Pep Guardiola - 2020/21 Performances

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FantasyIreland said:
Necessary rotation looked like it had backfired a touch at half time,but the players stepped that bit more in the second and the result spoke for itself.

He has instilled a passion and desire in our players that reflects his own,our standards are now off the scale and anyone falling below that level will not be entertained or tolerated.

The best manager i have ever witnessed.
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That for me is what stands him apart from other managers. The fact that when we make changes our level doesn't drop. The same hunger to win, brand of football and high expectations are placed on the whole squad.

Testiment to this is the fact that no one is mentioning us missing David Silva anymore. He was talked about a lot when things were off at the start of the season but in no time we have been transformed. Fernandinho is also rarely on the pitch now and Aguero has been missing for months. This run has also been largely achieved without De Bruyne available. Incredible really.
 
supercity88 said:
That for me is what stands him apart from other managers. The fact that when we make changes our level doesn't drop. The same hunger to win, brand of football and high expectations are placed on the whole squad.

Testiment to this is the fact that no one is mentioning us missing David Silva anymore. He was talked about a lot when things were off at the start of the season but in no time we have been transformed. Fernandinho is also rarely on the pitch now and Aguero has been missing for months. This run has also been largely achieved without De Bruyne available. Incredible really.
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Furthermore, if things keep going in the same vein, the debate will grow about whether this is actually Pep's best City side yet. We are not at the point yet to know that but even if he delivers a team almost as good as the Centurions, it it will be a huge achievement and will answer a few question marks or criticisms about Pep.

Pep of course would, rightly in my view, just say "Arsenal" (as in next opponents rather than a reference to one of their previous incarnations).
 
Idk there else to put it but I love the team spirit and mentality he's instilled. Every player is on the same page. I've seen different interviews over the past week or two and every player mentions the same "one game at a time" mantra. There is a different level of cohesiveness and focus from the lads this year.
 
When Eddie pinged that 60 yard pass to Cancelo, the right back, who was in the false 9 position, that just sums up Pep.

The interchanging and movement is incredible. We essentially played with 8 midfielders and 2 ball playing centre backs, who often ended up on the edge of the opposing penalty area they’d traveled that far with the ball, yesterday.

I think this has been Peps vision for a while now, and yesterday was essentially ‘his team’.

It’s total football and I fucking love the man.
 
Proy said:
When Eddie pinged that 60 yard pass to Cancelo, the right back, who was in the false 9 position, that just sums up Pep.

The interchanging and movement is incredible. We essentially played with 8 midfielders and 2 ball playing centre backs, who often ended up on the edge of the opposing penalty area they’d traveled that far with the ball, yesterday.

I think this has been Peps vision for a while now, and yesterday was essentially ‘his team’.

It’s total football and I fucking love the man.
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Johan Cryuff would be proud.
 
I mused earlier on in the season - most likely due to the poor return in performance and points - whether Pep was becoming the next Wenger; stubbornly plugging away at the same style of play and unwilling to adapt and progress, when teams figure us out.

It goes to show just how much of a genius the man is - and probably how much of a fuckwit I can be - with the performances we’ve been putting in and the return we’re now seeing.

I think he is stubborn, and I do think he’s unwilling to tear up his style of play - maybe it’s just me, who was behind on the understanding, but we’re only now beginning to see that he IS ALWAYS adapting and progressing. Whether or not we can pick it apart and see it, he’s just further adapting his style towards something not many people could imagine.

Everyone is baffled and in awe of our full back deployment - Cancelo in particular, and it’s just an extension of his ploy of a dizzying rotating front 5, first seen at Barca. We’re now seeing a migraine inducing rotating 8, and 2 solid CBs. It must be hell for any team who wants to come and play football.

We saw the early development of this plan with Delph and Walker at the start of last season and we were all confused. It didn’t seem to work completely until he got Cancelo up to speed, and Zinchenko progressed. I don’t think Zinchenko’s inclusion and deployment as a fullback was a happy accident - and although Pep probably has a better target in mind now (Alaba?) - I think he hand picked Zinchenko with this in mind.

What did we see at the start of this season which seemed to be a disastrous bit of experimentation - a double pivot. And whilst I hate it, could it not be the seed of Pep’s next master plan to expand further into this fluid rotating team?

Imagine we see next season:

1, A fluid front 5 rotating at will

2, Wingers and fullbacks that can easily rotate between positions with CDMs that can slide across to cover where needed

3, CDMs and CBs that can rotate freely, allowing ball playing CBs to carry the ball forwards and start attacks, and CDMs that can drop in and comfortably remain solid with the remaining CB

I fully imagine this is Pep’s overall goal - 10 outfield players that can all play about 3 positions a piece, and can rotate fluidly but comprehensively. Will it work? I don’t know. But if anyone can do it...

Nerve shredding thought... with Ederson’s ability with the ball at his feet are we going to see our keeper eventually stepping out into CB territory to regularly ping balls about, and a CB stepping in behind to try and clear pot shots over the top? :|

Maybe I’m just late to this idea and everyone’s been keeping quiet - I take back my statement earlier this season though. Pep’s no Wenger.
 
DAGW said:
I mused earlier on in the season - most likely due to the poor return in performance and points - whether Pep was becoming the next Wenger; stubbornly plugging away at the same style of play and unwilling to adapt and progress, when teams figure us out.

It goes to show just how much of a genius the man is - and probably how much of a fuckwit I can be - with the performances we’ve been putting in and the return we’re now seeing.

I think he is stubborn, and I do think he’s unwilling to tear up his style of play - maybe it’s just me, who was behind on the understanding, but we’re only now beginning to see that he IS ALWAYS adapting and progressing. Whether or not we can pick it apart and see it, he’s just further adapting his style towards something not many people could imagine.

Everyone is baffled and in awe of our full back deployment - Cancelo in particular, and it’s just an extension of his ploy of a dizzying rotating front 5, first seen at Barca. We’re now seeing a migraine inducing rotating 8, and 2 solid CBs. It must be hell for any team who wants to come and play football.

We saw the early development of this plan with Delph and Walker at the start of last season and we were all confused. It didn’t seem to work completely until he got Cancelo up to speed, and Zinchenko progressed. I don’t think Zinchenko’s inclusion and deployment as a fullback was a happy accident - and although Pep probably has a better target in mind now (Alaba?) - I think he hand picked Zinchenko with this in mind.

What did we see at the start of this season which seemed to be a disastrous bit of experimentation - a double pivot. And whilst I hate it, could it not be the seed of Pep’s next master plan to expand further into this fluid rotating team?

Imagine we see next season:

1, A fluid front 5 rotating at will

2, Wingers and fullbacks that can easily rotate between positions with CDMs that can slide across to cover where needed

3, CDMs and CBs that can rotate freely, allowing ball playing CBs to carry the ball forwards and start attacks, and CDMs that can drop in and comfortably remain solid with the remaining CB

I fully imagine this is Pep’s overall goal - 10 outfield players that can all play about 3 positions a piece, and can rotate fluidly but comprehensively. Will it work? I don’t know. But if anyone can do it...

Nerve shredding thought... with Ederson’s ability with the ball at his feet are we going to see our keeper eventually stepping out into CB territory to regularly ping balls about, and a CB stepping in behind to try and clear pot shots over the top? :|

Maybe I’m just late to this idea and everyone’s been keeping quiet - I take back my statement earlier this season though. Pep’s no Wenger.
Click to expand...

Pep has never stood still but will always stick to his footballing philosophy and the principles of positional play.

Pep's Bayern didn't play exactly the same way as Barcelona and City have been different from both; the current City team are different to the Centurions: Pep has continued to develop and tweak his approach.

What we are currently seeing is perhaps the finest embodiment of Total Football since the days of Cryuff and Michels.

Pep won't attempt to eradicate specialists but the requirement to be technically able, particularly with respect to passing the ball, will remain essential.

I don't think the use of Delph and Walker as inverted full backs was as unsuccessful or confusing as you suggest.

The sue of a double pivot wasn't a major success but I don't think it should be dismissed as something that shouldn't ever be used. Also, sometimes it takes time for new approaches to work: not everything can be proved or fully developed on the training pitch; and, sometimes you just have to experiment with the resources you have.
 
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