Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[falcon117]

the team is not good enough especially the defence and midfild.Hope we finish top 4 and start rebuilding in the summer with statement signing rather than average ones .Still believe Pep is the right man for the job and he is the best in history .

 

[Damanino]

he said few months ago he wants his players back. well we got some more injuries this game only but Bobb and Rodri was on the injured list before the CL game. almost everyone back + 4 new players in January including a Rodri alternative.

Real had a worse injury list especially their 4 best defenders.

bare minimum is now really to get the top4 places and make a long run in FA-cup. would be awful to beat all these lower league sides and then face a Villa or Forest or Newcastle in the cup and lose instantly let alone vs the rags...
fear the worst if we draw Villa away in QF, Emery fooled us two times in Villa park already.

dont care much about the club world cup as our fitness will be laughable by the time we start that competition mid June. our fitness is bad now and was bad in November too imagine the state of it in June. what these players would need is play the last game of the season in May and not be back by mid-July but the CWC will completely fuck our schedule imo for holidays, proper regeneration and pre-season with the right training to get us in right shape for next season which clearly didnt happen this season.

 

[Stelea]

He looked frazzled again

 

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Jesus Christ, yes, he fucked up, for the first time in SIXTEEN YEARS.
Fuck me.

Did you not watch the Chelsea CL final?

 

[kippaxchris]

Love the man but how can you be taken seriously if you think Ederson is good enough to play these matches? Or if you think Gundogan is going to come on and sure the midfield up? It's getting worrying.

 

[Damanino]

in CL his ego wont take this early exit easily.

he had incredible CL record before City, either winning it or getting to semifinals at least all the time in 7 seasons.
2009 winning it in his debut season as a manager
2010 semifinals exit
2011 winning it
2012 semifinals exit
2013 took a break
2014 semifinals exit
2015 semifinals exit
2016 semifinals exit
2017 last 16 exit (Monaco)
2018 QF exit (dippers)
2019 QF exit (Spurs)
2020 QF exit (Lyon)
2021 Final loss (Chelsea)
2022 semifinals exit (Real)
2023 winning it
2024 QF exit (Real)
2025 exit before last 16?

at City those Monaco, Spurs and Lyon exits looked very bad he never lost CL tie vs these level of sides before. much lesser clubs, much weaker squads still we couldnt eliminate them. Chelsea final loss also hard to swallow given we were about 20 points above them in the league that season.from that winner Chelsea side nobody fucking still at Chelsea maybe Reece James only. such and odd thing that side won it, and we allowed it. we needed to build for years to win it, that Chelsea side just hired Tuchel in January who tweaked them well and boom won CL 5 months time and they were not even top2 in PL 3 years before that and neither since that, were they? their CL record in previous 5-6 years were like 4 eliminations in last 16 were not even in CL two times. still angry thinking at that final. we should really have two CL trophies. Rodri and Dinho both benched :((

but this season could be Pep's worst ever for CL. before City never a year without getting to semifinals at least. not getting to last 16 was unimaginable for him.

 

[teddykgb]

This. Its the midfield we need to completely renew other than Rodri.

It's not just the midfield but that is important. I think it's as much Haaland and KDB as anything. Aguero was never much of a presser but I think Pep has had to try to devise a system where he has 2 who basically can't actively press and I'm not sure his football works without enough bodies to win it high and early. It would help if we had a midfield who could win it there but we often have only 2 in midfield, really, since we are playing KDB as basically a second striker and our 2 midfielders are slow to boot so they're outnumbered and outpaced. But it all starts at the front, for me, and we almost never press teams into mistakes anymore unless it's a hurried GK on a back pass

 

[ilrm]

So if Guardiola also loses the next 3 games (unlikely but a possibility), what are the chances that he is asked to leave at the end of the season?

 

[christened at st marks]

So if Guardiola also loses the next 3 games (unlikely but a possibility), what are the chances that he is asked to leave at the end of the season?

That wont happen, he'll have a conversation with Khaldoon, and he'll resign probably started by himself.

 

[ilrm]

That wont happen, he'll have a conversation with Khaldoon, and he'll resign probably started by himself.

Wont be easy for him to chuck out what he has here - a devoted owner who will back him with whatever he needs - and walk away. Barca/Bayern had a lot of politics at the back which tired him out. Khaldoon/management on the other hand might think Pep's cycle is up.

 

[Damanino]

this month ends soon hopefully.
Newcastle, Real, Liverpool and then the bogey game Spurs away. and Spurs are in really horrible form, like way worse than us, but can see them gifted goals by our defence and Son who hasnt won a game for them in ages come up with a brace.

of course it may end up with 9 points in the league and a two goal win at Bernabeu. :)
chances are we draw vs Newcastle, lose to Real, lose to dippers who can relax all next week, and bogey Spurs well fuck knows that game. could well be first game of the new manager where they deffo get the new manager bounce if Postecoglou fired until.
remember we fucking lost there once when Conte was fired and one of his Italian assistant was made interim who outfoxed Pep lol

but long gone the days when we had 20 shots with one goal and opponent having 2 shot and 2 goal. now opponents easily allowed 5-10-15 shots...

Pep now needs to think of the Newcastle game, fucking 6 pointer pretty much for top4...
we should not lose any of remaining games vs the teams close to us on the table like Forest, Villa, Brighton, Bournemouth, Barcodes, especially as these are mostly home games, make it count...

 

[applejuice]

Our defenders and wingers run up and down defend create and score. They cover too much responsibility no wonder they drop like flies!

But Pep still thinks that they are the problem not the useless midfielders and refused to address the issue properly. He prioritized to purchase 2 center backs and 1 second striker instead of midfielders (or fullback) in January and here is the result.

Spend 200millions in the winter window and we still have to play Rico Lewis at right back and start with no defensive midfielder. But blue moon still says we must trust this set of leadership to do the "rebuild".

REALLY?

Why does Rico Lewis deserve the chance? How can you justify the physical and mental sacrifices the others have to make to accommodate Lewis? And for Kev in the 2nd half when his legs are gone? Why do the wingers and newly recruited forwards have to fight each other for game time instead of fitting them together into starting XI to replace the aging midfielder who can barely move?

Ever since Ferna left we spent nearly 400millions on midfield but we still don't have a proper midfielder to start vs Real Madrid.

Pep used a 100 year old Walker as excuse to pick Rico his favorite in the first half of the season. Now there is no excuse. He had plenty of choices on the bench and he picked Rico Lewis. He had to take the responsibility himself.

 

[Trojan1962]

Ruining his legacy and when/ if the time comes we don’t qualify for CL next season he needs to fall on his sword. He looks terrible out there recently making mistakes and not able to fix things.
Sad to see as he has given us so much

 

[NoFullNameThisTime.]

I'm firmly Pep in, i think he can turn it around just needs to rebuild like in 2017.

One thing i don't get though is his reluctance to use youth, we've got Nico O'Reilly on the bench every week who looks the part everytime he plays. He ignores him to carry on playing guys that are sinking the ship.

 

[Dax777]

It's not just the midfield but that is important. I think it's as much Haaland and KDB as anything. Aguero was never much of a presser but I think Pep has had to try to devise a system where he has 2 who basically can't actively press and I'm not sure his football works without enough bodies to win it high and early. It would help if we had a midfield who could win it there but we often have only 2 in midfield, really, since we are playing KDB as basically a second striker and our 2 midfielders are slow to boot so they're outnumbered and outpaced. But it all starts at the front, for me, and we almost never press teams into mistakes anymore unless it's a hurried GK on a back pass

If we are being honest, its really just Haaland. Evrn the aged Kevin tries. Haaland is damn near useless as a presser :(

 

[madloaf]

"We took the game in the second half and tried to attack too quickly."

I mean, if that's us attacking quickly when we decide to attack slow it's going to be something special.

 

[Father Paul]

Realistically speaking, we are fast closing in on the end of Peps time at the club. If it's going to take 2 years to rebuild this side, is he here at the end of it? I'm not sure he is.

Before I get jumped on, I love this man and certainly don't want to see him go. Just preparing myself for the inevitable. Big decisions to be made up and down the club.

Before Christmas I felt this might be the end game for Pep. An expensive January window which appears to have had no direct impact has reinforced this feeling. Not sure how he salvages anything from the season at this stage and if he is the right man for what is looking like a problematic rebuild.

 

[christened at st marks]

Seeing Lewis in the tunnel at HT turned my stomach, too small, too slow and for whatever reason, always out of position, watching him go into midfield when he should be marking marde arse.
Just see no reasoning that Pep hasn't come to the end of his time, either he can't see these issues, or chooses not to see them, because of misguided loyalty and affection.

 

[Paul1970]

this month ends soon hopefully.
Newcastle, Real, Liverpool and then the bogey game Spurs away. and Spurs are in really horrible form, like way worse than us, but can see them gifted goals by our defence and Son who hasnt won a game for them in ages come up with a brace.

of course it may end up with 9 points in the league and a two goal win at Bernabeu. :)
chances are we draw vs Newcastle, lose to Real, lose to dippers who can relax all next week, and bogey Spurs well fuck knows that game. could well be first game of the new manager where they deffo get the new manager bounce if Postecoglou fired until.
remember we fucking lost there once when Conte was fired and one of his Italian assistant was made interim who outfoxed Pep lol

but long gone the days when we had 20 shots with one goal and opponent having 2 shot and 2 goal. now opponents easily allowed 5-10-15 shots...

Pep now needs to think of the Newcastle game, fucking 6 pointer pretty much for top4...
we should not lose any of remaining games vs the teams close to us on the table like Forest, Villa, Brighton, Bournemouth, Barcodes, especially as these are mostly home games, make it count...

We are not getting top 4 as we are not good enough this season and pep will continue picking his old guard favourites who will in turn burn out after an hour rinse and repeat every fucking week and if anyone expects next to bd any different then they are living in hope. Really getting pissed off with peps decision making now .

 

[Saddleworth2]

It's not just the midfield but that is important. I think it's as much Haaland and KDB as anything. Aguero was never much of a presser but I think Pep has had to try to devise a system where he has 2 who basically can't actively press and I'm not sure his football works without enough bodies to win it high and early. It would help if we had a midfield who could win it there but we often have only 2 in midfield, really, since we are playing KDB as basically a second striker and our 2 midfielders are slow to boot so they're outnumbered and outpaced. But it all starts at the front, for me, and we almost never press teams into mistakes anymore unless it's a hurried GK on a back pass

Kevin will always be a club legend but he is done. I am already assuming that we need to replace him. Haaland is here to stay and Pep needs to figure out how to build the team round his strengths rather than try and jemmy him into a system that doesn’t suit him. We need two right backs. A left back, at least one ready now centre back and two or three midfielders. Pep should concede even with his skills, he cannot get a tune out of our ageing squad.