Pep’s problem is that he likes a small squad and it’s absolutely fucked him this season, because 4 or 5 starters have hit the wall at the same time as he’s had anywhere from 3-10 injuries at the same time.
He feeds on positivity, drive, and trusting his 16 players. At times, many of them have been used when they were at 60-80%, and he hasn’t got away with it.
He sees the players every day, and he’s made the calculus that a trusted veteran at 60-80% is better than an untrusted and untested EDS Graduate at 200% fitness, but 50% tactical and technical nous.
It hasn’t worked and every bit of bad luck that could have happened has seemed to happen.
Against that “disastrous” background, we are 5th in the League and a home victory away from advancing in the CL!
We can all agree that the standards City have set were never going to be able to be maintained forever, but it seems like they didn’t dissipate slowly, they blew up in everyone’s faces over the course of 2 months, and they have undermined who we are today and what we can achieve with this group of players at this time.
Sadly, it looks like the end of the road for a group of these players we have all held in the highest esteem over the last few seasons, as they have reached the end of their top flight careers with City. However, and for whatever reasons, this season we did not do the usual “repair and replace” transfers that helped keep us at the zenith of world football, and while others improved, age and injuries have caught up with elements of the squad.
As it relates to Pep, I’ve mentioned before that I think he’s on the spectrum. As such, I think he has “tics” that sometimes bring that behavior to the fore. His scratching at his scalp, his constant (and rather disgusting) spitball, and his seemingly constant irritability with questions (which I’m sure we would all “enjoy”!). So, at times, even during games while on the sideline and after games while on the field, he has tendencies that look unseemly. Whether it is tugging at opposition players and sharing comments or berating his own players, it’s only his “genius” that allows him to get away with it. But, as with any genius, when their genius doesn’t produce results, it becomes a detractor, a distraction, and all a bit “too” quirky. And here we are!
Help is on the way, but one wonders just how bad things will get before it arrives.
It’s clear that we have defensive problems, most of which are not helped by Pep’s constant reshuffles. We saw one tonight, where, instead of bringing on Stones as a CB in a like for like swap, we removed Dias, brought on Lewis, putting him on at LB (he’s no LB) and moved Gvardiol into LCB (where he has almost zero experience at City)…and shipped 4 goals in under 30 mins!
But wait, THAT wasn’t even the problem!
The problem is that even though Pep has sought to shore up the middle of the park by switching to a 4-4-2, it has been so lightweight, so free of anyone who can put a foot in, win a header, win a 50-50, or even catch the opposition midfielder that has wandered into the half space behind him and us now overloading our defence.
Tonight, we subbed KDB and Kova at 60+ minutes. Their replacements? Gundo & McAtee. I would venture that both players have won less than 10 tackles between them this season. I’d also venture that they haven’t tracked a roving opposition midfielder into our box more than half a dozen times all season. And, don’t get me started on headers!
At the moment, we simply lack the personnel to trade like for like without a massive drop off in team set up or performance, and even players we all hoped could uphold some level of performance have been very disappointing this season. Some of that is down to injuries, some of it is down to Pep’s “circle of trust” being so tight, some of it is because Pep fucks around with player positions too much, and some of it is because even when he’s had the opportunity, he hasn’t helped cultivate much youth talent.
Lastly, I’m not exactly sure what Lillo does for Pep, but the more I see, the more I can only believe he is either an echo chamber telling Pep his ideas are great and to do whatever is on his mind OR he has no clue what we currently need and has nothing much to offer from his stress-free role as Pep’s listening board!
We have a litany of fans on here all pointing to the same problems that never seem to get addressed, yet the millionaire coaching staff seems oblivious to what we see.
I’m not saying we know everything that is going on behind the scenes, but we do know that WHAT WE ARE CURRENTLY WITNESSING IS NOT THE ANSWER!
We are long past playing 4-5-1 when we get ahead in the second half. I thought losing 3 to Feyenoord at home, after being 3 up at home was going to be the low. I was wrong. Winning 2-0 away at PSG in such a key game, with 30 mins to go, and then making another 3 changes, shuffling the defence and midfield (again!), and then shipping 4 goals felt like a new low!
In Pep We Trust. Is that right? Have to admit I’m struggling with that a little bit at the moment. I feel like he’s making significant substitution errors as we struggle through this period, which have only exacerbated things at times. But, I haven’t won a damned thing of note in my football career, so what do I know?!
Come on, City!!!
