Oli Reiss has taken on a "completely different role" at Manchester City after moving up from the Under-18s to the Under-21s, following his FA Youth Cup triumph and a memorable celebration on the club's open-top bus.
Reiss, who won the FA Youth Cup at the third time of asking by beating United, was on the bus as Pep Guardiola received a huge send-off from fans in the city centre. He described the experience as "something special" and compared the atmosphere at the Co-Op to a concert.
"Seeing him on the bus, being emotional between standing there alone, thinking by himself, enjoying every emotion," Reiss recalled. "It was something special. And then we came into the Co-Op and I was expecting something but honestly it was like a concert. I couldn't believe what was happening, it was just crazy."
Move to Under-21s
City wanted Reiss to move up from the Under-18s to the Under-21s after Ben Wilkinson left the older age group. The German did not hesitate to accept the opportunity, even though he has found the role to be less about tactics and more about logistics and feelings.
"It's a completely different role," Reiss told the Manchester Evening News. "It is just after four weeks so maybe different answers in three months, but so far it is much more about communication. That is always important but here you have players moving between teams, from the 18s to us and back for games maybe, then players going to the first team sometimes because of first team training. Not being part of our sessions or having to combine."
Reiss said players at this age are already asking questions about their pathway and next steps, which makes the role more about managing individuals than building a team. "We want to create a team and team spirit but it starts already to be more selfish - in a good way," he said. "To deal with these things is another part of being a coach, compared to being Under-18s coach."
Adaptability and first-team links
The disruption started in pre-season when 16 of City's best young talents went with Enzo Maresca and the first team on a two-week tour of Asia. The manager has promoted Ryan McAidoo, Kaden Braithwaite and Floyd Samba to be with the senior players, and when they drop down for minutes in the Under-21s their needs will be a priority.
Reiss acknowledged the challenge of balancing the needs of players pushing for first-team football with those dropping down for game time. "This is a big challenge and a big responsibility for every one of us," he said. "It is what we want to have as many as possible around the first team or in the first team sessions and squads. But this is just one thing. The result of this would be they are not playing for weeks, where is the benefit?"
He added: "There is still a benefit of being around the first team but we have to take care of them in terms of what do they need for the challenges, the loads, the minutes. This is a week by week, day by day conversation with the first team to find the best solution for the players."
Early results and European target
McAidoo hasn't been needed for the opening two matches, but the young Blues have won both games and scored eight goals, defeating Mansfield in the EFL Trophy and then Wolves in Premier League 2. Xavier Parker, the 16-year-old who City worked hard to keep this summer amid competition from Liverpool, has three goals already, while Floyd Samba and his brother Tyrone both scored against Wolves.
The UEFA Youth League will again be seen as a key competition for City to test themselves against European elite. The club have only reached the semi-finals once, back in 2018, so there is a clear target for Reiss.
Reiss has set his own standards for the players under his development, focusing on behaviour off the pitch and key behaviours on it. "There are two things for me - off and on the pitch. Off the pitch, we try to be strong in terms of the standards of behaviour. This is so important wherever you go, it's the first impression of you as a person," he said.
"The rules we have, the values we have are very important for us at the moment and we try to increase the importance compared to other seasons. We want to get better at this and this is what I expect from the players, to have this discipline and ownership to say that this is what they want from me and I know this is important."
He added: "If the reason for mistake or a wrong decision is because of a lack of willingness or awareness, we have a problem. When it is knowledge or ability, it is up to us to make them better but you have to show that you have the willingness and awareness to give everything. This is what we expect, along with the intensity to go to the limit in every session and every game. Give us this and you can have everything from us."
