Manchester City’s qualification for the Carabao Cup final has been immediately followed by a firm regulatory stance from the English Football League (EFL), dashing manager Pep Guardiola’s hopes of fielding new signing Marc Guehi against Arsenal at Wembley.
The governing body has declined to alter competition rules following Guardiola’s public plea on Wednesday night, confirming Guehi will remain ineligible for the final on March 22.
The decision reinforces a regulation that was itself newly relaxed ahead of this season, which states a player may represent two clubs in the tournament only if registered before the semi-final first leg.
While this allowed January signing Antoine Semenyo to feature in City’s semi-final victory over Newcastle, it excludes Guehi, who completed his £20 million transfer from Crystal Palace on January 19, six days after that deadline.
Speaking after City’s 3-1 second-leg win over Newcastle, which secured a 5-1 aggregate victory, Guardiola expressed frustration and a lack of understanding.
“Hopefully we can convince the Carabao Cup that Marc can play the final,” Guardiola said. “I don’t understand why he cannot play the final… you buy a player for a lot of money and he is not able to play for a rule I don’t understand. Hopefully they can change it”.
However, he conceded that changing the rule was unlikely, a pessimism now confirmed by the EFL’s position.
The response brings definitive clarity to a situation that had sparked debate. Sky Sports pundit Shay Given called the ruling “a shame,” suggesting the distinction between Semenyo and Guehi was inconsistent.
“I don’t agree with the whole thing,” Given said. “Marc Guehi signs a week after Semenyo and he can’t play… I don’t want to use the word farcical, but I’ve used it!”. Conversely, former City defender Micah Richards noted that while Guardiola’s frustration was understandable, “the rules are the rules”.
City’s opponents, Arsenal, booked their place in the final with a pragmatic semi-final victory over Chelsea. A late goal from Kai Havertz secured a 1-0 win on the night and a 4-2 aggregate triumph, sending Mikel Arteta’s side to their first final in six years.
“It was just magical,” Arteta said post-match. “I’m really happy because it was a really tough match against a great opponent and we’re in Wembley”.
The Gunners, who last won the competition in 1993, will now seek to avenge their 2018 final defeat to City in a match that pits master against pupil, with Arteta having served on Guardiola’s coaching staff at that time.
With Guehi unavailable, Guardiola must now plan for a final against what he called “the best team right now in Europe, maybe in the world” without a key defensive reinforcement.
City are expected to rely on central defensive pairings involving Ruben Dias, Nathan Ake, young Uzbek standout Abdukodir Khusanov, and 20-year-old Max Alleyne, who was recalled from a loan spell this winter.
The final, scheduled for Sunday, March 22, will be the first domestic cup showpiece between Guardiola and his former assistant Arteta.
While one manager celebrates a long-awaited final return, the other is left to navigate a cup final with a hand partially tied by regulations, setting the stage for a tactically compelling clash at Wembley.