ORANGEBURG, N.Y. — The embarrassing 4-0 derby defeat to the New York Red Bulls Saturday wasn’t a warning sign for New York City FC coach Patrick Vieira.
The fact that the Red Bulls' high press disrupted NYCFC’s build-from-the-back philosophy doesn’t mean there needs to be a tactical change. Rather, as Vieira said after the match, it’s about an attitude adjustment.
“We were really sloppy, too slow to make our decisions and then with the way they play and the way they work, it became more difficult for us,” Vieira said after training Wednesday. “Even after the second goal we didn’t react, we didn’t show personality. For me, this is the biggest problem more than just losing the game.”
Vieira has been steadfast about his team keeping their identity and, even after a lopsided loss, he was adamant “it’s not going to change at all.”’
“This is the way we’ve been working since I’ve been in this football club, try to move the ball quicker, try to make a quicker decision. I think when you play some teams more than other ones, it has to be even quicker,” Vieira said. “I think the Red Bulls are the team that if you’re taking too long to make a decision, if you don’t know what to do even before you get the ball at your feet, it will be difficult because of the way they close you down and the mobility and toughness of the players they have on the team.”
Quick decision making was at the heart of the club’s spirited training session Wednesday, the first step Swedish fullback Anton Tinnerholm said to bouncing back from a performance on the weekend that he deemed “unacceptable.”
“It was a lot of duels and a lot of runs and it was a tough training with a lot of intensity,” Tinnerholm said. “I think this is just what we need after that game.”
Tinnerholm said the tactics don’t need to be changed. It’s the sharpness and proper positioning that is critical when playing out of the back.
“Our philosophy is not going to change,” Tinnerholm said. “We talked about it in meetings and it’s all about our positions, how we are positioned when we’re building up and try to help each other. The last game it felt like the guys who had the ball didn’t have that many options, which made it hard for the guys with the ball. It’s more about having the right position from the start and then we need to help each other better.”
Vieira wasn’t surprised in the response on the training pitch and called the showdown with LAFC Sunday (8:30 pm ET | FS1 - Full TV & streaming info) a perfect chance to “show how strong we are as a team.”
“Even after the game I’m still convinced we have a competitive team,” Vieira said. “We have a really good team and we’re going to be there challenging the best teams in this league.”
