Manchester City U18s manager Lee Carsley sits down with City TV ahead of the FA Youth Cup semi-final with Stoke City.
Carsley has guided City’s youngsters to the regional Premier League title but before they can compete with the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal in the national stage, they must come up against a Stoke side they have beat twice already this season.
“The Stoke team we’ll face will be different to the one we’ve played already. Similar to us, they drop three or four players down for it.
“I’ve watched a lot of their games and it will be a physical test. They’re big, strong, fast and dangerous on the break but if we perform like we can I’m sure we’ll do well on the night.”
Carsley also had a lot of praise for two of his shining lights this season, Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz, who have also featured with the first team.
“I’m a small part of what they are doing at the moment. It was a big thing for the U18s when Phil was on the bench and that’s the goal. That’s what we’re ultimately going to be judged on.
“We’re doing quite well with getting them to the EDS and the next step is the hardest, to get them in the first team. We have three or four in the system that are hopefully going to be pushing.”
There will be full coverage of Manchester City v Stoke City in the FA Youth Cup on @ManCityAcademy and it will be shown live on the club’s official Facebook page.
Watch the above video to get in the mood!
