Our Under-18s squad has primarily been made up of Under-17s and Under-16s for much of the season, meaning we have a settled group of players going into the game. Coach Stuart Lewis believes that will only help our cause.
“A lot of these boys have played in big games already this season – they’ve played in the FA Youth Cup, the Under-18 version of the League Cup, they’ve played in the league quite regularly and now it’s important for them to keep learning from their past experiences and to really go after the game and stamp their identity on it, as individuals but also as a collective,” he said.
“In their careers, we want to get them used to being able to play in big moments, in big games and this is another step for them and an experience that will aid that development, but also we want to win – that’s an important factor. Not only do we want to produce young players, we want young winners… players who are used to having that winning feeling and it’s a good opportunity for us to get that message across in this game.
“We’re really looking forward to the match – it’s great for the boys to not only play in a final, but to have that feeling of the build-up around it. There’s a real feeling of anticipation and we’re looking to put on a good performance in order to get the result that we want to achieve. It's quite well-known how City look to play but it’s also about us and how we play. I’m confident in our boys to go and perform, play with intensity and ultimately try to implement our way of playing onto the game.”
“A lot of these boys have played in big games already this season – they’ve played in the FA Youth Cup, the Under-18 version of the League Cup, they’ve played in the league quite regularly and now it’s important for them to keep learning from their past experiences and to really go after the game and stamp their identity on it, as individuals but also as a collective,” he said.
“In their careers, we want to get them used to being able to play in big moments, in big games and this is another step for them and an experience that will aid that development, but also we want to win – that’s an important factor. Not only do we want to produce young players, we want young winners… players who are used to having that winning feeling and it’s a good opportunity for us to get that message across in this game.
“We’re really looking forward to the match – it’s great for the boys to not only play in a final, but to have that feeling of the build-up around it. There’s a real feeling of anticipation and we’re looking to put on a good performance in order to get the result that we want to achieve. It's quite well-known how City look to play but it’s also about us and how we play. I’m confident in our boys to go and perform, play with intensity and ultimately try to implement our way of playing onto the game.”
