Key rule changes have been brought into this seasons Carabao Cup that will affect Leeds United’s season according to the Yorkshire Evening Post.
Leeds start their Carabao Cup campaign this week against Bolton and should they progress one of the new rule changes means they could face any side from the top four leagues. This is because clubs voted to remove the seeding element from the first two rounds of the tournament.
Should Leeds get a Premier League side next, VAR will be available as all top division sides will have access to it throughout the competition.
A big rule change when it comes to fitness is that extra-time has been scrapped this year and any draw after 90 minutes will go straight to penalties. Penalties have also seen a slight change, last season’s ABBA trial was unsuccessful and will now revert back to the traditional ABAB style.
Bookings will now not carry over to the league and will be competition-specific, which will certainly help Kalvin Phillips and Pontus Jansson, who got the most yellow cards for the West Yorkshire side last season, avoid any unnecessary suspensions.
OPINION
These rule changes to the Carabao Cup make complete sense – for many sides it is just another game that they have to turn up for, it’s not the FA Cup and doesn’t take priority over the league. Getting rid of extra-time will be a big relief for all involved as they don’t have to play even longer in a competition they are not fully committed to. This will likely reduce the overall number of injuries we see throughout the season and with this being a crucial year for Marcelo Bielsa’s side and their journey back to the Premier League, this could help towards making that dream a reality. The introduction of VAR but just for matches at Premier League stadiums seems a little unfair, if it is going to be in the tournament then it should be available to everyone and if that’s not viable then it shouldn’t be introduced just yet.