Nikolic on AEK's 5-1 loss to City: too much respect
AEK coach Marko Nikolic says his players showed too much respect after the 5-1 defeat to Manchester City in the Champions League. Luka Jovic played all 90 minutes.
“I’m choosing my words… Let’s say you have to be less polite.” That is how Marko Nikolic summed up why his AEK lost 5-1 to Manchester City last night on matchday 3 of the Champions League league phase. The Serbian coach of the Greek side was searching for a word for what he disliked, and it was not the scoreline but the attitude toward the opponent.
How did City decide the match against AEK?
The hosts led 2-0 at halftime on the evening of October 20. Anderson opened the scoring in the 12th minute, and Phil Foden doubled the lead late in the first half.
AEK pulled one back in the 52nd minute through Pilios, but the reply came quickly. Cherki made it 3-1 in the 57th minute, and Foden added two more in the 65th and 76th minutes to finish the night with a hat trick.
Luka Jovic played all 90 minutes for AEK. RTS judges that the Serbian striker did not make a notable impact.
What did Nikolic say after the match?
The coach listed what, in his view, shows his team did not go out merely to survive. City had 60-40 possession and 16-11 in shots. Nikolic explained it this way:
“I think it was an interesting match for everyone in the stadium, of course City’s quality decided it. We tried to go out and play our style of football, with our identity, and we didn’t want to give up and just try to ‘survive,’ as I said before the match.”
He singled out one detail on the pitch. “Still, Manchester City’s quality in the final stretch was brutal,” Nikolic said, and he named Foden as a player in rhythm who scored “some great goals.”
He described what he did not like in these words:
“There was only one thing I didn’t like tonight, that we perhaps showed too much respect for the opponent. It seemed as if we were more impressed than we should have been. The fact that we got only one yellow card and made only one serious foul says as much, and so does the way we conceded a few of the goals.”
Nikolic added that AEK’s performance was not bad at all, but that to get a good result against such a rival the team has to be less polite.
What does the table look like and what comes next?
After three matchdays AEK have three points: they beat LASK and then lost to Shakhtar. City, after losing to PSG in the previous round, picked up their second win of the competition and have six points.
In the next round AEK host Real Madrid, while City travel to Leipzig in Germany.
