Feyenoord analysis: Minimise profligacy, maintain team spirit

It was an evening to forget for FC Bayern in Rotterdam on Wednesday. The German record champions were hoping to put themselves in a prime position ahead of their final league phase fixture in the Champions League against Slovan Bratislava next week. The target was the top eight and direct qualification for the round of 16. Instead, it ended in a 3-0 defeat at a wet De Kuip. Just as the cold rain poured from the sky in Rotterdam, Bayern chances also rained down on the Feyenoord goal in the legendary stadium, but to no avail. The ball didn't want to go in. "We saw a paradoxical game today in pouring rain," said CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen at the post-match banquet. "We had so many shots on goal but that doesn't count for anything. It's very frustrating. It was a day that we pictured differently. Rotterdam deserved to win today, they took their few chances. It wasn't to be today."

The stats from this damp and unhappy evening in the Netherlands underline this. Harry Kane and Co fired 30 attempts (Feyenoord eight) at the goal of Dutch keeper Justin Bijlow, who was in fine form and saved six clear-cut chances. Jamal Musiala, who returned to the starting line-up following his recent illness, and his colleagues created a total of 10 big chances, yet neither Musiala with a header (60th minute), Kane from close range (42’) nor Leroy Sané with his head (70') could stick the ball in the back of the net.

“We definitely squandered too many chances,” said a frustrated Joshua Kimmich. “When I see how many big chances we had again and how much effort we put in to create a chance – and yet squandered too many and offered the opponent simple opportunities. It was really bad today,” continued the midfielder, who switched to right-back in the second half following Sané’s introduction. “There were hints of it against Wolfsburg and also against Hoffenheim, failing to take a lot of chances and giving away unnecessary ones. You get punished for that in the Champions League. Even with all the chances, we didn’t deserve to win.”

30-8 attempts, 80% possession

It should be added, however, that despite the far greater number of chances, only six of the 30 attempts were actually on target. Musiala and Kane registered five efforts each, without success. According to Kimmich, these numbers should certainly not serve as an excuse but rather explain the feeling in the Bayern camp on this January evening: 80 percent possession, 736 to 192 passes, 40 to three crosses, 13 to one corner kicks. Nevertheless, the final score was an extremely bitter 3-0 reverse. The robust Rotterdam side won 53.7 percent of the duels and repeatedly whipped up the frenetic crowd, who cheered their team on loudly throughout – also with the help of the stadium management, who created a party atmosphere before the game with booming techno music.

De Kuip madhouse

“We know this atmosphere, this stadium, we’ve been really looking forward to this game,” said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany before kick-off. And his team’s attitude over the subsequent 90 minutes could not be faulted as they pressed and pinned down the Dutch hosts in front of their rocking home end, particularly for the first 30 minutes of the second half. That mentality is one thing that should offer hope for the upcoming assignments in the Bundesliga and Champions League.

This Bayern team will stick together, even in (hopefully short) periods of failure. “Even when I look around the changing room, you don’t see anyone blaming others for a defeat, which was different in previous spells like this,” pointed out Kimmich. “The group is sticking together, which encourages me. I’m convinced we can show a good reaction. I see lots of guys with whom I’m really up for playing again in three days.” That’s when the Bavarians, who have a four-point lead over Bayer Leverkusen at the top of the Bundesliga, travel to SC Freiburg. Kompany neatly summarised the evening in Rotterdam shortly before midnight: “It wasn’t enough today as individuals and a collective. But the only thing in our favour is that we play again in three days. That’s the best thing, always being able to react on the pitch again.”

Redemption against Bratislava

After the trip to the Breisgau, it’s the final matchday of the league phase at home to Bratislava next Wednesday. Even though the chances of finishing in the top eight are slim, it goes without saying that Bayern need to get the three points in the bag. “If we don’t end up in the top eight, we’ve still got a chance of progressing via the playoffs, but we’re not looking at that yet,” analysed captain Manuel Neuer, who couldn’t do anything about any of the Feyenoord goals. Dreesen added: “We wanted to take a big step towards the top eight today, which we didn’t manage. The good thing is that we’re not out, there's an eighth match against Bratislava where we can redeem ourselves. Reaching the top eight now will be difficult to impossible - it'd be a miracle.” It certainly would, looking at the table.

With one round of matches left in the league phase, the Munich men are in 15th place with 12 points from seven games. While they’re only separated from eighth position by one point, there are six clubs in their way. The chances of direct qualification therefore look pretty bad, as Aston Villa (against Celtic), Monaco (against Inter), Feyenoord (in a showdown with Lille), Brest (against Real Madrid) and Borussia Dortmund (against Shakhtar) would all need to drop points. The same goes for Leverkusen, Atalanta, AC Milan and Atlético Madrid, the other sides who Bayern can still mathematically catch.

“But then we’ll take on the playoffs and eagerly await what’s in store for us there,” concluded Dreesen in his speech. “Now we want to show in Freiburg that we can do better. We look forward now.”