Pep's contract situation | 2 year extension confirmed! (pg1817)

[HaalandEffect]

The squad have no hunger, looks like Peps tactics do not work any longer in PL. This have been like this since last part of last season

 

[cleavers]

Those that look to have started well, Villa, Leeds, Everton didn’t and aren’t. As we get into winter the seasons slog will start to slow them too.

Why ? None of them will be playing every 3/4 days before christmas, just every 6/7/8.

The real problem at the moment is injuries, we don't have a settled defence, we've been playing an unfit striker or no striker, and the midfield has missed it's best player, and when he returned yesterday, he looked like a shadow of the player we need.

I miss the ruthless Pep, pick players on form and not on years of experience.
When Bernardo and Sterling on great form he kept Mahrez and Sane on the bench. Aguero was kept out when he wasn't doing what he's supposed to do. Gundogan kept his place in the greatest ever finish to season.
Why's Torres/Foden not starting ahead of Mahrez now ? No idea. May be he's lost that ruthlessness.

Nothing to do with ruthlessness, it's all to do with having to rotate the fit players to play ever 3/4 days for 4 months.

 

[oldius]

I understand what you are saying 100%.

But can you explain him playing the same inefective team yesterday as v Porto, and the two lads that came on against Porto and changed the game weren't given a start yesterday ?
Torres never even getting a sub spot even though Sterling and Mahrez were terrible.
It's inexplicable imo.

We all have our preferred players but we don't see them in training, we don't know their level of health, and these are unique circumstances with 2 games a week until Christmas, following no pre-season. I just feel it is too early for the criticism levelled at one of the greatest managers the world has seen.

For what it is worth, I would also prefer Torres and Foden to start but the team we put out were good enough, or should have been.

 

[The1nvisibleMan]

The squad have no hunger, looks like Peps tactics do not work any longer in PL. This have been like this since last part of last season

He's not really using the tactics that made us so formidable which is part of the problem, our full backs are now supposed to give us width as opposed to wingers so in attack we're way too narrow

 

[SWPISHOME]

Surprised Shaw hasn't noticed.

Predictive text has some positives :-)

 

[oldius]

He's not really using the tactics that made us so formidable which is part of the problem, our full backs are now supposed to give us width as opposed to wingers so in attack we're way too narrow

Our full-backs always gave us width and we always played with mobility across the front three. The key difference is that every team now sit with ten behind the ball and tries to break with speed. We are less vulnerable now but also we are creating far fewer chances. The huge injury list is not helping, whatsoever.

 

[Bill Walker]

We all have our preferred players but we don't see them in training, we don't know their level of health, and these are unique circumstances with 2 games a week until Christmas, following no pre-season. I just feel it is too early for the criticism levelled at one of the greatest managers the world has seen.

For what it is worth, I would also prefer Torres and Foden to start but the team we put out were good enough, or should have been.

After the way they played against Porto I would definitely disagree with you that they were good enough.
I find it completely inexplicable why Pep put out that same team again yesterday and expected them to play any differently than they did a few days earlier.

 

[Keeper!]

Love how people say with such certainty that ‘Pep is done’
You’ve got no fucking idea what’s going on behind the scenes and pretending you do from titbits from the media and what some players nat have said after a defeat doesn’t quite cut it.
Also the tired cliched claim that he doesn’t care anymore or run out of ideas is laughable. He’s forgotten more about the game than the majority on here - including me.
If he goes, he goes and we will move on, but this narrative setting in that he’s a busted flush is embarrassing to read.

We have no idea what is going on behind the scenes, but regardless, football is a results game and unfortunately the last 18 months ours are not good enough for a club of our stature.

 

[bennyboy]

You cannot say he is done.
Injuries need to clear up first,once they do and the players get more games behind them I think things will improve.
Last week fans were saying that was a brilliant tactical win,this week he is finished at City.

 

[Roachy]

The squad have no hunger, looks like Peps tactics do not work any longer in PL. This have been like this since last part of last season

I have noticed how little we press the opposition lately, especially in midfield. This was our underpinning tactic 2 years ago, only see it in flashes now.

 

[blue b4 the moon]

Team selection with injuries & fitness hasn't been easy of that there's no doubt but using what's available correctly is the key thing.

 

[Phil1]

I understand what you are saying 100%.

But can you explain him playing the same team inefective team yesterday as v Porto, and the two lads that came on against Porto and changed the game weren't given a start yesterday ?
Torres never even getting a sub spot even though Sterling and Mahrez were terrible.
It's inexplicable imo.

I’ll give it a go.
Back 5 unchanged due to injuries.
midfield unchanged because he sees Gundo and Rodri as his main controllers, keeping possession and allowing the fullbacks to get forward as much as possible. Bernardo in theory should be the legs that gets involved and creates.
Up front, on paper, the two wingers and Aguero should be more than good enough to cause a fairly average West Ham back four problems.
Now, the fact the front 3 all failed massively is on the players. Aguero gets a bit of a pass because he was obviously injured with only 30 mins on the board. The defence for the most part were ok but our main problem is the speed in which we move the ball.
He picked a team with Tuesday in mind, a team that should have gotten the points but failed to do so because as always we miss too many chances.
The zinchenko sub was because Walker was done, he signalled to come off.
The Foden sub worked well and Kev replaced Bernardo because he wanted to keep the shape which in fairness was working in the second half and we were miles better than the first 45.
I’d have liked to have seen Mahrez hooked for Torres but the Walker situation sadly put paid to that.
Another day we win that by a couple of goals.
Tuesday will see a few changes, let’s see how that goes.

 

[Keeper!]

I have noticed how little we press the opposition lately, especially in midfield. This was our underpinning tactic 2 years ago, only see it in flashes now.

Impossible with the players available, we have such a lack of pace and vitality it's scary.

 

[nmc]

I have noticed how little we press the opposition lately, especially in midfield. This was our underpinning tactic 2 years ago, only see it in flashes now.

As you saw at Leeds - even when we try to press the players cannot keep it up for more than 30 mins - two back to back seasons are taking their toll

 

[Phil1]

We have no idea what is going on behind the scenes, but regardless, football is a results game and unfortunately the last 18 months ours are not good enough for a club of our stature.

I prefer to look at reasons why the results haven’t been good enough and try and add a bit of context.
If the poor results were down to a managerial great suddenly becoming shite and not having a clue then I’d be happy to see him go. As it stands I don’t and I don’t.
Football may be a results business but it’s not what makes me support City and it’s why I’m not going to give up on Pep just because we are having a tough time atm.

 

[Keeper!]

I prefer to look at reasons why the results haven’t been good enough and try and add a bit of context.
If the poor results were down to a managerial great suddenly becoming shite and not having a clue then I’d be happy to see him go. As it stands I don’t and I don’t.
Football may be a results business but it’s not what makes me support City and it’s why I’m not going to give up on Pep just because we are having a tough time atm.

No one is giving up on him.

But it's time he showed football he is a special coach.

He does not seem to learn, we have been sussed and have been for 18 months.

Time to change tact and tactics.

 

[Phil1]

No one is giving up on him.

But it's time he showed football he is a special coach.

He does not seem to learn, we have been sussed and have been for 18 months.

Time to change tact and tactics.

He’s shown often enough over the last decade that he’s special.
We haven’t been sussed, we just don’t have our best 11 available often enough to implement the type of game he’d prefer to play so we’ve changed our style and without your best players it inevitably isn’t as good as the first choice would be.
I’m not going into the ‘he doesn’t learn’ thing because however often it’s repeated on here I fail to see how posters on Bluemoon are more tactically savvy than he is.

 

[colin's bell helmet]

5 games into a season having suffered injuries to some very important players and having had no pre season, still in the league Cup and won the first game in the champs league.... Hardly fuckin panic stations is it.

 

[sir baconface]

He also bemoans no longer being allowed 5 subs yet doesn’t even use the 3 he does have properly.

No way would Foden have come on for the start of the second half if Kun hadn’t been injured. 60 minutes maybe.

While he shouldn’t necessarily be a starter every game, Phil is still lower down Pep’s pecking list than he should be.

 

[blueju]

Well, you'll find a few different ones mate.

I can understand fans being a bit despondent and a bit critical of our manager, the team seems to have lost it's vitality and a winning edge.
Players that scored for fun not so long ago seem out of form and jaded.
Pep comes over as a bit lost and vague in interviews, it seems he might be worn out or just plain fed up, he has lost his sparkle and it seems so has the team.
He doesn't emit any positivity in interviews, just looks like he doesn't want to be there.

Sorry pal I was just messing. I think we all know it’s coming to an end with pep, at least it would be better to end sooner than drag on like this