Last week, when discussing the number of Manchester City players who have left the club this summer, Pep Guardiola said that not enough youngsters have the patience to stay and develop in the academy.
In the transfer window, four academy players left for Southampton in deals that could top £40m, while Darko Gyabi joined Leeds for £5m and the majority of last year's under-23 side left on loan or were released. Guardiola also acknowledged the lack of competitiveness in the Premier League 2 — a competition City have won for the past two years.
So it felt like a test for the new-look academy side in their UEFA Youth League opener, a competition the Blues have struggled in over recent years. If Guardiola and City were looking for more challenges for their youngsters, this was it.
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Academy coach Brian Barry-Murphy said pre-match that the Youth League was a unique experience that gave City's players a chance to be tested with new in-game problems that English academy rivals won't pose.
He was right, as Sevilla's imposing team was physical at both ends of the pitch, but fast and skilful on the flanks. In particular, winger Carlos Alvarez — wearing No.10 and bearing a resemblance to Diego Maradona in looks and style of play — was the host's main outlet. City's response to his threat was often to bring him down.
And despite some half chances from Dire Mebude and Carlos Borges, Sevilla's opening goal came remarkably simplistically. Alvarez's corner was headed on to the back post, which was send back into the area and prodded home after goalkeeper Mikki van Sas got stranded. Their whole team and substitutes bench ran to celebrate in the corner, just 14 minutes in.
It looked as though the midday heat in Spain's hottest city was impacting the Blues, but they slowly worked themselves back into the contest, led by the calmness of their more experienced players like Oscar Bobb, Borges, Shea Charles and Nico O'Reilly.
The trio were involved, as was Mebude, as a nice move down the right saw the ball worked across to Borges on the right side to slot home a deserved equaliser from eight yards just before the break.
The momentum continued after the interval, with City taking the lead after some more pressure. As a penalty claim was denied, the Sevilla defence stopped, allowing the lively Mebude to sidestep two players with quick feet and slot home brilliantly.
Mebude, and Borges on the opposite flank, should get plenty of opportunities this season, and they may benefit from the patience some former teammates may have lacked. Likewise, Bobb, Charles and centre-back Finley Burns can also use these Youth League experiences to their advantage and step up in a youthful and inexperienced EDS side.
This was a hard-fought win, despite the 5-1 scoreline, that will please coaches at City from Barry-Murphy up to Guardiola. Sevilla challenged them with the ball and with some cynical off-the-ball antics that gave the referee a busy afternoon. The Blues even managed to keep Alvarez quiet in the second half, after he threatened to run the show in the first 45.
Instead, it was Mebude who controlled this contest as he had a goal, assist and key role in two others. When City won possession in the middle and Mebude raced forward, he found the run of Borges, who laid the ball into the path of striker Will Dickson to slot under the goalkeeper.
Mebude was at the heart of City's play, and was at the centre of a flashpoint when substitute Ivan Salguero kicked out at him off the ball and earned himself a straight red card. That prompted a scrappy finale, but one that the Blues navigated without much issue, even adding a fourth goal.
When Mebude was found in acres of space in the area, his cross to the back post was gratefully tapped in by Borges for his second strike (plus his assist), as their new partnership combined for four goals to hand the Blues an emphatic win. Borges then added a fifth to seal his hat-trick late on.
In the end, City showed a different kind of patience to the one Guardiola spoke of. They kept the ball, trusted their tactics, and tired a good Sevilla side out. They got the in-game problem solving right that Barry-Murphy asked for, and the competitive test Guardiola wanted.
It doesn't mean the 'patience' issue has been solved, but it does mean the academy is still in good health this season even if a number of their more recognisable faces have departed. And for players like Mebude, Borges, Bobb and co, it's a chance to step up and show their quality out of the shadows of others.
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