Manchester City 3-3 Feyenoord Review

Champions League - League Phase GW5

Perhaps the most frustrating result of them all, knowing that the win was right there for the taking, the performance had improved in some aspects but in the final twenty minutes the same problems came back to haunt Manchester City. Along with some poor individual mistakes. They now face a tough match at the weekend against Liverpool, questions over their place in the title race and whether they will qualify for the Champions League top eight.

Notable Stats:

• For the first time in what was the 942nd game of his managerial career, Pep Guardiola's side failed to win a match after leading by three goals. Remarkable.

• Tonight against Feyenoord, Manchester City failed to win a match in which they led by three goals for the first time in all competitions since May 1989 against Bournemouth in the second tier (3-3).

• Manchester City is the first team in UEFA Champions League history to lead a match by three goals as late as the 75th minute and fail to go on to win.

Game Stats:

Man City 3-3 Feyenoord

• xG: 2.63 - 2.10

• xThreat: 2.02 - 0.74

• Possession: 63.3% - 36.7%

• Field Tilt: 76.4% - 23.6%

• Penalty Box Shots: 13 - 5

• Deep Entries: 20 - 5

• PPDA: 8.7 - 13.2

• High Turnovers: 9 - 3

If you want to stay up-to-date on individual player minutes, back four combinations, underlying numbers, and more, check out the live Google sheet linked below. 👇

A clear shift in setup back to the system used in the 22/23 season, box midfield formed as Rico Lewis inverts next to Gundogan, Foden, and Nunes pushed up ahead as the two eights. Lewis was tight to Gundogan throughout the match as a double pivot, from the buildup to the final third. For the most part, it was a controlled performance in the first half that lacked some dynamic play out wide from the wingers. But there were still chances leading up to the penalty before half-time.

Gundogan 50’ 2-0

The corner on the right side taken by Foden inswinging to the 6-yard box, cleared and lands in the both of Gundogan on the edge of the box to strike. Left-foot volley hit well and low, deflection makes sure the keeper couldn’t get anything on it.

Haaland 53’ 3-0

Bernardo drops deep pulling his man with him and opening up some space down the right side, Akanji passes into Gundogan between the lines who can turn and play the pass into that space Bernardo opened up, which Nunes can run into. He drives into that space, into the box, and cuts it back across for Erling Haaland in the 6-yard box who slides in to score the goal. Well worked goal.

I don’t think we can be critical of the substitutions by Guardiola in the second half. At the time the team was 3-0 up at home, Feyenoord was not pushing for a goal and had no shots on target and/or inside the box in the second half. De Bruyne needed minutes, Nathan Ake was not able to finish 90 minutes yet, and Foden/Gundogan needed to be rested ahead of the game against Liverpool. There are more than enough senior players on the pitch, that you would trust to manage the final twenty minutes, even with just a one-goal lead.

Manchester City pressed Feyenoord well when they went short, regaining the ball in the final third plenty of times and were able to handle any attempts to go long, winning their aerial duels. It’s when Feyenoord went around the press and looked to hit the Highline of Manchester City they managed to catch them out, how disconnected the press is from the backline, how disorganized they are in transition and eventually around their box.

Moussa 74’ 3-1

The ball in behind the back line that Akanji heads back up is nodded down to Gvardiol by Simpson-Pusey. He then passes back to Ederson which releases Feyenoord through on goal. Moussa gets to it, around Ederson, and squeezes it in.

You just simply cannot make individual mistakes like this, especially when you have the pass in front of you to James McAtee, Jack Grealish further forward to clear it towards, and the vast amount of space Gvardiol could have driven into with the ball.

Gimenez 82’ 3-2

Gvardiol for the second goal makes a pass into James McAtee centrally, instead of again passing to Nunes/De Bruyne further forward or driving into the space in front of him down the left flank. Feyenoord regains possession and moves it across and without any real pressure on the ball can put in a cross to the back-post. Poor from Bernardo Silva and Rico Lewis to neither track the runner nor get out to the crosser.

Gvardiol drops too early, playing all three of the Feyenoord attackers onside. He’s essentially left 3v1 as Nunes and Akanji are not moving with those runners. The back-post runner can get contact and hit it past Ederson. The post is not well covered by him either.

Hancko 89’ 3-3

Feyenoord went over the top of the Man City press, Gvardiol and Nunes both going for the same ball meant it was easy for them to lose possession, collecting the ball from where Nunes should have been. Once worked back to the flank, Feyenoord puts a ball in behind whilst City is not back in shape, Gvardiol jumps and the whole back line is caught up moving with him. Ederson has two options, opts to come out but is not quick enough, Paixao can get a touch on it to round Ederson and cross to Hancko at the back post.

Moving Forward

Next up for Manchester City is a trip to Anfield in the Premier League, which should they lose would open up an 11-point gap to the top and likely see the team drop out of the top four, depending on other results. The team desperately needed a win against any team to get off the losing run and begin to build some sort of momentum. Certainly ahead of playing Liverpool.

For the Champions League qualification, the team needs to now win their remaining three matches against PSG, Juventus, and Club Brugge if they want a chance of finishing in the top eight.

Getting some consistency back in the starting backline is one clear way for the team to find some stability, of course, injuries have prevented that, but with Dias and Ake returning to fitness they need to be playing consistently. Nunes playing in midfield, and the use of Rico Lewis alongside Gundogan as a double pivot were both good steps and should continue this season. It’s tough though with those changes in mind, to see where the win comes if players are going to make such poor decisions as we saw in the final twenty minutes against Feyenoord.

What I will finish on is that this period in the long run should be valuable for the young players in the squad, clearly, Gvardiol has made some mistakes but the whole team is also poorly organized and you can’t have that at any point. You don’t learn these lessons during the good times, it’s the bad moments that will really hammer home the lesson which we may not see the fruits of until next season.