Jake Clarke-Salter Shows His Leadership Qualities in Chelsea's FA Youth Cup Win

STAMFORD BRIDGE, LONDON — Chelsea continue to breed winners in their academy, and Jake Clarke-Salter seems to be the biggest of them all.

The 18-year-old captained the Blues to their third successive FA Youth Cup on Wednesday with a 3-1 (4-2 on aggregate) victory over Manchester City. Not only did he help the club make history in front of over 10,000 fans at Stamford Bridge, but he made a little himself in the process.

Along with team-mate Jay Dasilva, Clarke-Salter has been a part of those three Chelsea teams that have gone on to emulate Manchester United's Busby Babes with their success in the competition.

The hope is Clarke-Salter and others will become established Chelsea players. For the young centre-back, the target is to emulate John Terry.

It wouldn't be fair to judge him on the same sort of level yet. The difference between dominating under-18s football and the senior game is significant, yet it's clear Clarke-Salter has enough about him to make the step up.

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We saw it on Wednesday night, when Chelsea dominated a talented Manchester City side. Players such as City's Brahim Diaz, a diminutive No. 10, were largely ineffective at Stamford Bridge because of the performances of Clarke-Salter and his defensive partner Fikayo Tomori.

Ruben Sammut, playing in front of them in midfield, wasn't half bad, either. He was closing space and pressing opponents in key areas to screen his back four.

Whenever Sammut was leading that press, it was interesting to hear the voice of Clarke-Salter behind him. He was instructing, giving encouragement and letting his team-mate know where he needed to be.

It can be one of the beauties of watching youth football. Smaller crowds mean you can hear what the players are saying on the pitch, and that helps those in the stands get a better understanding for how they read the game.

Sitting close to the dugout at Stamford Bridge on senior matchdays, there are moments in play when we hear the same from Terry. Captain's armband on, he can be heard guiding Cesar Azpilicueta at left-back; when he was nurturing Kurt Zouma alongside him earlier this season, similar words of encouragement echoed around the pitch.

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That's what made Terry a master of the game. He's been a fine defender—arguably the best of the Premier League generation—yet it's as a leader where he has stood out. He's been the player stepping up to dictate how Chelsea play, controlling things from deep to execute a game plan.

It was Terry who made the Blues so dominant during Jose Mourinho's first era, and that carried right through to last season's title victory. When the manager needed a leader to build around, he had the perfect candidate.

It's what Clarke-Salter has done at youth level. But the fact both are defenders is where the similarities end; Clarke-Salter doesn't have the same physicality as Terry but makes up for it with the way he attempts to play out from the back.

As characters, though, the signs are there that Clarke-Salter isn't much different to his senior colleague. He has a similar mentality, which is being nurtured into a winning formula—as his three FA Youth Cup winners' medals demonstrate. We need to remember Clarke-Salter's been part of Chelsea's victorious UEFA Youth League campaigns, too.

"It's testament to how well [Jake and Jay] have done in the past three years," under-18s assistant manager Jody Morris told Chelsea TV after Wednesday's Youth Cup victory against City.

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"They're two extremely good boys, first and foremost. They're talented footballers and have gone on to equal the Manchester United players [of the 1950s]. It's a special achievement, and I'm not sure how many other players you'll see go on to do that, which shows how special it is."

What it all comes back to is whether Clarke-Salter and Chelsea's other youth-team players can repeat this success higher up. That's the challenge they all face.

The under-18s captain is ahead of the chasing pack in that regard, having made his debut against Aston Villa in March. He was a late substitute in Chelsea's 4-0 win that day, so he must surely be targeting more exposure to the first-team spotlight now his days with the under-18s have come to an end.

Morris touched on his ability as a footballer, yet we saw more than that on show against City. Clarke-Salter demonstrated he has the capacity to be a leader, which suggests plenty about his mentality.

It's too early to be pinning tags such as "future Chelsea captain" on his young shoulders. Clarke-Salter needs time to continue his development and hone his trade, although it doesn't mean we shouldn't marvel at what a fine talent he is.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.