EXCLUSIVE: Pep Guardiola gets his wish as EFL pass rule to allow five substitutions during Carabao Cup ties for the remainder of the competition this season
- Clubs will be allowed to make five substitutes in the Carabao Cup from now on
- The change in the rules comes after a charm offensive by Pep Guardiola
- The Manchester City manager has been strongly campaigning for the change
Pep Guardiola has triumphed in his bid for five substitutions to be allowed in the rest of the Carabao Cup.
As Sportsmail revealed earlier this month, the Manchester City boss was behind a campaign to increase the number of permitted interchanges from three to five for the remainder of the competition.
At the time, chance of success were described as ‘unlikely’. However, as this newspaper also revealed, a charm offensive saw 14 of the 16 sides remaining in the tournament give their backing to Pep’s plan.
Pep Guardiola has won his battle to secure more substitutes in the Carabao Cup this season
Each contacted the EFL to voice their opinions – and an announcement to confirm the change is likely in the near future.
Guardiola will no doubt be delighted with the change, which will allow him to give more minutes to more players.
City have won the League Cup four times in a row under the Catalan’s watch.
Last year, in the thick of the Covid crisis, the EFL agreed to increase the number of subs permitted for the semi-finals and final, setting a precedent in the process.
Clubs who have already gone out of the competition may well raise eyebrows, given they were unable to make additional changes in earlier rounds.
The City boss was behind a campaign to increase the number of permitted interchanges