Spurs or Liverpool along the way, would make a huge difference to his authority – and make him a true local hero.
But it is almost as important for Arteta, whose side host Newcastle in Tuesday’s first leg.
Yes, the Spaniard did win silverware at the end of his first half-season at the Emirates.
But the 2020 FA Cup final victory over Chelsea came in front of 90,000 empty seats, three months after it was supposed to be played and with the world still reeling from the pandemic.
Arteta and Arsenal have gone close since then but have yet to deliver.
Putting a “real” one on the board in March would not only be a statement of intent but also a message to Liverpool in particular ahead of the final Prem straight.
The first is always the hardest. Landing the Carabao would be proof, if any of his dressing room needed it, that Arteta and the “process” are worth trusting.
The Gunners have failed to win the League Cup since their 2-1 Wembley win over Sheffield Wednesday in 1993.
Four-and-a-half miles up the Seven Sisters Road, Postecoglou had been the author of his own book of increasing pressure.
His early season boast that he “always wins a trophy in his second season” might have been about taking the heat off his players but it now appears an albatross around their necks.
Yes, Spurs have suffered horribly with injuries, with only Pedro Porro of their first – potentially second – choice back line available to face a Liverpool side who hit them for six before Christmas.
But many Tottenham fans are pointing fingers at Postecoglou’s style of play for exposing his players to so many muscle issues – as happened at Celtic, too.
For some, ruefully thinking back three decades, Postecoglou is now “Aussie Ardiles” – determined to go all-in even if he has a pair of threes in his best poker hand.
And with anger and frustration at chairman Daniel Levy being sung vocally at every game, home and away, and Spurs four points closer to the drop zone than a Champions League spot, Postecoglou is exposed and vulnerable.
Tottenham's top 10 biggest signings: Hit or miss?
1) Tanguy Ndombele – £52.7m
Ndombele joined from Lyon in 2019 with huge expectations after shattering Tottenham’s transfer record.
But he would go on to play just 91 times for the club, scoring 10 goals and is now set to leave one year before the end of his contract.
2) Richarlison – £49.3m
Richarlison almost broke the £50m mark when he arrived from Everton in 2022 as Harry Kane’s back-up.
And while his tally of 12 goals this season was a significant increase on the three from his opening Spurs campaign, he is being linked with a departure this summer.
3) Brennan Johnson – £46.8m
Johnson was signed by Ange Postecoglou last summer and has impressed in patches during his first season in North London.
He scored five goals and 10 assists in 38 games and will look to build on that in the 2024/25 campaign.
4) Cristian Romero – £44.2m
Romero initially joined on loan from Atalanta in 2021, before his impressive displays saw him secure a permanent deal the following year.
He is two games shy of 100 for Spurs and, while he can be reckless with his tackling at times, is beginning to form a promising partnership with Micky van de Ven.
5) James Maddison – £39.4m
Maddison was handed Kane’s No10 shirt after arriving at Spurs and hit the ground running with three goals and five assists in his opening 11 matches.
But after getting injured against Chelsea in October, he failed to return with the same sharpness – managing just five goal contributions in 15 league matches as he missed out on England’s final 26-man squad for the Euros.
6) Davinson Sanchez – £35.7m
Sanchez joined Spurs from Ajax in 2017 and played more than 200 games across a six-year spell.
But he was always considered a somewhat erratic defender who did not play more than 20 games in a Premier League season from 2020 onwards.
7) Pedro Porro – £34m
Porro was another signing who originally arrived on loan in January 2023, before he signed permanently last summer.
He has 54 appearances for Spurs under his belt, scoring seven goals and impressing under Postecoglou this season.
8) Micky van de Ven – £34m
Rapid Dutch centre-back Van de Ven was named Spurs Player of the Season in his first campaign at the club.
His pace, athleticism, and technical ability on the ball have made him arguably Postecoglou’s best signing to date.
9) Moussa Sissoko – £29.8m
Sissoko came to North London for a substantial fee after being relegated with Newcastle and went on to enjoy five years at Tottenham, playing more than 200 games.
Unfortunately for the French midfielder, he is best-known for giving away a controversial penalty for handball in the first minute of Spurs’ 2-0 Champions League final defeat to Liverpool in 2019.
10) Giovani Lo Celso – £27.2m
Lo Celso joined on loan from Real Betis in 2019 – a deal that was made permanent the following season.
He has 10 goals and eight assists in 108 games, with some Spurs fans still unsure about the Argentine.
No such issues for Slot, who has turned the Jurgen Klopp inheritance into a blessing, rather than a curse.
Yet even the Dutchman will view a first trophy in English football as a significant milestone.
Klopp had to wait until his fourth season to have success. Slot could yet land Liverpool a QUADRUPLE inside 12 months of taking charge.
Landing the initial one at the earliest possible opportunity would be a milestone moment. Slot is all too aware of the message it would send out.
This year, this week, more than any other, it is definitely not the Mickey Mouse Cup. Just ask the four managers.