ACADEMY: The U18s now playing their best football of the season

04/26/2024 02:50 AM

It's been a difficult time for the academy but the recent performance levels of the U18s team have been refreshing. And over the last few days, they have enjoyed a brief spell of success – beating both Tottenham (2-0) and West Brom (3-0).

Not only did they show their quality in winning those two games but they also managed two clean sheets, which will have given the defence a massive confidence boost. 

Two defenders, in particular, who have massively impressed in those two games are the central pairing of Gabriel Keita and Alfie Doy. With Alfie having suffered injuries throughout the campaign, these two haven't had the opportunity to play together much, which further highlights the impressive nature of their recent performances. 

Last weekend’s West Brom game was Doy's best performance of the season, with the defender finding some good form as the season reaches its climax. Following a series of injuries, he will be delighted to finally showcase his qualities, especially as he is yet to be offered a professional contract. 

Doy's excellent leadership qualities were apparent throughout the game last Saturday, and his good communication translated through to his performance where he won a high proportion of aerial duels. He also displayed efficiency in possession by finding his intended targets effectively and helping his team to play through the press, while also executing long diagonals to the wide men.

Doy's central defensive partner, Keita, also had an impressive couple of games. His excellent distribution was displayed across both matches, with a constant emphasis on playing forward.

With Keita playing a large volume of games in recent weeks, his authority on the defensive line is increasing as he takes control of more situations in his box. The game against West Brom was a perfect example of him showing his reliability in dealing with aerial balls and duels, with the teenager becoming stronger in both of those departments. 

Although April has generally been a tricky period for the academy, it's been a rewarding one for Keita, with the first-year scholar making his U21s debut in the semi-final of the Norfolk Senior Cup. With two respectable performances recently, he will be satisfied with his month's work. 

^{Gabriel Keita in action during the Norfolk Senior Cup Semi-Final. Credit: @norwichcityfc}

In the last two games, there has been a conscious effort for the U18s to be braver out of possession. The diagram below explains the ideas the coaching staff are attempting to incorporate. 

^{The green line illustrates the midfield block operating a high starting point, while the red trapezium shows the small distance between the forwards and midfielders. Therefore the yellow rectangle illustrates the big gap between the defensive block and the midfield block.}

The main point in this diagram is that the midfield block is at a high starting point, showing their ambition to keep their opponents in the defensive third of the pitch. With the industrious and physical profiles of Toby Chilvers and Uriah Djedje, it was difficult for the Baggies to penetrate effectively as those individuals were strong in winning their duels. 

However, despite Norwich having strong personnel available to them, West Brom managed to break through the press on a few occasions. This was mainly due to the Baggies having an extra man in midfield, as well as a striker willing to go deep, which resulted in numerical superiority. 

Furthermore, West Brom also tried to get through Norwich's press and base shape via the flanks. City were okay with this as they started to put their pressing patterns into action. They swarmed bodies deep into the West Brom half – attempting to win turnovers high up the pitch.

The pleasing element here was that the fullbacks backed up the press too – demonstrating the courage of the team from defence and attack. Even when West Brom played through the press, there were scenarios where the centre-backs backed it up, which portrayed the beliefs of the team perfectly.

On the topic of full-backs, Tyler Williams and Kingston Simbai-Hurst showed sublime levels of discipline, as they repeatedly got touch-tight to their opposite number, denying them space for the wingers to control the ball comfortably. This proactive work out of possession hasn't been this visible all season, which is highly encouraging for coach Greg Crane, especially with new personnel being integrated at the end of the season. 

Another visible trend in recent weeks is that keeper Henry Bullen has tended to play more directly from goal kicks, avoiding central ball progression from deep areas. On the occasions that City looked to play out from the back, they attempted to distribute the ball towards the fullbacks, which escalated to a through ball being played down the sides of the opponents’ central defenders. 

One major factor which has helped the U18s’ fortunes is the reintegration of some U21 regulars back into the team due to the ending of the U21 season. Among them were Elliot Myles, Gabe Forysth, Uriah Djedje and Errol Mundle-Smith. 

Gabe Forsyth has been a player who has stepped up during the last few games, with the Scotsman accumulating two assists and a goal. The goal he scored was a moment of brilliance, with him allowing the ball to bounce before smashing home a thunderous strike from thirty-five yards. The clip can be viewed here:

But in addition to the above, his overall quality has been outstanding for the U18s. This has been demonstrated with his passing from deep where, with his wizard of a left foot, he's able to find defence-splitting passes from deep – playing the ball into dangerous areas of the opposition box.

One of those passes led to a goal against Tottenham, with Forsyth executing a central ball into the path of Mundle-Smith.

Another element of this upturn in form has been the strikers being more heavily involved in the build-up play; an area of the game that Norwich have struggled with in recent times. Alex Roberts and the aforementioned Mundle-Smith have had particular joy with this, the pair both moving the opposition defenders into uncomfortable areas.

They both had a superior physical presence over their recent opponents, meaning they felt comfortable progressing the team up the pitch due to the opposition finding it hard to contain them. As well as the physical side, they both showed tidy moments in possession; retaining the ball confidently in the final third.

It's also worth shining a light on Mundle-Smith's quality in the final third – he contributed three goal contributions in the last two games, with two of those being goals against Spurs. Both finishes were cracking examples of Mundle-Smith's composure in the final third, where he found the bottom corner.

Not only have Norwich had a strong starting eleven available to them, but they have also had firepower on the bench, especially in the form of LaSean Sealey.

Sealey has registered eleven goal contributions in the league this season, with another goal added to his tally on Saturday. Similar to Forsyth's, LaSean's goal was also a scintillating strike from range – curling a weak-footed effort home from outside the area. 

With the U21s having a game tonight (away at Aston Villa, KO 19:00), it's unlikely that the U21s players who have been involved in the 18s recently will play for the U18s in tomorrow’s lunchtime clash with Arsenal at Colney (noon).

However, with the U21s unable to qualify for the playoffs, there may be an opportunity for those four players to come back into the U18s team, as they have a further two games left in their league season after the Arsenal game.