Sir Alex Ferguson used to tell Manchester United’s young players that a youth side containing Gerard Pique, Giuseppe Rossi, Danny Simpson, Ryan Shawcross and Jonny Evans had been beaten at home to Stoke City in the opening round of the 2004-05 FA Youth Cup.
He was trying to ease the pressure before big cup games and his point was: you can lose this one and still have a fantastic career, so relax, and play to the ability which has got you to United in the first place. And if there is to be disappointment, it’s all part of football and get used to how much you dislike that feeling right now.
Manchester United named a very strong side to play Liverpool in the FA Youth Cup fourth round. United have made a big focus on youth, paying millions for teenagers. Several started against their greatest rivals on a sunny afternoon as Neil Ryan’s side hoped to move towards a record 11th FA Youth Cup but United’s first in a decade.
In normal circumstances, the game would have been shifted to Old Trafford and attracted a five-figure crowd for the young players and fans to experience, but these are not normal times and an empty stadium 12 miles west of Manchester was the venue.
Ryan’s under 18s are top of the league and had already beaten Liverpool home and away this season. Ryan, son of former United assistant manager Jimmy, put five players into the side who are regulars in United’s under 23's team. This was contrasted with the previous round against Salford City when United fielded an inexperienced team – nine of the players had never played an FA Youth Cup match before. That all changed against Liverpool but the shape of the usual 18s side was so disrupted that the winning machine stopped winning.
Shola Shoretire has played first team football recently for United, Hannibal Mejbri cost €10 million ($11.76m) from Monaco, Alvaro Fernandez came from Real Madrid, Marc Jurado from Barcelona. Joe Hugill, 17, had scored four goals away to Liverpool’s under 23s, but struggled to create a single chance. Top finisher Charlie McNeill, with 15 goals in as many games, has shone since joining from Manchester City earlier this season.
United had won all four league games in March, top the under 18s Premier League and had reason to be confident, but youth football is as inconsistent as youth players. Liverpool went ahead after 14 minutes – a fine cross from full-back James Norris bending a ball to Tyler Morton to glance a header past Czech goalkeeper Radek Vitek.
United were slow to start and it wasn’t until the 28th minute that Mejbri took a shot on goal. The tricky Frenchman, usually the most fouled player in the side, was United’s biggest threat, but that wasn’t much. Charlie Savage was neat in midfield, but the first half was a disappointment.
United had more urgency in the second, Fernandez seeing a 50th minute effort from short range cleared off the line. Hannibal showed his quick feet before hitting the post two minutes later.
Liverpool went down to 10 men after 67 minutes when Norris lunged studs up on Jurado but United struggled to take advantage of the extra man, with the wide men ineffective and unable to deliver crosses. Liverpool merely sat back and soaked up the pressure. Shoretire dribbled the ball into the box but couldn’t get a shot off, while there were appeals for a penalty when Fernandez’s cross was blocked.
An underwhelming United performance meant elimination and significant disappointment. For some of these players, it will be their only shot at the FA Youth Cup. They won’t be the first United side full of talent to go out of the competition, but it also showed how football lends itself to disappointment and the United players received a significant dose of that. Captain Martin Svidersky sat on the pitch after the game, alone and upset. The development of the young players is the priority rather than individual results, but any game between United and Liverpool is all about the result.
It’s now a decade since United met Liverpool in the quarter-finals on the way to their last FA Youth triumph in 2011. Paul Pogba, Jesse Lingard, Sam Johnstone, Michael Keane, and Ravel Morrison were in that side while Harry Maguire played for finalists Sheffield United, but United’s youth system was left behind by those of Chelsea and Manchester City.
Liverpool progressed too and won the competition in 2019, beating a Manchester City who’ve been losing finalists four times since 2015. City did win the competition last season, Chelsea have won the competition seven times in the last decade.
With Manchester City going out to Everton on Saturday, Liverpool will be favourites with Chelsea this season. Liverpool play at Leicester in the next round.
There’s been a lot of noise about the exciting youngsters at United and the 18s are justifying it in the league, but in the cup they’ll have to wait another season before going again.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
SPECS
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More on animal trafficking
RACE SCHEDULE
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Friday, September 29
First practice: 7am - 8.30am
Second practice: 11am - 12.30pm
Saturday, September 30
Qualifying: 1pm - 2pm
Sunday, October 1
Race: 11am - 1pm
Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week
SPECS
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Sri Lanka-India Test series schedule
- 1st Test India won by 304 runs at Galle
- 2nd Test Thursday-Monday at Colombo
- 3rd Test August 12-16 at Pallekele
MADAME%20WEB
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New process leads to panic among jobseekers
As a UAE-based travel agent who processes tourist visas from the Philippines, Jennifer Pacia Gado is fielding a lot of calls from concerned travellers just now. And they are all asking the same question.
“My clients are mostly Filipinos, and they [all want to know] about good conduct certificates,” says the 34-year-old Filipina, who has lived in the UAE for five years.
Ms Gado contacted the Philippines Embassy to get more information on the certificate so she can share it with her clients. She says many are worried about the process and associated costs – which could be as high as Dh500 to obtain and attest a good conduct certificate from the Philippines for jobseekers already living in the UAE.
“They are worried about this because when they arrive here without the NBI [National Bureau of Investigation] clearance, it is a hassle because it takes time,” she says.
“They need to go first to the embassy to apply for the application of the NBI clearance. After that they have go to the police station [in the UAE] for the fingerprints. And then they will apply for the special power of attorney so that someone can finish the process in the Philippines. So it is a long process and more expensive if you are doing it from here.”
Dubai World Cup nominations
UAE: Thunder Snow/Saeed bin Suroor (trainer), North America/Satish Seemar, Drafted/Doug Watson, New Trails/Ahmad bin Harmash, Capezzano, Gronkowski, Axelrod, all trained by Salem bin Ghadayer
USA: Seeking The Soul/Dallas Stewart, Imperial Hunt/Luis Carvajal Jr, Audible/Todd Pletcher, Roy H/Peter Miller, Yoshida/William Mott, Promises Fulfilled/Dale Romans, Gunnevera/Antonio Sano, XY Jet/Jorge Navarro, Pavel/Doug O’Neill, Switzerland/Steve Asmussen.
Japan: Matera Sky/Hideyuki Mori, KT Brace/Haruki Sugiyama. Bahrain: Nine Below Zero/Fawzi Nass. Ireland: Tato Key/David Marnane. Hong Kong: Fight Hero/Me Tsui. South Korea: Dolkong/Simon Foster.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
If you go...
Etihad Airways flies from Abu Dhabi to Kuala Lumpur, from about Dh3,600. Air Asia currently flies from Kuala Lumpur to Terengganu, with Berjaya Hotels & Resorts planning to launch direct chartered flights to Redang Island in the near future. Rooms at The Taaras Beach and Spa Resort start from 680RM (Dh597).
Bullet%20Train
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Players Selected for La Liga Trials
U18 Age Group
Name: Ahmed Salam (Malaga)
Position: Right Wing
Nationality: Jordanian
Name: Yahia Iraqi (Malaga)
Position: Left Wing
Nationality: Morocco
Name: Mohammed Bouherrafa (Almeria)
Position: Centre-Midfield
Nationality: French
Name: Mohammed Rajeh (Cadiz)
Position: Striker
Nationality: Jordanian
U16 Age Group
Name: Mehdi Elkhamlichi (Malaga)
Position: Lead Striker
Nationality: Morocco
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
Match info
Liverpool 4
Salah (19'), Mane (45 2', 53'), Sturridge (87')
West Ham United 0
Sun jukebox
Rufus Thomas, Bear Cat (The Answer to Hound Dog) (1953)
This rip-off of Leiber/Stoller’s early rock stomper brought a lawsuit against Phillips and necessitated Presley’s premature sale to RCA.
Elvis Presley, Mystery Train (1955)
The B-side of Presley’s final single for Sun bops with a drummer-less groove.
Johnny Cash and the Tennessee Two, Folsom Prison Blues (1955)
Originally recorded for Sun, Cash’s signature tune was performed for inmates of the titular prison 13 years later.
Carl Perkins, Blue Suede Shoes (1956)
Within a month of Sun’s February release Elvis had his version out on RCA.
Roy Orbison, Ooby Dooby (1956)
An essential piece of irreverent juvenilia from Orbison.
Jerry Lee Lewis, Great Balls of Fire (1957)
Lee’s trademark anthem is one of the era’s best-remembered – and best-selling – songs.
Three ways to limit your social media use
Clinical psychologist, Dr Saliha Afridi at The Lighthouse Arabia suggests three easy things you can do every day to cut back on the time you spend online.
1. Put the social media app in a folder on the second or third screen of your phone so it has to remain a conscious decision to open, rather than something your fingers gravitate towards without consideration.
2. Schedule a time to use social media instead of consistently throughout the day. I recommend setting aside certain times of the day or week when you upload pictures or share information.
3. Take a mental snapshot rather than a photo on your phone. Instead of sharing it with your social world, try to absorb the moment, connect with your feeling, experience the moment with all five of your senses. You will have a memory of that moment more vividly and for far longer than if you take a picture of it.
