Guardiola’s Special Ones: how private school, psychologists and strict rules on how to wear socks helped Man City transform their academy into the ultimate talent factory

Early on Monday morning, Manchester City’s Under 15s will make their way to the £13,300-a-year St Bede’s private school.

Some whose parents do not have a car will take the train and bus to get to class on time. And until the day is over, that journey is all they have to worry about.

Once a bus is ready to pick up the squad for the four-mile drive to the City Football Academy in the afternoon, everything will be arranged.

Breakfast cereal before training with their kit already laid out in the dressing room, a session in which you learn the way of Pep Guardiola, and then a protein-rich hot meal together. There are smoothies ready, created by the academy’s specific nutritionist.

“Everything is there for them,” said a source. ‘City’s academy is run like some Premier League clubs. It’s like a club in itself.’

That is the focus this week ahead of Sunday’s Manchester derby and following encouraging performances from Liverpool’s kids at Wembley and Anfield.

The North West represents, as one agent puts it, a battle for talent between the region’s big four: City, Liverpool, Manchester United and Everton.

The Manchester giants are likely to share 10 academy graduates at the Etihad Stadium – figures boosted by United’s injury problems.

They are all developing players in different ways. United’s program is less disciplined and focused on individualism and flair, while sources claim City treat their 12-year-olds as ‘mini professionals’, with psychologists and extra help available at the click of their fingers.

Private education gives City an edge for some. James McAtee, now 21 and on loan at Sheffield United, was part of the first cohort to experience St Bede’s and all its trappings. There are usually about 100 City kids there at a time and even if a kid is released by the club, they can go through all of high school for free.

“It’s a huge draw for parents,” said a source. ‘That education is not for everyone, but families see it as a major attraction.’

Both Manchester clubs can claim to be doing well. The way City practice for their kids using only mannequins and shadow the moves of the first team may not be for everyone, but their recent history of producing players for themselves and the wider game is second to none.

The City Finishing School has sold around £150 million worth of talent over the past two summers, with youngsters spread across the top two divisions and abroad.

United, who are on their way to the Under-18 title after four consecutive titles ahead of City, are still offering new blood to their managers despite the deficit. Kobbie Mainoo, a revelation since he broke through, was once an attacking midfielder and thrived in a more laissez-faire system. He has since found a professional home down the road.

What United must decipher now is how to monetize the youth set-up in the way their neighbors do, in the brutal truth of a game now more obsessed with finances than ever. In a plan spearheaded by chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, City’s owners invested £200 million in the training complex. Ten years later it has more than paid for itself.

This will be the first year since 2021 that City have not topped both the Under-18 and Under-23 competitions as they enter a new cycle after huge success on the grass and on the balance sheet. Their poor year at U23 level after three consecutive titles, bottom of the division, owes a lot to an inexperienced squad and departed players.

Overall, they are still reaping the benefits of the 2014 takeover of Liverpool, with the Catalan technical director implementing coaching methods from Barcelona that are still applied across the 16 pitches.

He would later become part of Guardiola’s backroom staff, but Jason Wilcox – now sporting director at Southampton and being courted by United – eventually took over and continued what Borrell started.

“Rodo is a genius in the way he works,” said a source. ‘There was always an explanation and reason why they did something. He breaks things down so they make perfect sense.”

Since his arrival in 2016, Guardiola has certainly noticed a difference in quality in those invited to train with him.

With significant staff turnover, things have changed somewhat and it is up to the new academy director, German Thomas Kruecken, to continue in a building with more than 100 employees.

Kruecken spent some of his time as a younger coach learning his trade at the old Platt Lane base and loves to talk about exploring the cuisine along Rusholme’s Curry Mile.

How things change – or don’t – will be interesting. The academy’s parking lot is a mix of modest hatchbacks, Mercedes and Land Rovers. The ban on wearing colored boots until players have earned a scholarship was introduced by Wilcox.

Socks should sit below the knee but above the ankle. Shirts need to be tucked in, just like Rodri. There is a nominal fine system for young people under the age of 18 and over. The city can be quite a strict environment.

Some aspects of Borrell’s blueprint have been adapted over the years, with more emphasis on individual coaching while adhering to the principles of academy teams all playing 4-3-3 and working on patterns. Often teenagers coming in are labeled as Guardiola clones – Bobb, signed at 16, the last – and it’s not hard to see why.

Little needs to be said about Lewis’s tactical acumen, with English honors to his name. Jacob Wright, who made his debut in January, is an incumbent midfielder in the mold of Guardiola’s midfielders.

Lakyle Samuel’s versatility at the back suggests a City graduate. Jaden Heskey, Emile’s son, impressed in European competition. 16-year-old full-back Rhys Thomas is training with Guardiola’s team. And there are high expectations for Isaac Mcgillvary at Under 13s, his father Jermaine formerly a winger for Rugby League’s Huddersfield Giants.

So talent continues to emerge and recruitment will be a big driver to continue that, with Sam Fagbemi tasked with finding the next crop.

Eyes are on him to see how he operates, following in the footsteps of the successful Joe Shields, now at Chelsea. Much of City’s rise – and Liverpool’s is the same – has been a mix of in-house development and players brought in from elsewhere.

When they enter the building, new signings are expected to pick up the tactical nuances almost immediately. One parent received a call from a coach two weeks after their son joined.

To the parents’ surprise, City were already concerned that the youngster did not understand the concepts and counter-pressure involved in the sessions. It sounds like high pressure, but that’s why the very best are ready for Guardiola.