***Official City v chelsea FA Youth Cup final thread***

[Nigels Tackle]

the only youth game i have ever been to was the at stamford bridge a few years back when daniel sturridge was playing for us. he, along with gael kakuta, were on a different level to the others on show that night.
having seen a few u19 euro games as well as the last couple of youth cup matches on the box, i've not seen one player on any side that played to sturridge's level.
it's really hard for these kids to make it, they have to be seriously special

[twosips]

the only youth game i have ever been to was the at stamford bridge a few years back when daniel sturridge was playing for us. he, along with gael kakuta, were on a different level to the others on show that night.
having seen a few u19 euro games as well as the last couple of youth cup matches on the box, i've not seen one player on any side that played to sturridge's level.
it's really hard for these kids to make it, they have to be seriously special

That also might have been because the rest of their team mates were bang average that night. Might be worth considering - That city team contained such greats as David ball, Donal McDermott and Ben Mee. Weiss too who was actually the best on the pitch in the games I saw that same season.

Both City and Chelsea's teams now are miles better than those youth teams were.

Definitely agree with the posts that say that the idea of our kids having a lack of desire is utterly ridiculous. They may have been outfought but that's purely a physical thing against a massive Chelsea team. Not desire or effort - they have plenty of that.

[Mase]

the only youth game i have ever been to was the at stamford bridge a few years back when daniel sturridge was playing for us. he, along with gael kakuta, were on a different level to the others on show that night.
having seen a few u19 euro games as well as the last couple of youth cup matches on the box, i've not seen one player on any side that played to sturridge's level.
it's really hard for these kids to make it, they have to be seriously special

That also might have been because the rest of their team mates were bang average that night. Might be worth considering - That city team contained such greats as David ball, Donal McDermott and Ben Mee. Weiss too who was actually the best on the pitch in the games I saw that same season.

Both City and Chelsea's teams now are miles better than those youth teams were.

Definitely agree with the posts that say that the idea of our kids having a lack of desire is utterly ridiculous. They may have been outfought but that's purely a physical thing against a massive Chelsea team. Not desire or effort - they have plenty of that.

Off topic- I saw David Ball in TopMan in Warrington just after Christmas. He's doing OK at Fleetwood I believe.

[Blue Since 76]

Some nice play and a good 15 minute spell before their 3rd, but generally a fair result. They were a lot bigger but our lack of aggression/desire was a concern. A lot of them looked ready made for the first team and not in a good way. I hope we're not pushing the old Barca way without consideration that there are other ways to play

No need for this kind of bollocks. Save it for thr first team. Utter shite.

We went at them for 15 minutes or so before their 3rd and could/should have scored a couple. Before that, we never really committed them, we didn't really do much. I don't mind misplaced passes when a team is trying to do something positive, but for much of the game we didn't seem to be trying to win it.

Chelsea were the better side, maybe due to talent, maybe due to current age/size, maybe due to a better game on the day. I'm not really arsed if we win this cup or not - it would be great to win it, but I'd happily swap it for several of them being good enough for the first team in a couple of years, which is surely the point of the academy.

Watching that team last night, the talent was there, but is there the hunger and desire to make it to the very top? I didn't see it last night, but I don't watch more than highlights of them very often. That was my reference to the first team, where there's only a few of them showing the desire to win this season.

[Blue Since 76]

Some nice play and a good 15 minute spell before their 3rd, but generally a fair result. They were a lot bigger but our lack of aggression/desire was a concern. A lot of them looked ready made for the first team and not in a good way. I hope we're not pushing the old Barca way without consideration that there are other ways to play

No need for this kind of bollocks. Save it for thr first team. Utter shite.

I thought it was a reasoned comment, as per the rest of the thread. We look like we've got the players, just not the confidence.

Ted used to be a good poster, but recently he's just turned into Mr Angry about everything and it's impossible to have a discussion with him.

[blues2win]

It is a bit sad for any City fan to accuse any of the team last night of lacking desire. They all gave their best and arguably deserved a draw against a very good Chelsea side which, man for man, was much bigger and stronger than they were. Still it was a bit of a cold shower for me. There's a lot of real talent in that side, no doubt about it. However, they probably need a year or two to mature physically before they're ready for the Premiership. The question is whether the likes of Barker Angelino Maffeo and Nemane are better off staying with the EDS for another year or whether the Club should be looking for loans for them. What we don't want is another Zuculini situation where they go loan and then don't get games. I saw enough last night to make me think that some of those players can make it in the Premiership and maybe two or three will end up with City.

[iwasthere2012]

It is a bit sad for any City fan to accuse any of the team last night of lacking desire. They all gave their best and arguably deserved a draw against a very good Chelsea side which, man for man, was much bigger and stronger than they were. Still it was a bit of a cold shower for me. There's a lot of real talent in that side, no doubt about it. However, they probably need a year or two to mature physically before they're ready for the Premiership. The question is whether the likes of Barker Angelino Maffeo and Nemane are better off staying with the EDS for another year or whether the Club should be looking for loans for them. What we don't want is another Zuculini situation where they go loan and then don't get games. I saw enough last night to make me think that some of those players can make it in the Premiership and maybe two or three will end up with City.

I don't think anyone can seriously doubt their desire and effort. On another night they could have gotten a draw at least.
I think it was CCJJ who said earlier, that it was just down to sloppy execution of the passing. You could see clearly they are trying to play a certain way, as instructed , I've no doubt. They will make mistakes and be punished by a team as good as Chelsea, but there is something admirable about the way the coaching staff allow them lose, in order to learn to play properly. That sounds shite, I know, but as CCJJ alluded to, there is a fine line between coaching correctly and losing. I personally think that game management(not gamesmanship) is every bit as much a part of their learning curve and really Chelsea had it in trumps last night. I'm not sure our coaching staff place as much emphasis on it.
There was really good talent on show last night. Some only showed us glimpses of what they can do, but it's there.
I though Nemane was brilliant. Barker briefly showed his skill. Celina has something although was guilty of much of the sloppiness. Angelino got caught against a guy twice his size for the first goal, but bounced back quite well for the rest of the game, I thought. I can see why some of you have rated Maffeo also.
It's only half time. You never know at this age group, what might happen in the second leg.

[Wonderwall]

I felt sorry for Dilrosun last night. Wilcox turned to the bench on 60 minutes and told him to get warmed up, then left him until the 83rd minute. The poor lad kept looking at wilcox doing his stretches and warm up routines. He looked gutted by the time he was told to strip off.

[Foreverinbluedreams]

Thought our second half display deserved better, that third really looks like it could be a killer blow.

Chelsea definitely more physical and not afraid to show it either.

It seemed to me that the ref let a lot of lunging type tackles go, the type that seem to be blown up everytime in the PL nowadays.

Is that par for the course at this age group or was that ref particularly lenient?

[Wonderwall]

Thought our second half display deserved better, that third really looks like it could be a killer blow.

Chelsea definitely more physical and not afraid to show it either.

It seemed to me that the ref let a lot of lunging type tackles go, the type that seem to be blown up everytime in the PL nowadays.

Is that par for the course at this age group or was that ref particularly lenient?

I ave been to EDS/U18/U19 games a few times this season and the stand out thing for me is how lenient the referees are. Rarely get their cards out unless its blatantly needed. However, last night, he should have spoken to the chelsea lads, as some of those tackles were dangerous.

[Wonderwall]

Thought our second half display deserved better, that third really looks like it could be a killer blow.

Chelsea definitely more physical and not afraid to show it either.

It seemed to me that the ref let a lot of lunging type tackles go, the type that seem to be blown up everytime in the PL nowadays.

Is that par for the course at this age group or was that ref particularly lenient?

I ave been to EDS/U18/U19 games a few times this season and the stand out thing for me is how lenient the referees are. Rarely get their cards out unless its blatantly needed. However, last night, he should have spoken to the chelsea lads, as some of those tackles were dangerous.

Also the linesman on the east stand side was feckin useless.

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Thought our second half display deserved better, that third really looks like it could be a killer blow.

Chelsea definitely more physical and not afraid to show it either.

It seemed to me that the ref let a lot of lunging type tackles go, the type that seem to be blown up everytime in the PL nowadays.

Is that par for the course at this age group or was that ref particularly lenient?

I ave been to EDS/U18/U19 games a few times this season and the stand out thing for me is how lenient the referees are. Rarely get their cards out unless its blatantly needed. However, last night, he should have spoken to the chelsea lads, as some of those tackles were dangerous.

Absolutely, even including several tackles from behind which were allowed to go unpunished.

It can't have been easy for the defence last night, particularly as they were confronted by three Chelsea players who were big, fast, athletic and powerful (as well as being skillful), each one of them who looked as though he could have been a centre forward in his own right. By comparison, we didn't have the same type of player up front ourselves although, to be fair, I much prefer the "City" type of player and approach.

I did appreciate the earlier post by Twosips, which seem to indicate that our lads didn't quite do themselves justice and nerves played an early part in the performance. It added a little bit of perspective, particularly as he's seen them quite a few times now.

On the 'nerves' aspect, is this the first time that most of them have played in front of a crowd of that size ?? If so, this experience will stand them in good stead for the future.

All in all, I enjoyed last night's game; it was good to see the youngsters, there is a lot of skill there waiting to explode onto a bigger stage and I still don't think the return game is a formality for Chelsea.

A fascinating night all round.

[Blue Since 76]

Question about the referees in general - why don't they age limit them in a similar way, so for an under 18 game, the ref has to be say under 25 and hopefully younger. We complain about the old farts refereeing in the premier league but don't give an obvious path to growth for young refs.

[twosips]

Definitely the biggest crowd most would have played in front of. I actually felt the crowd carried over the angsty atmosphere that lingers about during the first team games for the first half and that can't have been good for them. They looked well uncertain at times. Definitely relaxed in the second half when (perhaps coincidentally) the crowd relaxed. All part of the learning experience though...

[Wonderwall]

Definitely the biggest crowd most would have played in front of. I actually felt the crowd carried over the angsty atmosphere that lingers about during the first team games for the first half and that can't have been good for them. They looked well uncertain at times. Definitely relaxed in the second half when (perhaps coincidentally) the crowd relaxed. All part of the learning experience though...

I thought Wilcox set us up very defensive to begin with, poor Buckley was having to chase down 3 defenders and the GK playing keep ball triangles. Whilst the rest of the team kept their shape from the half way line. When you look at the difference with Chelsea, they closed everything down and defended from the front, their front 3 closed down as a unit, which is something we didn't do until midway through the 2nd half, This was definitely a bad tactical move on Wilcox's part. We invited the pressure on ourselves and the nerves were there to be seen with the poor distribution when a 8'10" Snoop Dog lookalike is bearing down on you!

Also, Twosips, I take it you had to put up with those annoying Chelsea chavs too, I thought someone was going to put one on the end of there nose!

[twosips]

Yep. Was sat in row F and seats 310/311. By the sounds of it I was right near you. Literally next to the gobby PRESS HIM guy. Earache today because of it!

[Mikhail Chigorin]

Yep. Was sat in row F and seats 310/311. By the sounds of it I was right near you. Literally next to the gobby PRESS HIM guy. Earache today because of it!

Just think, by tomorrow your earache will be gone, but he will still be the "gobby, press him" guy.

[Blue Since 76]

Definitely the biggest crowd most would have played in front of. I actually felt the crowd carried over the angsty atmosphere that lingers about during the first team games for the first half and that can't have been good for them. They looked well uncertain at times. Definitely relaxed in the second half when (perhaps coincidentally) the crowd relaxed. All part of the learning experience though...

I thought Wilcox set us up very defensive to begin with, poor Buckley was having to chase down 3 defenders and the GK playing keep ball triangles. Whilst the rest of the team kept their shape from the half way line. When you look at the difference with Chelsea, they closed everything down and defended from the front, their front 3 closed down as a unit, which is something we didn't do until midway through the 2nd half, This was definitely a bad tactical move on Wilcox's part. We invited the pressure on ourselves and the nerves were there to be seen with the poor distribution when a 8'10" Snoop Dog lookalike is bearing down on you!

Your second paragraph is what I was referring to when I mentioned desire last night, which was perhaps the wrong term. I also mentioned the Barca obsession as I wondered if it had as much to do with team tactics as the individuals. When we suddenly started running at them from about the 70 minute, I'd text my dad and said we'd been paying rope a dope before that as we were all over them and they couldn't cope.

Chelsea were bigger than us and in most cases technically as good which means we had to work much harder, just as the likes of Burnley did to our first team. I just don't think we did that in a positive way i.e. running at people and committing them until late on and Wilcox has to take the blame for that. Workrate has to be the starting point for any team at any level and it's only with that that quality can come to the fore. The Barca of old definitely had that, but we don't seem to want to work as hard without the ball.

[Douglas Higginbottom]

Definitely the biggest crowd most would have played in front of. I actually felt the crowd carried over the angsty atmosphere that lingers about during the first team games for the first half and that can't have been good for them. They looked well uncertain at times. Definitely relaxed in the second half when (perhaps coincidentally) the crowd relaxed. All part of the learning experience though...

I thought Wilcox set us up very defensive to begin with, poor Buckley was having to chase down 3 defenders and the GK playing keep ball triangles. Whilst the rest of the team kept their shape from the half way line. When you look at the difference with Chelsea, they closed everything down and defended from the front, their front 3 closed down as a unit, which is something we didn't do until midway through the 2nd half, This was definitely a bad tactical move on Wilcox's part. We invited the pressure on ourselves and the nerves were there to be seen with the poor distribution when a 8'10" Snoop Dog lookalike is bearing down on you!

Your second paragraph is what I was referring to when I mentioned desire last night, which was perhaps the wrong term. I also mentioned the Barca obsession as I wondered if it had as much to do with team tactics as the individuals. When we suddenly started running at them from about the 70 minute, I'd text my dad and said we'd been paying rope a dope before that as we were all over them and they couldn't cope.

Chelsea were bigger than us and in most cases technically as good which means we had to work much harder, just as the likes of Burnley did to our first team. I just don't think we did that in a positive way i.e. running at people and committing them until late on and Wilcox has to take the blame for that. Workrate has to be the starting point for any team at any level and it's only with that that quality can come to the fore. The Barca of old definitely had that, but we don't seem to want to work as hard without the ball.

I just don't think I agree with the idea that Wilcox set the team up defensively.If it looked like that it's simply because Chelsea grabbed hold of the game and pushed us onto the back foot and we couldn't find a way out. Maybe we didn't press them quite as hard and high as they pressed us but no way does that team have a defensive mentality, you only have to look at the players to see that.

Unfortunately that where the pressem and kick it long brigade come in as they think it's that simple.Just launch the ball long and all will be well. For a while we were struggling to hang on and all the players bar Buckley were getting back to help out and then of course there isn't anyone forward to find with a pass/clearance when we get the chance.I think we tried to close them quickly but Chelsea were too good for a while and were winning almost all the tackles and 2nd balls.Plenty of effort but it just wasn't happening.

On the few occasions we got forward we looked ok and the goal from Buckley via Barker was a gem.The 2nd half was more even even though I don't think we changed very much and as it wore on we started to take over which may well have been down to Chelsea tiring a bit.That's when we more than deserved a goal but it just didn't happen.

[Mase]

Yep. Was sat in row F and seats 310/311. By the sounds of it I was right near you. Literally next to the gobby PRESS HIM guy. Earache today because of it!

Just think, by tomorrow your earache will be gone, but he will still be the "gobby, press him" guy.

Excellent!