Carling Cup Final Taking Shape — Yes, It Matters

The prospect of a Tottenham-Manchester United F.A. Cup final — a real 1970s throwback sort of matchup — would certainly have English soccer fans buzzing. From United fans hungry for another bit of silverware, to Spurs fans trying to save their dismal season, and then the rest trying to decide whether to cheer for the dark side of Manchester or a team despised by most of London.

The prospect of a United-Tottenham Carling Cup final, however, is a different story. Manchester United booked its spot on Wednesday by turning around a first-leg defeat against Derby, and Tottenham seems all but ready to lock up its berth after handily defeating Burnley the first time around.

In fact, no matter what the matchup is, the Carling Cup seldom creates any excitement, even though it is smack in the dead of February. As a competition, it is always the fourth one on a team’s wish list. But over the last decade, the Carling Cup, generically known as the League Cup, has acquired a significance of its own, one that isn’t so geared to the fans as it is to the clubs and managers themselves.

Beginning with managers like Arsene Wenger of Arsenal and Alex Ferguson of Manchester United, top Premier League sides have used it as a proving ground for young talent, players on the fringes of the first team. And that is where the Carling Cup becomes interesting.

It can be a window into a team’s future — Cesc Fabregas, for instance, made his first major impressions in the tournament — with none of the risks of fielding players as young as 16. For top clubs, there is really nothing at stake. Of course, they frequently can’t help themselves and have a contingent of here-comes-the-cavalry players on the bench. On Wednesday, Paul Scholes and Cristiano Ronaldo made a rare start as substitutes for Man United.

And for the smaller clubs, without the luxury of tinkering with their squad, it provides rare opportunities to take Premier League scalps — just look at Derby winning the first leg against United or Burnley making the this season’s semifinals.

Though it may not provide the spectacle or the drama of a Champions League or F.A. Cup, the Carling Cup is certainly a worthwhile fixture on the English calendar — just for different reasons. Talk of doing away with it, which swirls around every so often, is simply missing the point.