Manchester City players are so full of confidence that not one but two players imitated Manchester United's hero when demolishing their counterparts on the other side of the city last weekend.
Carlos Borges scored four goals in City's 6-1 Premier League 2 win at the home of United and pulled out Cristiano Ronaldo's newest 'calm' celebration when victory was secured. Also emulating Ronaldo was striker Will Dickson, who recreated the extravagant 'Siuuu' celebration when his goal made the scoreline 5-1. There's rubbing in a derby win, and then there's doing so by celebrating like United's most iconic player.
The two celebrations were evidence of the confidence teeming through the academy, and City had earned the right due to such a devastating scoreline - one that went down extremely well over at the Etihad when the result was read out during the Premier League win over Fulham. Blues coach Brian Barry-Murphy praised the aggression that City showed against United, and they will need a similar mentality this week when they take on EFL opposition in a must-win clash.
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Sitting within two points of the top of the table in the league, and safely through to the last-16 of the UEFA Youth League for the first time since 2018, City's under-21s can secure a place in the EFL Trophy knockout stages with victory at Grimsby on Tuesday night.
Their League Two opponents impressively beat high-flying League One leaders Plymouth in the FA Cup at the weekend, however, City will be confident following their demolition of United and their previous win at Derby County in the Papa John's Trophy.
That win means that a win of any nature - either in 90 minutes or on penalties - will see City into the next round as group winners. Grimsby, too, know that any win for them will also top the group. The loser, though, will go out, and City are looking to progress past the group stage after failing in that task last season. It feels like confidence - plus the aggression the coach is looking for - will be key to returning from Lincolnshire with a win in the bag.
Last term, City won the Premier League 2 and under-18 Premier League but had no other competition to focus on after getting knocked out of the Papa John's, Youth League and FA Youth Cup by January. This season, they are through in the Youth League, going well in both domestic leagues, and are 90 minutes away from the Papa John's knockouts against Grimsby.
It's a reflection of the confidence within a young academy group, who have seen their big names move onwards and upwards over the summer. Now, the likes of Borges, Dire Mebude, Oscar Bobb and Shea Charles are leading the charge to better the accomplishments that have gone before them.
Speaking after the United win, Borges said that the momentum City are generating is reflected in their performances and inter-game relationships between players. He explained: “It shows out on the pitch how strong the togetherness is, we know how to play with each other, and it has been a good season for us so far.
“To win 6-1 in a derby, away from home, you can’t ask for more really and we are all happy, we know that we have to keep pushing and we will be hoping for the same on Tuesday night against Grimsby.”
Barry-Murphy, meanwhile, was more impressed with the mentality his side showed against United, rather than any individual performances or the significance of the derby scoreline.
“I thought it was a high-intensity game, it was a good test and for a lot of the game I thought it was quite even," he said.
“We had to show a real resolution and commitment to defend the goal and to be really aggressive out of possession. After we showed that commitment in the second half we got our rewards, which is very good for us because it shows the players what can be achieved if they work hard for each other.
If they can reach another knockout stage, making another landmark step forward at Grimsby on Tuesday, there may be justification for more Ronaldo-inspired celebrations.
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