FCBBarçaClub page
FEYFeyenoordClub page
Squad value€1.28bn
Squad value€204.23m
Key playerLamine Yamal
Key playerGivairo Read
Head coachHansi Flick
Head coachGiovanni van Bronckhorst
Barça press high and Feyenoord insist on playing out through it. Expect the ball lost in dangerous places.
Feyenoord commit to keeping the ball and Barça are waiting to break the moment they lose it.
Their back line stands miles up the pitch, so there is a huge open field behind them. Watch any opponent with pace time his run and go — that is where Barcelona can be hurt.
“En banda izquierda, el constante y profundo Álvaro García, sus 33 años, sigue siendo un arma a tener en cuenta ante defensas que, como la del Barça, juega con muchos metros a sus espadas.”On the left wing, the relentless, deep-running Álvaro García, at 33, is still a weapon to watch out for against defences that, like Barça's, play with a lot of ground behind them. our translation
They hunt the ball back the second they lose it, and they keep doing it in the 85th minute as much as the 5th — Flick empties his bench of attackers rather than let the tempo drop.
“El técnico azulgrana demostró, reemplazando a los cuatro jugadores más ofensivos que, uno de sus objetivos para esta temporada, será la de mantener la intensidad, la presión y la velocidad de juego en todos los minutos de todos los partidos.”By replacing all four of his most attacking players, the Barcelona coach showed that one of his aims this season will be to keep the intensity, the pressing and the speed of play going for every minute of every match. our translation
Their front players are genuinely quick and they run in behind constantly. Expect balls slid over the top and forwards sprinting clear of defenders one-on-one with the keeper.
“El Barça tiene a auténticos velocistas arriba con mucha determinación en las finalizaciones ofensivas.”Barça have real sprinters up front, with a lot of conviction when it comes to finishing attacks. our translation
Watch the clock with Feyenoord. They have been starting games well and then letting them slip after about an hour — twice already this season they were on top early and ended up dropping points.
“Feyenoord begon de eerste wedstrijden van het seizoen sterk, maar verloor na rust de grip tegen Sparta en Go Ahead.”Feyenoord started the first matches of the season strongly, but lost their grip on the game after half time against Sparta and Go Ahead. our translation
The way to hurt them is to skip the midfield and go long. Their own coach says they keep losing the physical scraps that follow, and that is how both of their early collapses started.
“Als een team heel direct gaat spelen, moeten wij meer duels winnen.”When a team plays very directly, we have to win more duels. our translation
Feyenoord start their attacks slowly and deliberately: a centre-back carries the ball forward himself until someone comes out to meet him, which leaves a team-mate free. Van Bronckhorst has been drilling exactly that on the training ground.
“We konden vaak de vrije man vinden en onze centralen zijn comfortabel genoeg om het middenveld in te dribbbelen en daar de overload te maken.”We were often able to find the free man, and our centre-backs are comfortable enough to dribble into midfield and create the overload there. our translation