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Manchester City's youngsters play under tough expectations and the pressure is increased whenever an opportunity arises
It would be unfair on Manchester City's Under-18s to describe them as being in good form heading into last season's FA Cup final. Form tends to be temporary, whereas having drawn and lost their opening two matches of the year Oliver Reiss's side had gone on to win the next 27.
Between August 25 and May 4, they won each and every one of their league and cup matches in an utterly dominant campaign. As if that wasn't enough, the Under-21s won their league and knockout competition and the Under-19s reached the quarter-finals of the UEFA Youth League.
In short, winning is expected for every age group at City. Staff will tell you that other things matter more, but that is because if performance or behaviour or individual development are prioritised than results are naturally expected to follow. A winning team is widely seen as a good environment for youngsters to progress, allowing them to make improvements in a machine where everything is functioning.
As last season showed in the first team Pep Guardiola was reticent to turn to his academy players when everything was going wrong because he didn't want to expose them. Apart from James McAtee, who had spent two years on loan at Sheffield United, nobody else had much experience of losing a string of matches because it doesn't really happen in City's youth teams.
Because of that, it is often assumed that this makes it easier for their academy players. Phil Foden is unfairly criticised for this by those who have nothing better to do, seen as having an easier ride to make it as a first team star despite the difficulties of breaking into Guardiola's extraordinary teams.
That isn't the reality for academy players though. Nico O'Reilly is widely seen as one of the most unflustered players at the Etihad since Ederson, so laid-back on and off the pitch that everything he does appears nonchalant.
It was interesting then to hear him talking to the Manchester Evening News last month about the pressure he felt in the academy. Not only was he held back for a second year in the Under-18s when most of his peers moved up to the Under-21s, he took on the burden of having to lead the latest cohort to the Under-18s league title and FA Youth Cup again.
"We had a great group at the time. I also wanted to win the U18 Premier League because we'd won it for the last three or four years and I was captain so I wanted to continue that run," he said. "We did that, we didn't manage to get the FA Youth Cup."
O'Reilly breaking through in Guardiola's first team last season was the biggest success the academy could have wished for, but otherwise the benchmarks were the league and the FA Youth Cup. Reiss and his team were outstanding for eight months, only to fall short in the cup final at Aston Villa and the league final against the same opponent.
All they can do is hope that the players learnt from their rare defeats, and that the new group respond better to the conditions. After 10 league games this season, City have won nine and have a five-point lead over second-placed Newcastle, so it has been a promising start.
Reiss certainly thinks his team have made improvements in the last few months, having been reminded to appreciate the art of defending after conceding too many goals in their early matches; their aggregate score from their three league matches in November was 13-0, having kept just one clean sheet in their previous seven games.
The pressure is back on Friday evening though when they host Fulham in the third round of the FA Youth Cup. It is a tricky draw given Fulham's reputation for producing excellent young talent, but there will be no excuses allowed when they take to the pitch as Reiss prefers to turn the screw.
City's youngsters are not tested in adversity as much as prospects in other academies, but it is recognised as vital if they are going to make it at the top level. Little wonder then that any opportunity to add pressure is seized.
"In no speech or anything do I try to drop the pressure or tell them it's a normal game and nothing different. It's the opposite for me, maybe I increase it a little bit," he told the Manchester Evening News.
"I say yes we have pressure, look how many people are watching, 25,000 in a final or whatever, someone from the first team is coming to watch, expectation from winning the titles from two years ago. These are the challenges that they need to prepare for being a first team player some day.
"I don't want to drop any pressure - deal with it and rise with it. I like that this competition gives us more pressure and challenges so in terms of developing the players it's something you cannot create in any other Premier League game. It's about the environment, the competition and it's top that we have this opportunity to prove ourselves.
"Don't hide before the game starts and don't take it as an excuse to maybe not be brave enough. Maybe this was the reason why it wasn't your best performance but learn from it for the next game - what can you do different, what can you do in terms of preparation.
"We have so many games in the season and we try to do it a little bit in training but you cannot really create this pressure so we are very happy about this competition so please give us more supporters from the opponent, give us more in the stands - [England manager Thomas] Tuchel can come.
"This is what we need because everyone is good on the ball and there are so many more talents in the world who could play Premier League with their ability but the only ones who are able to make it in the end are the ones who can play with pressure. You cannot prepare this early enough."
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