Hey
@FCBarca what do you think the major differences are in how this City side is set up compared to Pep's Barcelona? Obviously the foundations are the same but I just believe that ultimately there's enough differences to say that each side has a separate identity. It's blatantly obvious where his Barca side were superior to this City one but I feel there are things this City team can do that his Barca or Bayern sides couldn't (as is the case with any good side). I can't put my finger on what it exactly is myself but for one I feel like this City side is quite a bit weaker in retaining possession than his previous teams but maybe a little better at playing directly and at high speed. I imagine myself it comes down to a combination of personnel available, using De Bruyne as the main man and adapting to the PL but seeing as you know a lot about Pep's style you might know better than that/me.
Thanks.
Sure but tbh it's never a comparison you can really make IMHO.
Apart from the obvious in Messi, peak Pep/Barca enjoyed superlative players at just about every position on the park. Xavi, Iniesta & Busquets - an argument can certainly be made that there has never been a midfield trio like them. Dani Alves when he came from Sevilla in 2008 was at that time perhaps the most devastating defender the game has seen in our generation. Many probably don't recall what a monster player he was at Sevilla but I still have yet to come across a
defender anywhere that inspired more fear in the opposition and not simply for defending but in attack. He shut down his side of the pitch rendering most attacking players (Including when he faced Thierry Henry) moot while simultaneously posing an incredible attacking threat. When he came to Barcelona under Pep, the connection he established with Messi - it was nothing I have seen before or since. Like Xavi & Iniesta, it was virtually innate. Throw in Samuel Eto'O & Thierry Henry in attack and you have a formidable & clinical attacking trident. That just leaves Valdes, Abidal, Puyol & Pique which formed a defensive partnership that thwarted the opposition. Has there ever been an XI like that, throw in bench players like Pedro, Jeffren, Seydou Keita, Yaya, Sylvinho (Who started the CL Final) & Rafa - well, they were deep, skilled & played Pep's brand of football almost extinctively which you had to expect considering how many came through the cantera playing this way from youth.
Anyway, I think you can never really compare these sort of systems & players although you are spot on that Pep tries to make the best use of the personnel at his disposal. If it doesn't work as hoped/intended, he'll adapt and then do it again. As you've already gathered, Pep isn't married to positions but rather getting the collective XI to play a bit like a hydra The similarity clearly lies in the way they play and we saw that with peak Bayern under Pep too. And I agree that City has a different identity but still hasn't reached peak football. For me, the question really is will they get there as I am sure they will get better still - absolutely certain of that. But the step up to greatness takes a certain sort of mentality you see among champion sides. I know a few of the players have it but as a collective will they show that in the biggest matches and when the chips are down? We will have to see which is why I look for that mental edge when I watch City now - it's still not quite there yet but you can see it's growing
I agree too that there is a vertical aspect to their game that appears different that Barcelona's but that too is down to the difference in how the midfielders operate. Will KDB move higher up the pitch once a different profile DM is brought in? Or is KDB better suited to the role he currently enjoys dropping deeper? I'm not sure but knowing Pep, like with how he used Messi - he will want to keep his key players closer to goal than deeper. So, I suspect he envisions moving KDB higher up the pitch where he can do the most damage. I think Pep isn't quite done tinkering with the look of this team. The good is that you are seeing more of the key players asserting themselves on the game where you see few weak links. Right now, the weakest link would be Delph but that isn't to say that he has been poor - quite the opposite. It's just that Mendy would be providing more going forward and taking greater advantage of Leroy.
Then there is the question of Alexis Sanchez - will they really go after him in the winter market? Will they risk having to reinvent themselves by having to integrate and take full advantage of his skill set if they are rolling in December?
