Is this season’s Carabao Cup one everyone wants to win? | OneFootball

Among the bigger sides, the Carabao Cup is often shifted down the list of priorities. Some, arrogantly, have labelled the tournament a second-rate cup competition, cast into the shadow of the Premier League and Champions League.

This season’s semi-final lineup, however, is a fascinating one. On Wednesday night, Arsenal, Liverpool and Newcastle United all booked their place in the final four. This evening, one of Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United will join them.

Perhaps, for the first time, all four teams will be desperate to win this competition for different reasons.

Liverpool are the holders and Arne Slot’s selection at Southampton indicated a defence is not the priority for the Reds. Unexpectedly leading the Premier League title race, the clash at St Mary’s saw the Dutchman afford much-needed rest to the likes of Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.

For Slot, however, winning the Carabao Cup would see him turn a superb start at Anfield into a silverware-winning one. Under huge pressure when replacing Jurgen Klopp in the summer, claiming the first major trophy of the season would show he too can get Liverpool over the line in finals.

Arsenal, meanwhile, are approaching five years without a major trophy. For all of their progress under Mikel Arteta, the Spaniard was forced to defend his trophy record this week. Pointing out a pair of Community Shield victories during his tenure did little to ease the pressure on him to turn improvement into tangible reward.

Newcastle United eased into the semi-finals with victory over Brentford at St James’ Park. Runners-up in this competition two years ago, the Magpies are aiming to break one of English football’s longest trophy droughts.

Newcastle’s most recent trophy was the 1969 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup. Their last domestic trophy stretches back even longer, with almost 70 years since FA Cup success in 1955. That aforementioned final loss in 2023 was the club’s first domestic decider this side of the new millennium. Amid new investment in recent seasons, a long-suffering fanbase has fresh hope.

The final semi-finalists will be confirmed on Thursday night. Spurs are seeking to end their own trophy drought, having not won silverware since lifting this competition in 2008. Back in August, Ange Postecoglou boldly declared he ‘usually wins things’ in his second season.

“Usually in my second season, I win things. That’s the whole idea,” he said to Sky Sports.

“First year is about establishing principles and creating a foundation. Hopefully, the second year is going onto win things. Of course, it’s easier said than done, particularly in the Premier League and the competition we’re in. That’s always the way I’ve looked at it, is that the second year you should be in a position where you can push on, depending on how the first year has gone.”

Confidence from the Australian? Or unneeded added pressure? The Spursy jibes still haunt an inconsistent side who have excelled in moments and flattered to deceive in others.

And what of Ruben Amorim and Manchester United? Brought in as Erik ten Hag’s replacement, domestic cup successes were not enough to save his predecessor’s skin. That said, early success on that front could be the perfect platform for revival at Old Trafford.

The Carabao Cup has been discredited in recent years, but this season’s semi-finals have a different feel. For all involved, success would be more than an added bonus.

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