New York City FC: 3 positives to take despite CCL defeat
1. Ronny Deila’s plan is working
No team will be competitive without a good head coach. Even the best players in the world require an intelligent, tactically astute, motivating manager to get the best out of them. A team is made up of more than just the players. So when New York City FC hired Ronny Deila to be their new head coach, it was important that they hired the right man. And the early signs are positive.
First, there is a clear plan: play out from the back, attack with width, press high. Second, he has put players into positive positions to execute. Third, he has orientated himself alongside the fans with his passionate behaviour on the sidelines. And finally, the team looks like it could yet build something. Even in the second half against Tigres when NYCFC struggled a little more, Deila rightly highlighted their inability to persist with his plan as the reason for the team’s difficulties:
"“The second half, as I said, why we stopped playing the way we do on the ball? We’re still fighting and working together as a team, but we need to take more chances on the ball, so they have to get troubled, so they have to run after us. And that didn’t happen in the second half. It was too little on the ball.”"
Next. New York City FC Vs Tigres: 3 things we learned. dark
Ultimately, New York City FC will not be a good team this season if Deila is not a good head coach. But thus far, he has shown signs that he can build a side capable of challenging, even if the results tell a very different story.