The Under 18s League Thread

[ricky1985]

For a 12 minute highlight clip, Angha sure made a lot of forward runs! Monakana looks a really good crosser of the ball on the run.

Steve Bould again saying after the match how we're struggling with the young age of the group.

 

[Don Pacifico]

Haha, just realised that my post in the Reserves thread comes up with the same summations as you two.

Thought Josh Rees looked interesting as well though; played at RB against Bristol and at AM(ish) against Reading.

 

[Eirico]

For a 12 minute highlight clip, Angha sure made a lot of forward runs! Monakana looks a really good crosser of the ball on the run.

Steve Bould again saying after the match how we're struggling with the young age of the group.

He is more or less saying that after every game this season. And that he's not happy with the performance as well. The generation of Yennaris, Ozyakup, Aneke, Afobe etc were domination the U18 level already while they were schoolboys, it just looks like the current generation is less talented. Maybe a bit early to say, but I doubt very many of them will play at the highest level as seniors. Hopefully at least one of them will turn out to be an Arsenal first team player in the future, but most likely they will struggle to get chances because of the two previous and very promising U18 generations we've had. Based on the highlights and what I've read etc. I think Monteiro, Angha, Rees, Bihmoutine and Roberts have the best chances of the first years to make it.

Monteiro and Angha are receiving praise from Bould in several of the post match interviews. Rees has a special gift of making good runs from midfield to get him in scoring positions. Bihmoutine reminds me of Gibbs at U18 level, quick, good technique and a decent left foot. Think he will be turned into a LB later in his career. Roberts seem to have something about him, he has speed, strength and an eye for a goal. Bould reckons he will have to work on holding the ball up more though. Jamie Edge seems like he got some talent too, but he's unlucky that we have a bunch of young talented players in his position in Coquelin, Eastmond, Frimpong and Yennaris.

 

[Eirico]

Well the U18's have improved a bit lately, but lost the last game 1-0 against a full strenght (according to Steve Bould) West Ham side, but it is fair to say that this seasons first year scholars generation is not the best we've had. A positive is that attacker Alban Bunjaku has started to score goals and he looks tidy in the arsenal.com highlights. But it seems like the next generations are more talented than this current generation.

Brandon Ormonde-Ottewill (defender, LB I think), Jack Jebb (CM), Isaac Hayden (CM), Austin Lipman (attack) and Chuba Akpom (attack) have all been in the England U16 squad so far this season, though two of the three games have been postponed (and in the one game thas was played England lost 4-0 to Wales). Particulary Lipman and Jebb are suppose to be big talents.

And all of those except Hayden are appearantly U15's too, but are still playing U16 football for Arsenal and England. So there is no doubt the Arsenal academy will continue to produce top talents in the future too.

Also next summer when he is 16 years the German youngster Serge Gnabry will arrive at our academy too, and he looks really intresting in this video against North Ireland (he scores the first goal and has a brilliant assist as well):

http://tv.dfb.de/index.php?view=2664

Another video, this one of a double meeting with Russia (he has assists for the two first goals in the 4-0 victory and for the goal in the 1-0 victory)


http://tv.dfb.de/index.php?view=2794

He was the player of the tounament in the Milk cup last summer like Wellington Silva was a couple of years ago.


Some quotes from a German forum (a few months old btw):

There aren't actually many U15-U17 players where I'm sure that they will make it. And even those where I'm sure about do fail sometimes . I'm really excited about Gnabry, Cecen and Can (actually more excited than with players like Aycicek, who's considered the "wonderkid" in the age group). That's probably it. Then there is the category of "they're really talented, they might struggle though because of various reasons but if they manage to work on their weaknesses, they should be able to make it", where lots of other players belong to.

But I'm also excited about players we rarely hear something about due to them not being invited to the national team. Gnabry is one of them, Lennart Ingmann (Gladbach, now Munich) is another one.

The boy is the "next best thing" in German youth football. I've seen him playing quite a lot and he's by far the best German player in the age group 1995. And yes, I know he hasn't played for the national team yet. One more reason to really hope for a replacement of Frank Engel as soon as possible.

How about the U16? Other than hightly rated Serge Gnabry, any other good talents?