Feyenoord(A) - Post Match Thread

xirtarg said:
This is one of the most obnoxious posts I've seen on here for a while. At 4-0 the Feyenoord fans could still be heard, and as someone who works in an office full of Feyenoord fans, they have had nothing but praise for us today. One of them even said he'll be watching more City games from now on because we played some of the best football he's ever seen.

I see no reason for you to act like that toward their fans, they were welcoming and they created a fantastic atmosphere. There are also worse grounds in the premier league, and that's where all the money is. As far as Dutch grounds go, this is one of the better ones. Not all national leagues are as fortunate as we are.
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Its also counterproductive. Fair play to all the blues who made the trip, but when they started singing 'where's your famous atmosphere' I thought 'for fuck's sake, shut up' because (a) that was only likely to rile their supporters into upping their game (it did) and (b) the crowd getting behind their team was their best chance, along with a red card, of getting back into the game. (Fortunately it didn't). No damage done this time, but if we're 2 up after 20 minutes in Naples I really hope that song doesn't appear again.
 
bennyboy said:
KDB again has made a brilliant start to the season just like the last 2 seasons.
Hopefully this season he can maintain this rich vein of form all season.
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Hopefully this year he won't get burnt out through overuse.
We should have ample cover to give him a rest when required, when everyone is match fit.
 
Shaelumstash said:
DeBruyne looks so much better playing slightly deeper than the number 10 role he played when we first bought him. His strength is not on receiving the ball in tight areas on the half turn. His strength is in his incredible vision and passing range. Playing slightly deeper allows him to make the most of that. There was times last season when he wasn't aggressive enough in a deeper role, but this season he looks so much more competitive and determined that he really is becoming one of the best all round midfielders in Europe. If he keeps this form up, I expect him to win PFA Player of the Season.
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Why, are we selling him in January? Cause he won't win it if he stays at City.
 
Great win. The game showcased Pep's high press tactics beautifully - Feynoord created virtually nothing because whenever they got the ball they were immediately pressed - on multiple occasions potential attacks broke down as they were forced to play it all the way back to their keeper.
 
BlumerMooner said:
Feyenoord were poor tonight but that's down to van brokenhusrt (sp) they have played 4 at the back all last season and he tried to play 5 tonight. It back fires and he changed if at HT and they looked better 2nd half.

The good news is they will set up differently against Napoli who I still think are our biggest competition.

Perfect night for is in every respect!
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I can imagine him being terrified expecting the duo Sergio – Gabby upfront, so he introduced radical changes, an ad hoc 5-2-3 with the 2 wingers positioned inside (perhaps he was expecting a back 3 from City). As we all know, it didn’t work mainly because:

1. City scored too early. A massive shock for them, and before even realizing what hit them they conceded a 2nd, practically result being determined before 25’.

2. As you say, Feyenoord were unfamiliar with that tactical approach, it backfired. It’s the price you usually pay in similar situations…

3. Most importantly, City’s pressing high up completely destroyed their build up. And I do mean completely. They did not manage to organize a single proper attack throughout 90’, the ball hardly reached their forward line, it was incredible. Getting more and more nervous with the clock ticking, they kept chasing our players, desperately trying to cope with our rhythm, but City would easily restore possession of the ball…

Judging by the way formations matched each other, theoretically City could have faced problems provided their fullbacks would advance often enough. With numerical imbalances occurring centrally as well as on the flanks. But as I said they lacked a clear mind, a team really really struggling to follow City’s game. I’m sure van Bronckhorst has already regretted it as his plan achieved exactly the opposite: numerical imbalances occurred all over the pitch, the difference being they were in City’s favor…

Even with a couple of key players missing, Feyenoord’s performance last night at de Kuip does not represent their true strength. Absolutely not, they are much much better than that. But now van Bronckhorst needs to restore his team’s morale in order for his players to respond. They can get their motivation back, nothing is over. Yet. Not to mention, Napoli lost last night…

As for City, perhaps one of those matches epitomizing one of Guardiola’s ideals, killing teams through complete control of possession, total domination. Making them passive throughout 90’. It will not always be the case though. Neither will we always score in the 2nd minute, defining early the circumstances of a match…

Possession is not -and will never be- a viable defensive strategy. I’ll say it once again, Guardiola cannot reinvent football -nobody can. You see, eventually you will lose the ball. Which means you start defending the following moment, either you like it or not. Upgrading personnel is a must, absolutely, but it’s not enough. As always, the answer is on the training ground. Where you work systematically on your defensive strategy, same way you work on your attacking strategy (an area Guardiola’s work has been impressive). Of course you adopt training methodologies that suit your basic strategy (plus the attributes of your players), the thing is however, high pressing will not always be the key. Occasionally you will have to present an organized defense, respond effectively to counter attacks, and so on, and so on, and so on. Last season the emphasis was on establishing a certain style of playing -which is understandable. But it’s an extremely demanding style, an extremely demanding vision. Which means you will not fulfill your objectives unless you build a team familiar with all kinds of situations defensively (set pieces included), a team defending individually as well as a unit in harmony. That is yet to be seen…
 
In his post match comments Pep said

“We made a good step last weekend by beating one of the top teams - last season we only beat Arsenal.

“If you want to grow you have to beat them.
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Was he forgetting the 2-1 win at the swamp or just not counting them as a big team?
 
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