Pep Guardiola - 2022/23

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He's done it again hasn't he?

We'd just hammered Liverpool and were facing Bayern Munich so what does he do? Drop the man of the match (Mahrez) and then to unsettle us even more, move one of the other top performers John Stones from the right back role he'd just made his his own to centre half - but still make him drop in and out of the midfield.

Last night we had our biggest game of the season, a title decider pretty much, and he appeared to just go crazy. He dropped the entire shape of the team and moved us to a flat and rigid back four. He played two fixed holding midfielders instead of one. And he changed the entire way we play. No more playing out from the back. Yes, that's right, the whole basis of Pep Guardiola's whole style was thrown out the window and we started playing LONG BALLS from the goalkeeper straight down the middle. The wide men, who've been tormenting defenders all season, barely got a kick.

I am sick of him overthinking big games like this and think we need a thread dedicated to these brain farts.
 
Didsbury Dave said:
He's done it again hasn't he?

We'd just hammered Liverpool and were facing Bayern Munich so what does he do? Drop the man of the match (Mahrez) and then to unsettle us even more, move one of the other top performers John Stones from the right back role he'd just made his his own to centre half - but still make him drop in and out of the midfield.

Last night we had our biggest game of the season, a title decider pretty much, and he appeared to just go crazy. He dropped the entire shape of the team and moved us to a flat and rigid back four. He played two fixed holding midfielders instead of one. And he changed the entire way we play. No more playing out from the back. Yes, that's right, the whole basis of Pep Guardiola's whole style was thrown out the window and we started playing LONG BALLS from the goalkeeper straight down the middle. The wide men, who've been tormenting defenders all season, barely got a kick.

I am sick of him overthinking big games like this and think we need a thread dedicated to these brain farts.
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I'll try again,given my comment was deleted rather than amended......

It was a great thread you attempted to create,with many fully deserving the sentiment behind it......Pep has reinvented the wheel more times than i can recall,he is the very reason we are now the best team on the planet with no signs of our dominance wavering.......yes he has spent plenty,and he is fortunate to have the quality of players he does at his disposal,but he is the person that has improved every single one and made them into an ever evolving winning cohesion.

However (and i know he has more credit than a single mum of 10 on Brookhouse estate) there is no doubt he fucked that CL final up!

Whoever takes over may well do brilliantly too,but the reality is....they have an impossible task.
 
FantasyIreland said:
I'll try again,given my comment was deleted rather than amended......

It was a great thread you attempted to create,with many fully deserving the sentiment behind it......Pep has reinvented the wheel more times than i can recall,he is the very reason we are now the best team on the planet with no signs of our dominance wavering.......yes he has spent plenty,and he is fortunate to have the quality of players he does at his disposal,but he is the person that has improved every single one and made them into an ever evolving winning cohesion.

However (and i know he has more credit than a single mum of 10 on Brookhouse estate) there is no doubt he fucked that CL final up!

Whoever takes over may well do brilliantly too,but the reality is....they have an impossible task.
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I don't want to go around the same old argument about that CL final mate. I totally understand your thinking. We will never know how City would have done with a different 11 but the over-riding point is that he makes bold decisions and most pay off so we should respect the decisions that don't pay off are part of the process.

More to the point I fucking HATE that phrase that he "overthinks".

Totally agree that it merited a thread by the way. What killjoy shoved it in here?
 
Didsbury Dave said:
I don't want to go around the same old argument about that CL final mate. I totally understand your thinking. We will never know how City would have done with a different 11 but the over-riding point is that he makes bold decisions and most pay off so we should respect the decisions that don't pay off are part of the process.

More to the point I fucking HATE that phrase that he "overthinks".

Totally agree that it merited a thread by the way. What killjoy shoved it in here?
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I agree entirely,but,until we lift that trophy,i will not get that game out of my head,it was the biggest in our history,our name was on it! and trying something new on such an occasion was beyond bizarre.
 
FantasyIreland said:
I agree entirely,but,until we lift that trophy,i will not get that game out of my head,it was the biggest in our history,our name was on it! and trying something new on such an occasion was beyond bizarre.
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That game will be out of your head in exactly 6 weeks, 2 days and 11 hours.
 
It was an interesting tactical battle in that first half. Jesus was cutting the passing lane to John Stones as Arsenal were effectively letting Dias have the ball at the back and he was struggling with his distribution. As soon as we went long we caused them problems. I assume that is why Pep was going mental at Ederson to try to get him to bypass Dias and continue to go long.
 
FantasyIreland said:
I agree entirely,but,until we lift that trophy,i will not get that game out of my head,it was the biggest in our history,our name was on it! and trying something new on such an occasion was beyond bizarre.
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If you can't move on, that is your problem. Can't help you there.

I do note that Gundo played holding midfielder on Saturday and it worked. Slightly different shape and different level of opposition but he is an elite player who can play there so I'll stick to my beliefs that final.

The simple fact is that Pep gets far more right than he does wrong and it may go badly wrong again in a game but the way in which he has developed this team is sensational. I've not had chance to watch the full match on TV but what I saw at the ground felt very special.
 
BlueMoonRisin’ said:
I think Pep turning Phillips into a dominant world class player is beyond his genius capability.
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I think Pep is using Phillips to light a fire under the whole team.

He's a mascot masquerading as a player. So they have to carry his load as well besides their own.
 
He will be very difficult to replace and i dare to say it any player can be replaced but not him, not Pep "Bald Fraud" Guardiola. I can almost see the team will be slipped to be just one of top team in Premier League after his departure, it will difficult to reach the height of this football super team machine that constantly going to fight in all competition in each season under Pep.
 
Kamaro011 said:
He will be very difficult to replace and i dare to say it any player can be replaced but not him, not Pep "Bald Fraud" Guardiola. I can almost see the team will be slipped to be just one of top team in Premier League after his departure, it will difficult to reach the height of this football super team machine that constantly going to fight in all competition in each season under Pep.
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How the club is run is a big part of our success and as long as that strucutre is maintained and people that leave are replaced by ones of a high calibre, City can still be very successful after Pep. It will be different though without him and the level the team is at may drop but it can still be good enough to win lots of trophies.
 
FantasyIreland said:
I agree entirely,but,until we lift that trophy,i will not get that game out of my head,it was the biggest in our history,our name was on it! and trying something new on such an occasion was beyond bizarre.
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To be fair, it wasn’t something new. Gundo had played in the pivot position plenty of times. Rodri should have played, but he wasn’t in the best of form.
 
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There is so many things that make him the best (his innovations, his constant adjustments for every match, the consistency and winner mentality season after season his teams have, and the beautiful offensive football), but one aspect that I feel is very underrated is just how much better he makes the players. We constantly mock (and with good reason) players like McGuire, Sancho, Alexis, Jorginho... but honestly, I think with Pep all of them would be great. Of course, the talent of the player and their mentality is what allows Pep to make them better, but just take a look:

- Stones and McGuire had pretty similar career. Both young prospects with great class and passing range, both leaders of good mid table teams (Everton and Leicester). One is now top 5 CB, and the other a mockery in Europe.

- Bernardo, Lemar, Fabinho were after Mbappe the stars of that Monaco. Lemar and Bernardo pretty similar stats. All 3 similar fees. Lemar is a sub in Atletico, Fabinho had 2 good year in Liverpool and has been a liability for season and a half now, and Bernardo again a top player whatever his position is.

- Rodri Jorginho, both had really good seasons with Napoli and Atletico (contenders but not favourites of their leagues). Jorginho is a sub, and Rodri is the best DM in the world.

- Sterling and Sancho, both really young stars with great dribbling and speed and one really good season with two big contender teams (Liverpool Dortmund). One is a sub, and the other was goal machine (for a winger).

- Havertz and Sane/KDB, the three great young players who had an amazing season with competitive (Schalke, Bayer, Wolfsburg), but not contenders. Havertz is mostly a sub. Sane 2 great seasons with us, and well KDB...

- Alexis Mahrez, two top PL players with ton of experience at the top of their game. One was a disaster for United and is now a sub for Inter (I think?), the other one of our most important players in the last 4 years and our top goalscorer for a couple of seasons.

The background and expectations of all those players were pretty similar, yet the results could not be more different. Again, all the praise to our players to have the adaptability, talent and intelligence to trust and listen to Pep, but honestly I am never too scared of whether we will get our first transfer target or not (example Dias). With Pep and the system, it will just work out.
 
Manchester_lalala said:
To be fair, it wasn’t something new. Gundo had played in the pivot position plenty of times. Rodri should have played, but he wasn’t in the best of form.
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It wasn't just Gundo's role,it was the blend of players....there was a distinct lack of steel in the team,especially with both Mahrez and Sterling up front.He tried to fix something that wasnt broken,and picked the worst of occasions to do so.

Anyway.....10th June ;-)
 
OB1 said:
How the club is run is a big part of our success and as long as that strucutre is maintained and people that leave are replaced by ones of a high calibre, City can still be very successful after Pep. It will be different though without him and the level the team is at may drop but it can still be good enough to win lots of trophies.
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It doesn't matter how well run we are ( and we are run magnificently) Joseph Pep Guardiola is a genius at the peak of his powers, whoever replaces him will be a huge downgrade.

I still believe Pep will be around for a lot longer, he is building a dynasty here.
 
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