Manchester City must beat Feyenoord to regain some confidence | OneFootball

After their 4-nil drubbing at the hands of Tottenham on Saturday there isn’t much time for Manchester City to feel sorry for themselves. Up next, Pep Guardiola’s side takes on Feyenoord at the Etihad in Matchday 5 of the UEFA Champions League league phase. It sounds ridiculous but the world champions need a win to restore confidence amongst the City squad. 5 consecutive defeats have knocked City’s confidence. But Feyenoord will be no pushover at the Etihad.

First of all City’s opponents on Tuesday evening have made a good start to the new season. Feyenoord currently sit fourth in the Eredivisie standings. They have only lost one game in the Eredivisie so far this campaign. They have won 8 and drawn 4 league games this season. In the Champions League league phase table, they sit 21st. Two wins and two defeats are the sum of their work in the Champions League.

A quick look at the Feyenoord squad shows they have a host of attacking weapons. Winger Igor Paixào has had a strong start to the season. In 18 appearances in all competitions, he has scored 3 goals and added 10 assists. The Brazilian winger has impressed so far this campaign. Midfielder Quinten Timber is another quality performer for City’s opponents on Tuesday. The Dutch international is at the heart of Feyenoord’s play and is another player to watch for at the Etihad. They are just two of the weapons in the Feyenoord lineup. The Eredivisie giants will likely be no pushover at the Etihad.

So while on paper Manchester City will be favourites to pick up a win tomorrow evening, they will enter the game against a tricky opponent down on confidence. So the world champions need a win to help Pep Guardiola’s side overcome their recent slump.

No matter what happens tomorrow night at the Etihad a win would do Pep Guardiola’s side the world of good.

Whatever happens at the Etihad tomorrow Manchester City must pick up a victory. The world champions are in the midst of a lean spell, but the sooner they snap out of their funk, the better. While eyes are shifting to City’s clash with Premier League leaders Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, Pep Guardiola’s side has a job to do tomorrow night first. That is all that matters to Manchester City currently. They can’t afford to look past Feyenoord.

It doesn’t matter how the champions get a win, they must get one. Whether it’s a game where they grind out a result or a free-flowing performance it doesn’t matter. As strange as it sounds to say about a team that has won four consecutive Premier League titles, Manchester City’s players appear low on confidence. A win against Feyenoord would help the City squad regain some of the confidence they have lost over their past 5 games.

Speaking after his team’s heavy defeat to Tottenham Pep Guardiola urged his team to keep going. In Guardiola’s eyes that’s the only way his team will get through their lean patch. He said: “A run like this] It’s not like we have been in for eight years, but I said before, sooner or later it should have happened. I know that people go: ‘Ahh you win again and again and again.’ But you have that [the recent results] for many reasons. Little details. They are little, little, little things to start wrong for the beginning of the season and it was getting worse, a little worse in situations and [people] say ‘No, the squad…’. The squad is really good when we are all together. It’s really, really good, but unfortunately now you have to face it. So, with that situation what do you have to do? Keep going my friends, keep going. We have done it in the past in terms of being not as bad as now in terms of results, but we have done it, and we face the situation, and we move forward.”

Manchester City need to beat Feyenoord at the Etihad to begin to restore some confidence. They will enter tomorrow night’s match knowing that all it takes is a win to potentially turn around their form. Feyenoord will be eager to cause an upset so it is up to the City squad to perform tomorrow night. But whatever happens City must win. That is the only remedy to what the champions are currently going through.