The Top Flight
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Premier League clubs shouldn’t play in League Cup

By Freddie Boston

LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United celebrates victory with team mates and the trophy after The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on May 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths - The FA/The FA via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - MAY 21: Wayne Rooney of Manchester United celebrates victory with team mates and the trophy after The Emirates FA Cup Final match between Manchester United and Crystal Palace at Wembley Stadium on May 21, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths - The FA/The FA via Getty Images) /
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The League Cup, now branded as the EFL Cup, is a pointless competition for Premier League clubs, and it should either be removed completely or reformatted without teams from the top flight.

If a Premier League club fields a full strength team in the League Cup, they are likely in the final. Before that stage, many of the bigger teams simply don’t care about it.

The priority is with the league games, and for those in Europe, doing well in either the Champions League or Europa League. Fixtures can get congested, which makes it tough for teams to put out their strongest lineup in midweek when the game is sandwiched between Premier League games.

Managers of clubs like Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea aren’t determined by how many League Cups they win. League Cups won’t save them a job. Big teams are focused on winning the Premier League and Champions League.

This immediately waters down the competition, as we see reserve squads filled with young players lining up in the early round games. More often than not, these reserve teams are still strong enough up against Championship or lower competition. The quality of the League Cup is low until the final.

Last 10 League Cup finals

2016: Manchester City 1-1 Liverpool (Man City win on penalties)

2015: Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur

2014: Manchester City 3-1 Sunderland

2013: Swansea City 5-0 Bradford City

2012: Liverpool 2-2 Cardiff City (Liverpool win on penalties)

2011: Birmingham City 2-1 Arsenal

2010: Manchester United 2-1 Aston Villa

2009: Manchester United 0-0 Tottenham (Man United win on penalties)

2008: Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea

2007: Manchester United 4-0 Wigan

*Teams outside of Premier League listed in italic

In the past 10 finals only two teams — Bradford City and Cardiff City — didn’t come from the Premier League. Bradford were thumped in the final to Swansea, which is hardly good entertainment for the neutral.

The big teams don’t take the competition seriously unless they reach the final, but they still make it the distance. This means they must play a host of midweek games with youth players in their squads.

The competition lacks entertainment. Unlike the FA Cup, which is also struggling to retain its magic, it lacks the history and tradition.

The Football League can try and rebrand the competition as much as they like, but the fact remains it produces boring games, and Premier League teams don’t take it seriously.

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They don’t take it seriously but continue to win the trophy. If the Football League won’t scrap the competition completely, at least remove the Premier League clubs.

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