O Reilly: Playing left back was Pep Guardiola s sudden idea during training, and it allowed me to learn in actual combat

In an interview with the media "Manchester Evening News" on November 21, Manchester City midfielder O'Reilly talked about many topics and situations about himself. He also talked about his growth in Manchester City, his position as a left-back under Pep Guardiola, and his future goals and other related topics.

The road to counterattack: From growing pains to the Three Lions - the fantastic journey of O'Reilly, the treasure of Manchester City's youth training

While Manchester City's first team continues to refresh the success standards of English football, O'Reilly in the youth training camp is quietly growing up. In the club's meetings to discuss top talents aged 16-18, his name is always one of the few players identified as "potential to enter Guardiola's eyes".

Trouble with growing pains

"When you are in the U15 echelon, you are in the best club in the world, but as you get older you start to doubt whether you really have a chance. " The player who has now grown to 193cm exclusively told the Manchester Evening News, "I suffered from growing pains in my knees and legs during the U16 season. For half a year to a year, my physical coordination was very bad, like a staggering deer on the ice. "

The turning point of my career

Just when I was gradually adapting to the physical changes, O'Reilly encountered the first major decision in his career: Although he had jumped to U23 in the first season, the club decided to let him stay in the U18 for another year and serve as captain. At the same time, Rico Lewis, who was in youth training at the same time, was achieving the Triple Crown with the first team. "I was confused at the time, " he admitted, "but Cole Palmer and Oscar Bob had gone through similar paths. It took several months to adjust their mentality, and that season started slowly. "

Nirvana Rebirth

After overcoming his inner demons, he led the U18s to win the league championship against Middlesbrough and Manchester United, but he missed the entire 2023/24 season due to a serious ankle injury. "That was my first major surgery and I couldn't play normally for seven or eight months. But I knew I had to train hard in the summer to prepare for the next preseason. "

The Miracle of Positional Change

Even when Chelsea clearly expressed interest last season, O'Reilly never wavered in his idea of ​​leaving Manchester City. O'Reilly said that his position change came when Guardiola made a sudden decision-after only one training session at left back, he was allowed to play the position in the FA Cup against Salford. Three months later, against Bournemouth, City trailed at half-time and replaced O'Reilly, who turned the game around with two assists. The data reveals a miracle: since his first start, the team's winning rate has been close to 90% when he played, and plummeted to 50% when he played.

The new philosophy of left-back

"This is definitely learning in actual combat, " he explained the new role, "As a midfielder, it is a challenge to suddenly face the strongest attacker in the league. But this is not a traditional full-back role. As long as the defense is solid, the coach encourages me to go forward and cut inside. " Now he has made Ndiaye, Mudrick, Saka and Salah and other famous players at a disadvantage in their confrontation with him.

The call of the Three Lions

Tuchel was impressed by his leaps and bounds on the defensive end. After making his debut against Serbia this month, he made his debut against Albania. The impression of Manchester City staff on his football intelligence and character is no less than their evaluation of his football skills. Now he has become a role model for City Football Group in developing young players.

Pressure and Belief

"I have always been confident and felt that I could do it, but there is a lot of pressure in such a demanding club and you have to perform well. There is no other choice because they want trophies and three points every week. There is a lot of pressure, and you also need to give back to the fans and try to continue to maintain your form. It is difficult."

"There is still a long time before the World Cup, and there are still many games. I can only keep a low profile, continue to play, and strive to score. A chance to get into that World Cup. We've gone through some rebuilding of the Manchester City team and the coaching staff, so it won't be smooth from the start, but I definitely think we're good enough and strong enough to compete."

"There's still a lot of games to play in the season, and as long as we can continue to be where we are now, we don't need to pay too much attention to [Arsenal], we just need to keep getting three points."