I retired at 19 to become a coach – I never dreamed of making it at Man City

Oliver Reiss, the head coach of Manchester City’s under-18 football team, is a name gaining recognition in English football. Having taken over the role last summer after a successful stint at Hertha Berlin’s academy, Reiss is now leading his team to impressive heights, with City on an incredible 23-match winning streak. His team’s latest challenge is a semi-final match in the FA Youth Cup, a competition that has taken on particular significance during his short tenure at the club. As Manchester City’s under-18s prepare to face Watford on Thursday, they have the potential to make it to the final, with Aston Villa waiting as the likely opponent.

Oliver Reiss’s journey to this point has been marked by both challenges and achievements. When he first arrived at Manchester City, he was stepping into large shoes. The club had a legacy of success under the previous head coach, Ben Wilkinson, who had led City to the FA Youth Cup title the year before. Wilkinson moved up to coach the under-21 team, and Reiss was tasked with continuing the success and maintaining the high standards that were expected of City’s youth setu

Reiss’s experience in football coaching was extensive before coming to City, having spent ten years at Hertha Berlin’s academy. In Germany, the league holds more significance than the cup, so Reiss was familiar with the demands of running a successful academy, but the challenge in England was different. He quickly realized that the FA Youth Cup held special importance at Manchester City, a fact that became evident as soon as he started engaging with the academy players and staff. The first time he truly felt the weight of the competition was before a home game against Crystal Palace in December 2024. Reiss noticed that more people were talking to him about the FA Youth Cup, and that caught his attention.

“It was something special,” Reiss recalls, speaking with the *Manchester Evening News*. “In Germany you have the league and then the cup is second. I had the feeling from the first game that there’s something special here with the Youth Cup. More people around me were talking to me about the games, I could feel something special and now it’s special for me.”

That special feeling turned into significant success. Manchester City began the competition with a narrow win over Crystal Palace in the third round, but they soon hit their stride. In the subsequent rounds, Reiss’s team showed their quality, dispatching Millwall, Leeds, and West Brom with ease, scoring a total of 17 goals in the process. These victories were not just about the youth cup; they were part of a larger trend. City’s under-18 team is now on a 23-match winning streak across all competitions, and they are firmly on track to reclaim the U18 Premier League North title from rivals Manchester United. The team’s success has been nothing short of remarkable, but Reiss is quick to acknowledge the importance of perspective and patience.

However, the road to this level of success wasn’t without its bumps. When Reiss first arrived at City, it was a period of adjustment. He admits that he struggled in the beginning as he navigated a new culture, a new language, and a new coaching environment. “At the beginning, coming into a club at Manchester City, thinking ‘was it the right decision to come’. They were expecting a lot of things from me,” Reiss explains.

The challenges were compounded by the language barrier, as Reiss wasn’t fluent in English when he arrived. That posed a unique challenge when communicating with players and staff, especially in moments when the team needed clear instructions during games. “I came in later without a pre-season and I needed time to adapt with my new staff,” he says. “I can feel in the first games I wasn’t the same standing on the sideline. I can remember I was struggling a bit with the words I wanted to say, and I needed time to translate, and the situation was over. This gave me a little bit of patience, made me a bit comfortable to stay calm. I knew the reasons.”

Despite the early struggles, Reiss quickly found his footing. He focused on building a solid relationship with the players, and his patience started to pay off as the team began to gel on the pitch. The youth setup at Manchester City has long been known for producing talented players, but the club also places a strong emphasis on developing a winning mentality. Reiss embraced that pressure and encouraged his players to do the same.

“I won’t tell my players to suppress that pressure,” Reiss insists. “We want to embrace it. It’s part of what makes the competition so special. They should feel the importance of what they’re doing and carry that responsibility on the field.”

The young City players have certainly responded to their coach’s approach. City’s under-18s have been relentless in the FA Youth Cup and the league, and the results speak for themselves. The 23-match winning streak is a testament to the team’s consistency, but it also highlights the hard work that Reiss has put into ensuring his players maintain a professional attitude week in and week out. For Reiss, his focus is not just on winning titles; it’s also on ensuring that the players are continually developing as individuals and footballers.

While Reiss has achieved success with his current crop of players, he is also aware of the challenges that come with the role. The expectation at Manchester City is always high, and there is little room for complacency. The club’s reputation for developing young players means that every season brings fresh expectations and new challenges. However, Reiss is not one to shy away from that pressure. He has worked hard to build a strong team culture, where the players understand the value of hard work, discipline, and consistency.

As Manchester City’s under-18s prepare for their semi-final clash against Watford, Reiss’s thoughts are firmly on the next challenge. The semi-final promises to be a tough test, but City’s excellent form in the competition thus far gives them a strong chance of advancing to the final. For Reiss, success in the Youth Cup is important not just for the team’s immediate goals but also for the long-term development of the players. The opportunity to compete for such a prestigious trophy is something that the players will cherish, but Reiss is keen to keep their focus on what lies ahead.

Looking beyond the Youth Cup, Reiss also has his sights set on the U18 Premier League North title, where City are locked in a battle with their fierce rivals, Manchester United. The title race in the league adds an extra layer of competition to City’s youth setup, and Reiss is fully aware of the significance of winning both the league and the cup. It would not only be a great achievement for the players but also a statement of City’s continued dominance in youth football.

One of the key aspects of Reiss’s philosophy is the development of players who can make the step up to the senior team. Reiss knows that Manchester City’s academy is renowned for producing talent that eventually plays in the first team, and his job is to ensure that his players are ready for that challenge when it comes. Whether it’s through individual development or through success in competitions like the FA Youth Cup, Reiss is focused on ensuring that the next generation of City players is as prepared as possible to take the next step in their careers.

For now, however, the focus remains on the immediate task at hand: the semi-final against Watford in the FA Youth Cup. As Reiss leads his team into this crucial match, the pressure will be on, but he’s ready to embrace it. With a 23-match winning streak behind them and the momentum of their recent successes, Manchester City’s under-18s are primed for what could be another historic achievement under Oliver Reiss’s guidance. Whether or not they go on to lift the FA Youth Cup, one thing is clear: Reiss has already left an indelible mark on the youth football scene at Manchester City.