Man Metropolis, beware: Copenhagen are Champions League upset consultants

Slightly over 4 months in the past, a dejected and disgruntled Manchester United crew trudged off the sphere at FC Copenhagen’s Parken Stadium having misplaced 4-3 to the Danish membership of their UEFA Champions League group recreation. The house crowd was delighted, euphoric, however possibly not all that stunned. A good few of them had, in any case, seen this occur earlier than.

Again in 2006, the membership also referred to as FCK had certified for the Champions League group stage for the primary time of their historical past, and in simply their second-ever house recreation they beat a Manchester United facet that included Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo. In command of the crew that evening was Ståle Solbakken, who believes that early success set the tone for the years that adopted.

“After we beat Manchester United 1-0, it turned the beginning of what we known as the ‘European nights’ at Parken,” Solbakken tells ESPN. “I feel that the ambiance that you’ve got at Parken, throughout these video games, has grow to be self-reinforcing. So whatever the crew you are going through, you might have a perception that the gang and the ambiance and everybody will show you how to by means of it.”

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Over time, the Copenhagen followers have grow to be fairly used to seeing gamers from the European elite depart Parken sad. Now, with reigning European champions Manchester Metropolis coming to city on Tuesday for the primary leg of their round-of-16 tie, the Danes will probably be aiming to drag off their biggest feat but: Stopping Pep Guardiola’s sky-blue profitable machine. They will be written off by many, however FC Copenhagen’s European report at house is formidable. They’ve performed 18 video games at Parken within the Champions League of their historical past, and so they’ve solely misplaced two of them.

With the Champions League more and more dominated by a handful of mega-wealthy golf equipment, FC Copenhagen are one thing of a throwback, a holdout from a time when European soccer was completely different. The Danes merely is not going to cease being a nuisance to any glamorous opponent UEFA throws of their path.

This season, they progressed from the group stage forward of Manchester United and Turkish giants Galatasaray. Additionally they managed a 0-0 draw at group winners Bayern Munich. But it surely’s at house, on the raucous Parken Stadium, the place FC Copenhagen are likely to unsettle the elite.

“I misplaced in 2013 towards Actual Madrid, and so they misplaced towards Bayern Munich this season,” says Solbakken, who racked up eight Danish league titles over two spells in command of the membership and is now the supervisor of the Norway nationwide crew. “However these are the one two defeats they’ve had. I feel it is a self-reinforcing, self-perpetuating factor. At its peak, I began considering we had been by no means going to lose in these video games. That was once we held Barcelona.”

Not simply any Barcelona, however Pep Guardiola’s Barcelona. In November 2010 Guardiola went to Copenhagen with a crew that had Carles Puyol and Gerard Pique on the again, a midfield of Sergio Busquets, Xavi and Andres Iniesta, and Lionel Messi and David Villa up entrance. It was a crew that may go on to win a second Champions League in three years. A crew that’s regarded by many as one of the best membership facet of all time. However FC Copenhagen, representing the fairly much less illustrious Danish Superliga, held them to a 1-1 draw at Parken.

That heroic consequence, and the wins towards Manchester United, should not outliers. Throughout their numerous European adventures, FC Copenhagen have both crushed or drawn with golf equipment akin to Juventus, Borussia Dortmund, Ajax, Benfica, Valencia, Sevilla, FC Porto, Celtic and, in fact, Manchester Metropolis. When Guardiola’s males visited the Danish capital final season on their approach to profitable the treble, they had been held to a 0-0 draw.

Although they’re underdogs in Europe, one of many causes for the crew’s success has been their refusal to play prefer it. Over time, they’ve realized the significance of having the ability to maintain possession and to attempt to play their very own recreation, even towards a few of the greatest names on the continent.

“The FCK crew that beat Manchester United again in 2006 had strong, Scandinavian gamers — and we performed soccer accordingly,” Solbakken says. “Defensive organisation, set items, quite a lot of muscle. However because the crew developed, we turned higher and higher with the ball as nicely.”

Peter Christensen, the FC Copenhagen sporting director, believes the membership’s optimistic leads to Europe have given them the arrogance to play extra assertively.

“After all we’re the underdogs, however we determined to vary the best way we method the video games,” he tells ESPN. “We’re not ready in a defensive 4-4-2 or 4-5-1, we have determined to have a go. We determined to have a extra aggressive and extra optimistic method, and to play with extra braveness, even when we’re up towards world-class gamers. The mindset modified due to our experiences as a membership, and likewise the outcomes. As a result of at house, we have been in a position to compete towards anybody. That is a large issue.”

Having the ability to maintain the ball isn’t just a matter of favor or aesthetics, it is a crucial device to deploy as a way to keep away from being overrun.

“You do have to have a defensive base, as a result of if you do not have that you simply’re executed,” Solbakken says. “However on the identical time, the best way soccer has developed, you possibly can’t simply defend for 90 minutes. Typically you will need to be capable of take the sting out of the sport, and simply transfer the ball round a bit. In order that the subsequent time you regain possession you might need the power to assault on the counter. I feel that is underrated. And I feel FCK have a convention for it, that when the crew has possession they perceive when to hit the accelerator and when to maintain the ball.”

Continuity and regularly constructing a membership tradition has been essential. Of the present employees, head coach Jacob Neestrup was previously on Solbakken’s employees alongside along with his assistant, Stefan Madsen. One other member of the teaching employees, Hjalte Nørregaard, performed in midfield after they beat Manchester United again in 2006. Rasmus Falk has been taking part in for FCK since they beat Membership Brugge 4-0 and held Porto and Leicester Metropolis to 0-0 attracts again in 2016.

FC Copenhagen was based in 1992, when Kjøbenhavns Boldklub and Boldklubben 1903 merged. It was an bold membership from the beginning, aiming for home success and European adventures. “The tradition is completely different in Copenhagen to anyplace else,” Christensen says. “Now we have been actually particular about what we wish, even when the membership was based. You must perceive that mentality, you have to perceive how issues work each internally and externally, when it comes to dealing with strain and issues like this.”

Head coach Neestrup was promoted from inside having beforehand been in command of the under-17s after which working as a first-team coach. Sporting director Christensen says was all the time assured concerning the 35-year-old’s means to step up. “We had been by no means doubtful once we needed to appoint a brand new supervisor. He is a younger man with an excellent expertise for teaching,” Christensen says. “Now we have a coach now who is absolutely clear on what he needs, and who expects one of the best from the gamers. So excessive calls for, positively. However these are the identical sorts of calls for we now have all by means of the membership, from the employees all the best way right down to the under-15s.”

Former boss Solbakken believes this inside continuity is vital. “One of many benefits FCK has is that you simply all the time have just a few gamers who’ve skilled it earlier than and who, together with the coaches, can cross that have on,” he says. “So it turns into a part of the tradition of the membership. Even when it is a huge problem, they know it has been executed earlier than. And it is not simply a couple of times, it is occurred many occasions.”

FCK’s house assist additionally helps. Sektion 12, the two-tiered stand behind one of many objectives the place the membership’s ultras assemble, has a well-earned fame for each producing noise and placing on putting shows earlier than huge video games. Forward of the 4-3 win over Manchester United in November, they unfurled a large banner depicting a sleeping pink satan and displaying imagery from the 1-0 win again in 2006, and above it the phrases: “Your theatre of nightmares.” Neestrup additionally sparked headlines within the English media when he described the ambiance at Parken as “100 occasions” extra intense than what he skilled at Previous Trafford. Whereas that assertion could have been bullish, the depth of the noise and the ambiance generated by the Copenhagen crowd is simple.

“[Neestrup] wished to ship a sign that we’re used to taking part in in entrance of huge noisy crowds,” Christensen says. “At house they’re in fact a large assist for us, they’re like a twelfth man on the pitch. What they’ve executed and what they’ve created is huge. They create an surroundings for our crew by which the gamers go on the pitch they know that the followers are in a position to carry us by means of a few of it.”

These huge European nights carry with them a unique dynamic for each the gang and the crew. Sure, they’re perpetual Champions League underdogs, however domestically they’re probably the most financially highly effective membership in Scandinavia. They’ve used these sources to draw a few of the most promising younger gamers within the area just like the match winner towards United, 18-year-old Swedish winger Roony Bardghji. All the time looking out for rising Scandinavian expertise, FC Copenhagen had been one of many golf equipment making an attempt to signal a 16-year-old Erling Haaland when he first left his hometown membership of Bryne — however the striker opted to maneuver to Molde, to be taught from then-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær.

Along with attracting younger Scandinavian expertise, FC Copenhagen have additionally fleshed out the squad with Scandinavian gamers who’ve expertise in larger European leagues like Mohamed Elyounoussi (previously of Southampton), Diogo Gonçalves (Benfica), Lukas Lerager (Genoa and Bordeaux), Nicolai Boilesen (Ajax), Andreas Cornelius (Atalanta) and Birger Meling (Rennes). The technique is straightforward sufficient: belief the kids from the academy and from round Scandinavia, then add seasoned execs who might help them.

“It is a clear technique,” Christensen says. “We have determined to place some huge cash into the academy, we now have a extremely spectacular employees there, who’re consultants at what they do. The standard and the expertise is there. After which we get gamers in from huge leagues with huge CVs. That is the combo we wished and it is performed out rather well to date.”

It is proved a potent combine, and domestically expectations are excessive, however Solbakken believes taking part in these huge European video games can really really feel liberating for the gamers.

“Within the Danish league you are anticipated to win each single recreation, day by day, yearly,” he says. “However then in Europe, they get video games the place they’ve every thing to achieve. The gang will all the time be behind us. I feel you are feeling that in the complete stadium, that lastly we are the underdogs. That occurs just some occasions a yr.”

The knockout section of the Champions League is often the protect of the superrich golf equipment, however Christensen stays undaunted by the dimensions of the opposition.

“We do not talk about budgets and the way far we’re from the opposite groups, as a result of we predict that is simply excuses,” he says. “We would not be capable of do that if we did not have a mode of play, if we did not have this unbelievable setup and had gained that have over time. And if we did not have our fanbase doing every thing they will on these European nights.”

Hardly ever, if ever, will they be larger underdogs than towards Manchester Metropolis. However FC Copenhagen will face them with out worry, figuring out that upsetting illustrious opponents is a part of the membership’s DNA. They’ll know that it has been executed earlier than, so there is no such thing as a purpose to suppose it may possibly’t be executed once more.