The follow up article to my review of the U23s season, giving an overview of league and cup exploits, discussing squad development, highlighting the term's top performers, and suggesting what we can look forward to next season.
Manchester United U18s 2018/9
U18 Premier League North: 4th
U18 Premier League Cup: Semi final (City 3 - 0 United)
FA Youth Cup: 4th Round (United 1 - 3 Brighton)
UEFA Youth League (U19): Round of 16 (Midgetland 3 - 1 United)
Top scorers (inc. UEFA Youth League): Mason Greenwood (23 at U18 level), D'Mani Bughail-Mellor (7), Dylan Levitt (6)
Most assists: Aliou Traore (9), Dylan Levitt (8), Mason Greenwood (6)
Rosso's picks:
Top three performers: Mason Greenwood, Brandon Williams, Dylan Levitt
Top debutant: Anthony Elanga
Goal of the season: Greenwood's winner vs. Liverpool - a freekick with his 'weaker' right foot (https://www.manutd.com/en/videos/detail/under-18s-mason-greenwood-goal-in-liverpool-2-united-3)
Rosso's season highlights:
- Liverpool U18 2 - 3 United U18 AET (U18 PL Cup). What a game of football. United come back from two down to win the tie in extra time courtesy of a Greenwood assist and double, comprising two freekicks with his supposedly weaker right foot (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuY6kLwzGLo)
- Second half of Everton U18 5 - 4 United U18 (U18 PL). The U18s demonstrate a professionalism, resilience and fight in their recovery from a torrid first half, battling back into the game from 4-1 down at half time. One for the seniors to watch and learn from.
- United U18 4 - 3 Blackburn U18. Greenwood completes his hattrick in the dying moments of the game to seal a hard fought victory in an end-to-end thriller. Three right foot strikes () - a pass into the corner one-on-one, a deft chip, and a drive following a mazy run - demonstrate the youngster's superiority at U18 level this season (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExNJ3A4WRPw)
- Greenwood on fire - cool, confident, prolific and often completely unplayable
- Defensive promise with the emergence of powerful centrebacks Teden Mengi and Di'Shon Bernard, and marauding fullbacks Ethan Laird and Brandon Williams, Rosso's pick to watch for next season
In summary
As with the U23s, the U18s' 2018/9 campaign was one of mixed results, although the younger group may finish the season a little more disappointed with missed opportunities given the quality in their play and dominance in so many fixtures.
Several exceptional league results - including defeats of the eventual champions Derby and second-placed Liverpool, and 5-1 and 7-0 maulings of Stoke and Sunderland - should have pointed to a title challenge. And although the Reds eventually finished eight points behind Derby, they stayed in touching distance of the league leaders until a string of disappointing results in April's run-in derailed their title tilt.
The league campaign, disappointing though the final league position might be, should be judged in the context of performances, personnel and promise.
Of the teams finishing above United - Derby, Liverpool and Everton - only Everton managed to beat United in any competition this season. (In fact, only one other side, Middlesborough, managed to beat United in the league.) And these results are a fair demonstration that this U18 side was capable of outplaying any other side in the league on its day.
60 goals in 22 league games can be seen as another indicator of the potency of the side, with the Reds scoring three goals or more in no fewer than ten league fixtures, including five of their first six games.
I discussed in the previous article how the most important factor in junior football is player development rather than winning trophies (or even football matches), and that that can often mean results suffering as players ahead in the developmental curve are promoted to more senior ranks mid-season. And so it proved for the U18s as they watched Greenwood and Garner (particularly), and later Levitt, Traore, Bernard and Mellor (amongst others) promoted to the U23s.
Although the goals didn't dry up in Greenwood's absence, the side seemed to miss his knack of conjuring up a last minute winner, and cohesion seemed to suffer as scholars were brought in to fill gaps in the squad, with midfield dominance of the ball and defensive solidity waning.
(cont.)
Manchester United U18s - season in review
posted on 9/5/19
Not bothered about players being 'slight' if they have the ability.
Sit Matt got this slight kid over from Belfast, Fergie found a couple of slight kids one from Wales and the other was Ginger.
Barcelona found this slight kid from Argentina.
posted on 9/5/19
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 9/5/19
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 22 minutes ago
Not bothered about players being 'slight' if they have the ability.
Sit Matt got this slight kid over from Belfast, Fergie found a couple of slight kids one from Wales and the other was Ginger.
Barcelona found this slight kid from Argentina.
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Nonsense. They need to get on the Lukaku training regime at once!
posted on 10/5/19
Thank you all for your kind and constructive feedback, Berba, Dazza and Dave, in particular.
posted on 10/5/19
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 1 hour, 21 minutes ago
Not bothered about players being 'slight' if they have the ability.
Sit Matt got this slight kid over from Belfast, Fergie found a couple of slight kids one from Wales and the other was Ginger.
Barcelona found this slight kid from Argentina.
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So what you're saying is if they're good enough, they're fat enough basically?
posted on 10/5/19
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 10/5/19
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 10/5/19
Comment Deleted by Site Moderator
posted on 10/5/19
comment by Vidicschin (U3584)
posted 14 hours, 43 minutes ago
Not bothered about players being 'slight' if they have the ability.
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Well... You were calling Modric "too lightweight" when everyone was pointing out he was one of the best midfielders in the PL.
posted on 10/5/19
comment by Dave NotSo (U11711)
posted 13 hours, 49 minutes ago
comment by rosso is facking happy(U17054)
posted 6 hours, 58 minutes ago
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I'm a big fan of Puigmal too. He's got fantastic technique, an excellent footballing brain and strikes the ball beautifully cleanly.
I think he's now played RB, RW, LW, CM, and if I'm not mistaken number ten for the junior sides.
The questions with him I think are going to be whether he's suited to English football and if he can nail down a position.
That said, McT played in almost every position on the pitch in the season he spent with the U23s before stepping up...
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I watched a few games early in the season but only caught the highlights in the second half of the season and didn't realise he'd played so many positions. I understand your point about nailing down a position, not becoming too much of a jack of all trades, master of none type player. At this level and stage of his career, I'm not at all concerned though. I think it can be a real positive as it will hopefully give him more game intelligence and positional awareness.
Your example in McT is spot on. Again, primarily through highlights, I'd watched McT play in much more attacking roles for the academy teams and score a few decent goals than how he's been perceived by many. On the recent match thread before kickoff (that's usually all I can cope with to preserve my mental health) some folk were concerned that McT and Matic wouldn't work as Scotty has been typecast as a dull, talentless, holding DM. Diafol and Shugs were quick to point out that error of that assumption and five mins later McT scores.
I'm pretty sure it was you who tried (and sadly failed - given the commonly touted misconception) to clarify that McT wasn't just a talentless DM hack when Jose brought him through. He was just good at following Jose's instructions.
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That last point could be made of a bunch of players not only under Jose, but also LVG.
Jose and his team were at times giving a lot of very detailed instructions to the players, with specifics about how they should position themselves and use the ball under particular circumstances, which, on following, would often see the players unfairly chastised by fans.
We've even seen a bit of it under Ole, despite the fact the players are clearly able to play with a bit more freedom now. An example would be Pogba getting abuse for not being involved in the game against Everton when he was started at number ten right in behind Lukaku and clearly told to stick there, then shifted to a deep inside right role.
Played out of position, isolated from the rest of the midfield at twenty five to thirty yards further up the pitch, then gets stick from people because he wasn't getting on the ball.