There are only a couple of hours until now City kick off their 2010/2011 Carling Cup campaign against last years winners Birmingham City. And I’m sorry to say I’m feeling a bit indifferent about the whole thing at the moment. I hope that changes. In the past I’ve always been a bit critical of Arsenal and others who field weakened sides in the Carling Cup and treat it with disrespect. But when it’s my team and we play a massive game against Everton on Saturday, who are traditionally something of a bogey team for us, followed by a trip to Munich on the Tuesday after that, I’m starting to see things a little differently.
But is there a difference between squad rotation and fielding a weakened team? Personally, I think so.
Resting the first choice members of the team and starting with players just on the fringe, giving them a chance to prove they should be included on Saturday at 3pm is squad rotation for me. I hope we will do this tonight with Tevez, Balotelli, Johnson, K Toure, Zabaleta, Hargreaves, Savic and Pantilimon. Starting youth team players (who the flip are Fryers and Amos?) in Englands 2nd domestic cup competition is disrepectful.
I know that we in all likelihood we will field youth players tonight, and there’s an argument for giving them game experience, but I think lower league loans and substitute appearances are the better time for this to happen.
We’ve won one trophy in 35 years so I for one don’t want us to run before we can walk. I’d love a day out to Wembley and another trophy in the bag so I hope we respect this competition and do our utmost to win it – obviously without sacrificing our chances of winning the Premier League and advancing from the group stages of the Champions League. It’s not that long ago that we were desperate to win this trophy, when we were in the semi final against United and Gary Cock Cook was making us look stupid by telling the World and his mum that we were the bestest team around and we were going to win everything.
At least those days are behind us…
A Man City fan since the age of 14 and lover of both watching and playing football football since I can remember, I've spent a decade and a half watching City enthrall, excite and disappoint me in equal measures.
