Apologies if I've missed this thread, or lots of press articles covering this but I think now is a good time to discuss this.
At the time of writing teams managed by Pep and a coach who studied under him occupy the 2 top places in the PL, plus a former playing following a lot of his odeas is managing the team at the top of the Championship.
Several things that strike me about this;
1. Pep deserves credit for more than just winning Titles
There seems to be limited appreciation or discussion of quite how much English football as a whole has change while he has been here.
Even teams who don't play play Pep ball very rarely hoof the ball upfield from a goal kick anymore, the centre-backs split to receive the ball and play it forward even well down the football pyramid.
2. Football is football all over the World
I remember when Pep first came, all the headlines were about how the Premier League was so 'special' and how his tiki-taki football couldn't possibly work here. 4 out of last 5 Premier League titles seem to suggest otherwise, but there has been no real reappraisal or discussion of how it has been done, apart from the same people saying its because Pep is the best manager with the best players and most money.
3. 'Dinosaur' managers have largely gone from the game
Fat Sam was well up on sports science and stats and perhaps wasn't quite the Neanderthal he came across as, but he certainly couldn't coach this more modern style and presumably that is why he and his like have disappeared - owners and Directors of Football know full well that the game has changed beyond recognition
4. Arsenal and Burnley's success prove it is not just down to Pep & Money
5. Baconface is no longer the greatest manager in the English game
His achievement was longevity, and using the the Rags riches and power effectively.
He did not revolutionise or change or improve the English game, if anything he entrenched all the negatives - reliance on pace, power, strength and players who specialised in one thing rather than having all round skills and the ability to play and understand many positions.
Points 2 and 5 may have something to do with the way this has been a 'silent revolution' and why the money trope is used so often - the same pundits are still giving us their outdated opinions on the game so they don't want to admit they are wrong and can't bear the idea that the GPC might lose his position as the "greatest" manager.
Just a few thoughts but thought it would be good to try andf redress the balance
At the time of writing teams managed by Pep and a coach who studied under him occupy the 2 top places in the PL, plus a former playing following a lot of his odeas is managing the team at the top of the Championship.
Several things that strike me about this;
1. Pep deserves credit for more than just winning Titles
There seems to be limited appreciation or discussion of quite how much English football as a whole has change while he has been here.
Even teams who don't play play Pep ball very rarely hoof the ball upfield from a goal kick anymore, the centre-backs split to receive the ball and play it forward even well down the football pyramid.
2. Football is football all over the World
I remember when Pep first came, all the headlines were about how the Premier League was so 'special' and how his tiki-taki football couldn't possibly work here. 4 out of last 5 Premier League titles seem to suggest otherwise, but there has been no real reappraisal or discussion of how it has been done, apart from the same people saying its because Pep is the best manager with the best players and most money.
3. 'Dinosaur' managers have largely gone from the game
Fat Sam was well up on sports science and stats and perhaps wasn't quite the Neanderthal he came across as, but he certainly couldn't coach this more modern style and presumably that is why he and his like have disappeared - owners and Directors of Football know full well that the game has changed beyond recognition
4. Arsenal and Burnley's success prove it is not just down to Pep & Money
5. Baconface is no longer the greatest manager in the English game
His achievement was longevity, and using the the Rags riches and power effectively.
He did not revolutionise or change or improve the English game, if anything he entrenched all the negatives - reliance on pace, power, strength and players who specialised in one thing rather than having all round skills and the ability to play and understand many positions.
Points 2 and 5 may have something to do with the way this has been a 'silent revolution' and why the money trope is used so often - the same pundits are still giving us their outdated opinions on the game so they don't want to admit they are wrong and can't bear the idea that the GPC might lose his position as the "greatest" manager.
Just a few thoughts but thought it would be good to try andf redress the balance