CityInWashingtonState
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- Manchester City is my team - until I fucking die.
I'm interested in hearing from long time followers of Pep, how his tactics have adjusted across the teams he has managed.
For sake of this thread, let's start with Barca.
Moderators - this thread is not "Pep's performance" - I'm not interested in performance - I'm interested current strategy, versus strategy employed at B/M and Barca.
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As a follower of City with general interest in world football - meaning I've not spent nearly enough time to consider myself expert or anywhere near so - here's my take....
As compared to previous sides (Barca, B/M) - it strikes me that Pep has incorporated something new in the way that City attacks. Namely, explosive pace at sideline positions.
Sane at AM on the left (and were he fit) Mendy at LB; on the right we have Sterling and Walker.
Our attack (though we've abundant talent in the mid as well) exploits pace on the sides (wingers and backs) to get behind opposition defenders and then make telling passes across opponent's back lines. We also threaten to score from purely central attacks but for me this doesn't seem to be our biggest threat.
This, for me, seems far different than the primary attack threats opposed by Bayern or Barca.
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We also have significant threats due to height on set pieces - Otters/Kompany/Stones adds a height-advantage, set piece attack which certainly Barca did not have to this extent, and, I'm guessing (didn't follow Bayern that much) that Bayern didn't have to the same extent that we have.
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Barca - built on Messi - attack through the middle primarily - very weak on headed goal threat.
B/M - built on Robery, but Lewandowski provides threat through the middle - not a short squad per-se, so headed goals on set pieces also a threat.
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City - built on pace from the sides. Excellent players throughout of course, but against set defenses our biggest threat seems to be crosses from the side.
On set pieces we're extremely good too - Otters/Stones/Kompany are all very good on offense and can offer a much bigger overall aerial threat than Barca and I'm guessing BM (Lewandoski and maybe Boatang).
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Anyhow, the above is my simplistic, not-particularly-well-articulated take on how City's attack differs from that of Pep's sides under Barca/BM.
Of course Pep's ball retention/high press/position-oriented (get into the right position on offense, no three in a line (triangles per se), which leads to the right position on turn over - move to the ball if your closest but cut off passes otherwise) - is the same throughout.
Do you agree? Have I missed anything?
For sake of this thread, let's start with Barca.
Moderators - this thread is not "Pep's performance" - I'm not interested in performance - I'm interested current strategy, versus strategy employed at B/M and Barca.
===========
As a follower of City with general interest in world football - meaning I've not spent nearly enough time to consider myself expert or anywhere near so - here's my take....
As compared to previous sides (Barca, B/M) - it strikes me that Pep has incorporated something new in the way that City attacks. Namely, explosive pace at sideline positions.
Sane at AM on the left (and were he fit) Mendy at LB; on the right we have Sterling and Walker.
Our attack (though we've abundant talent in the mid as well) exploits pace on the sides (wingers and backs) to get behind opposition defenders and then make telling passes across opponent's back lines. We also threaten to score from purely central attacks but for me this doesn't seem to be our biggest threat.
This, for me, seems far different than the primary attack threats opposed by Bayern or Barca.
============
We also have significant threats due to height on set pieces - Otters/Kompany/Stones adds a height-advantage, set piece attack which certainly Barca did not have to this extent, and, I'm guessing (didn't follow Bayern that much) that Bayern didn't have to the same extent that we have.
=============
Barca - built on Messi - attack through the middle primarily - very weak on headed goal threat.
B/M - built on Robery, but Lewandowski provides threat through the middle - not a short squad per-se, so headed goals on set pieces also a threat.
=============
City - built on pace from the sides. Excellent players throughout of course, but against set defenses our biggest threat seems to be crosses from the side.
On set pieces we're extremely good too - Otters/Stones/Kompany are all very good on offense and can offer a much bigger overall aerial threat than Barca and I'm guessing BM (Lewandoski and maybe Boatang).
=============
Anyhow, the above is my simplistic, not-particularly-well-articulated take on how City's attack differs from that of Pep's sides under Barca/BM.
Of course Pep's ball retention/high press/position-oriented (get into the right position on offense, no three in a line (triangles per se), which leads to the right position on turn over - move to the ball if your closest but cut off passes otherwise) - is the same throughout.
Do you agree? Have I missed anything?
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