After a long period of preparation, the 2014-2015 Barclays U21 Premier League, or Professional Development League, finally kicked off.
The first match was a home game against Fulham, with around 300 people in attendance.
In this match, Vieira employed a 4-3-3 formation with Kenneth, George Evans, and Bersant Celina in midfield. Kelechi Iheanacho was up front, flanked by Brandon Barker on the right and Thierry Ambrose on the left.
From the start, Manchester City dominated possession. Fulham chose to sit back and wait instead of pressing the City players, allowing the midfielders to control the ball comfortably.
Fulham's strategy proved faulty when, in the 18th minute, Thierry Ambrose successfully bypassed Fulham's left-back and entered the penalty box. He then sent a low cross to Kenneth, who, with a single touch, passed it to Iheanacho. Iheanacho finished with a well-placed shot into the goal.
This goal not only forced Fulham out of their defensive stance but also encouraged the City players to seek another goal.
In the 25th minute, Kenneth scored with a powerful shot from outside the penalty area, putting City ahead 2-0.
Ten minutes later, Brandon Barker added his name to the scoreboard, breaking free from the offside trap to receive a pass from Bersant Celina. Manchester City U21 led by three goals.
Fulham managed to pull one goal back on a counter-attack just three minutes before halftime.
In the locker room, Patrick Vieira praised his players' performance while instructing them to stay focused.
Manchester City U21 maintained their momentum into the second half.
Early in the second half, Kenneth stole the ball from Fulham's defensive midfielder, who had a poor first touch. Kenneth then sent a through ball to Iheanacho, who finished the chance perfectly, bringing the score to 4-1.
Around the 60th minute, Bersant Celina was fouled in the penalty box. Iheanacho stepped up to take the penalty and scored, completing his hat trick. With the score at 5-1, Vieira began substituting some key players. Kenneth, Iheanacho, and a few others were replaced around the 70th minute.
The final score was 6-2, with Thierry Ambrose scoring the sixth goal in the 90th minute.
With one goal and two assists, Kenneth earned a 9.0 rating and received 2 attribute points for his performance, which he added to his stamina and balance.
A week later, Manchester City U21 played an away match against Sunderland, with no changes in the starting lineup. However, Patrick Vieira instructed them to play more calmly and composed.
Unfortunately, the game did not go as Patrick had hoped. Sunderland applied high pressure from the start.
Jason Denayer, the left center-back, made an error by passing the ball too slowly to his center-back partner, Kean Bryan. Sunderland's striker intercepted the ball and finished perfectly.
Just two minutes in, Manchester City was trailing 1-0 to the home team. After scoring, Sunderland dropped deep, allowing City to control possession freely.
Their strategy worked well, as City U21 struggled to break down their defense. Kenneth attempted two shots from outside the box, but both were blocked by Sunderland players.
The situation worsened when Sunderland scored a second goal on a counter-attack. This forced City to push hard to break through Sunderland's defense, but the Sunderland goalkeeper was in excellent form, saving five shots on target.
The score remained 2-0 until the end of the first half.
In the locker room, Patrick Vieira criticized all the players. After he felt that he had addressed the issues sufficiently, he then gave them encouragement and motivation for the young players.
The break ended, and the second half was about to begin. The City players left the locker room and made their way to the field.
"Hey, Kenneth."
Kenneth turned around and saw Jason Denayer. "What's up?"
"Can you give me the ball if we get a corner or a free kick opportunity? I want to make up for my mistake," Jason said.
Kenneth nodded. "Of course, my friend, leave it to me."
Jason patted Kenneth on the shoulder. "Thanks."
They continued walking towards the field.
The second half began with Sunderland taking the kickoff. Just like Sunderland in the first half, Manchester City pressed Sunderland aggressively.
The ball was passed back to the goalkeeper, and Iheanacho advanced to press the goalkeeper. However, the Sunderland keeper managed to kick the ball far forward.
At the back, Jason Denayer won his duel and passed the ball to George Evans. Evans quickly sent it to Kenneth.
Kenneth received the ball, turned quickly, and dribbled it forward. Two Sunderland players surrounded him, pressing him from both sides. Kenneth passed the ball to Brandon Barker just before he was tackled. Barker pushed the ball forward and sent in a cross.
Unfortunately, Iheanacho failed to win the duel.
Manchester City U21 played at a much quicker tempo. They didn't hold onto the ball for too long but instead passed it forward quickly and executed every opportunity, no matter how small.
In the 54th minute, Kenneth took a corner and delivered the ball to the near post. Jason Denayer won the duel and headed the ball. The Sunderland goalkeeper failed to stop Denayer's header, and Manchester City scored their first goal of the match.
Sunderland stuck to their same strategy, even after conceding. However, this time their counter-attacks were thwarted by City's defenders.
In the 72nd minute, Kenneth made a run into the half-space after a quick one-two with Thierry Ambrose. He delivered a low cross to the far post, and Brandon Barker slid the ball into the Sunderland goal. The score was now tied 2-2.
The young Manchester City players were increasingly motivated to score. However, Sunderland, despite conceding two goals, didn't give up easily.
In the 83rd minute, Sunderland was awarded a penalty after Kean Bryan was judged to have committed a handball. Sunderland capitalized on the opportunity and once again led 3-2.
Manchester City tried to make use of the remaining time to score. Vieira had already made substitutions, bringing on players he thought could turn the game around, but the goal was still elusive.
In the 90+3 minute, George Evans was fouled just outside the penalty area. City was awarded a free kick.
Kenneth and Brandon Barker stood over the ball, preparing to take the free kick. When the referee blew the whistle, Kenneth ran up and struck the ball. It flew quickly, rising up before dipping down. The Sunderland goalkeeper failed to save it.
The final score was Sunderland U21 3-3 Manchester City U21. City managed to escape defeat thanks to Kenneth's free kick in the dying moments of the match.
***
[The match has ended]
[Calculating your rating...]
[Rating: 9.8]
[You saved your team from defeat with two assists and one goal, making you the best player in this match.]
[Congratulations! You earned 3 attribute points.]
It would have been perfect if City had won, but a draw was still a good result considering the way the match unfolded.
Kenneth added one point to stamina and one point to tackle. He felt his contribution to defense was lacking. The final point was allocated to positioning, which refers to how a player positions themselves when defending.
"Instead of focusing only on the offensive side, I prefer being a box-to-box midfielder who can get involved in every phase," Kenneth murmured to himself.
In football, it's impossible for a team to dominate possession from start to finish. There will be times when the opponent controls the ball, and the team is forced to defend. Kenneth wanted to be useful to his team not only when he had the ball, but also when he didn't have possession.
There are twelve teams in the Barclays Under 21 Premier League, meaning there are 22 matches in a season, or 11 matches in a half-season—roughly two matches per month.
Therefore, the Manchester City U21 fixtures for August had concluded. However, Kenneth could still participate with the Manchester City U18s, so he had another match next week.
A day after the match against Sunderland, on Sunday at 8:00 PM BST (British Summer Time), Kenneth and his mother went to Etihad Stadium to watch the Manchester City vs. Liverpool game.
In this match, Manchester City performed excellently. They dominated the game, but the first goal didn't come until the 41st minute of the first half, with Stevan Jovetic scoring.
City continued their strong performance in the second half. They scored their second goal in the 55th minute, again from Jovetic. Then, in the 69th minute, Sergio Agüero added another. Liverpool pulled one back with a Zabaleta own goal.
This victory helped City win both of their opening matches, just like Chelsea, who also triumphed over Leicester. Tottenham also had a big win, defeating QPR 4-0.
Meanwhile, Manchester United failed to win, drawing with Sunderland. Arsenal managed a comeback, equalizing after being 2-0 down against Everton.
This result, which Kenneth was already aware of, confirmed his belief that history wasn't changing—Chelsea would win the Premier League that season.