Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[bugsyblue]

I'm not though. I stand by my view on the 22/23 squad. It's been an ageing squad running on fumes for the last two seasons.

The 22/23 treble masked growing problems. Pep should have left after winning the CL, along with a number of senior players.

All good things come to an end. Our current squad is weak and tactically painful to watch.

The City Group's over reliance on, and apparently blind belief in, Pep's ability to keep going is to blame.

All good things do come to an end but why are you including the manager in that? Do you not think Pep is capable of a rebuild or do you think something has changed in him?

Personally, I think he’s had a poor season but he’s had shocking injuries to key players at a time when, you rightly highlight, some key first teamers are over the hill plus his wife left him.

He’s had two meh seasons in nine. That’s pretty fucking great going.

Let’s see how next season goes. I have a feeling it’s going to be his last and I actually think he might shock the footballing community by retiring. Hopefully he goes out with a bang.

 

[alexmcity]

I'm not though. I stand by my view on the 22/23 squad. It's been an ageing squad running on fumes for the last two seasons.

The 22/23 treble masked growing problems. Pep should have left after winning the CL, along with a number of senior players.

All good things come to an end. Our current squad is weak and tactically painful to watch.

The City Group's over reliance on, and apparently blind belief in, Pep's ability to keep going is to blame.

Dude, the 22/23 squad was fantastic. We had top players on the bench, e.g., Mahrez, Foden and Alvarez in attack, Walker and Laporte in defence. The aging players, Gundo and KdB, were fantastic.

The 22/23 team smashed by 3-4 goals our rivals in England and Europe. The level of quality was like that of the legendary Milan of 88/89 who crushed Real (note, however, that Milan side finished 3rd in Serie A in 1989).

Saying Pep should have left after the Treble season means you were ready to risk the 4 in a row season in which we made history too. Complete and utter nonsense. Give your head a wobble and move on.

 

[Lavinda Past]

All good things do come to an end but why are you including the manager in that? Do you not think Pep is capable of a rebuild or do you think something has changed in him?

Personally, I think he’s had a poor season but he’s had shocking injuries to key players at a time when, you rightly highlight, some key first teamers are over the hill plus his wife left him.

He’s had two meh seasons in nine. That’s pretty fucking great going.

Let’s see how next season goes. I have a feeling it’s going to be his last and I actually think he might shock the footballing community by retiring. Hopefully he goes out with a bang.

Quite simply, I'm not saying he isn't capable, I don't think Pep should be involved in what will be a massive rebuild of a squad that he will be leaving to his successor. It smacks of Ferguson to Moyes

His successor should be in place for the summer window.

 

[Keeper!]

It's pretty obvious that if people can't respect Pep, then what hope does any player have.

Pep's made history at this club but does that make him infallible?

He and the club have made some shocking errors in the last 12 months and it needs to be said, no individual is bigger than the club, when they are the empire disintegrates as we have witnessed in Stretford.

 

[Keeper!]

Still think he needs a plan B in games. Or sometimes start with Plan B instead of hammering plan A all the time.

I can stomach losses. Shit happens.

But largely this season we have been absolute dross to watch. We have played well in about 15 games.

Everyone could see against the saints we were sleepwalking into a draw after 20 minutes.

If the layman like me and you can see it, why does the world's best not see it?

Be ruthless. Haul someone off after 30 minutes if they are having a stinker. Make 3 subs at half time. Freshen things up. Tweak the tactics. Just do something to break the opposition down.

This summer window is his most important of his career. He can't rely on his trusted old guard next season as they won't be here.

Going into Saturday's game he still wanted to contain Southampton the equal ever worst team in PL history , I have to say I find that bizzare, doing that at home against Bournemouth I could understand, they are a team capable of hurting even the best slides, but Southampton, come on.

One shot and that by Akanji in the 45 mins is shocking.

 

[alexmcity]

Pep's made history at this club but does that make him infallible?

He and the club have made some shocking errors in the last 12 months and it needs to be said, no individual is bigger than the club, when they are the empire disintegrates as we have witnessed in Stretford.

We had shockingly many injuries, but it's a stretch to blame Pep or the club bosses for them. They did bank on Rodri staying fit after giving him almost 2 months out. Unfortunately, that injury happened.

Ferguson had underwhelming seasons too. He finished 13th (!) in his second season at United, and went 3 years without a title when Arsenal and then Chelsea were winning it.

Mistakes happen. I doubt we made shocking mistakes though. We didn't sell Rodri or Haaland for peanuts or something. Now, that would have been a shocking mistake.

 

[blueparrot]

Quite simply, I'm not saying he isn't capable, I don't think Pep should be involved in what will be a massive rebuild of a squad that he will be leaving to his successor. It smacks of Ferguson to Moyes

His successor should be in place for the summer window.

We are already half way through the rebuild and it isn't remotely like ferguson and moyes, that's a ridiculous comparison when we have no idea who we will want to take over what will be a young team in 2 years.Pep will leave in 2 years with us having a young team probably with some trophies under their belts. That will be Peps legacy.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Dude, the 22/23 squad was fantastic. We had top players on the bench, e.g., Mahrez, Foden and Alvarez in attack, Walker and Laporte in defence. The aging players, Gundo and KdB, were fantastic.

The 22/23 team smashed by 3-4 goals our rivals in England and Europe. The level of quality was like that of the legendary Milan of 88/89 who crushed Real (note, however, that Milan side finished 3rd in Serie A in 1989).

Saying Pep should have left after the Treble season means you were ready to risk the 4 in a row season in which we made history too. Complete and utter nonsense. Give your head a wobble and move on.

The four in a row season was a step too far for many members of the squad. I believe we'd be in a much better position now for the long term if we'd had a rebuild after winning the CL.

The PL has been of a much lower standard in the last two seasons. Our position in the league this year proves that imo.

 

[Keeper!]

We had shockingly many injuries, but it's a stretch to blame Pep or the club bosses for them. They did bank on Rodri staying fit after giving him almost 2 months out. Unfortunately, that injury happened.

Ferguson had underwhelming seasons too. He finished 13th (!) in his second season at United, and went 3 years without a title when Arsenal and then Chelsea were winning it.

Mistakes happen. I doubt we made shocking mistakes though. We didn't sell Rodri or Haaland for peanuts or something. Now, that would have been a shocking mistake.

We never brought in a Rodri back up, that has been an issue , the signing of Phillips was a disaster.

Sold Alvarez pre season , a superb player full of goals, assists and effort yet did not replace him, arrogance for me.

We need not go into the market last season because I am certain the club and Pep thought this would be his last season.

Pep is our greatest manager, a history maker but he is not beyond constructive criticism.

 

[Keeper!]

We are already half way through the rebuild and it isn't remotely like ferguson and moyes, that's a ridiculous comparison when we have no idea who we will want to take over what will be a young team in 2 years.Pep will leave in 2 years with us having a young team probably with some trophies under their belts. That will be Peps legacy.

We need to bring in 4-6 top players, not project players, top players.

January was a decent start but still question marks against some of those signings in terms of can they challenge for titles next season.

Viana has a hell of a task on his hands this summer, this has to be our best window since this...

 

[Blueknows]

All good things do come to an end but why are you including the manager in that? Do you not think Pep is capable of a rebuild or do you think something has changed in him?

Personally, I think he’s had a poor season but he’s had shocking injuries to key players at a time when, you rightly highlight, some key first teamers are over the hill plus his wife left him.

He’s had two meh seasons in nine. That’s pretty fucking great going.

Let’s see how next season goes. I have a feeling it’s going to be his last and I actually think he might shock the footballing community by retiring. Hopefully he goes out with a bang.

Not from some but he gets a pass in his first season from me , he had a load of deadwood to shift , aging back line , as well as 3 keepers that couldnt play to his system , did well to finish 3rd , also robbed of a cup final place by a ridiculous decision from the linesman......a big test for Pep and his backroom staff this summer

 

[Lavinda Past]

We are already half way through the rebuild and it isn't remotely like ferguson and moyes, that's a ridiculous comparison when we have no idea who we will want to take over what will be a young team in 2 years.Pep will leave in 2 years with us having a young team probably with some trophies under their belts. That will be Peps legacy.

Pep's legacy was the CL. That was what he was appointed for.

Qualifying for the CL is no great challenge for any wealthy club nowadays. Elite clubs should consider being outside top 5 as abject failure.

Pep's in danger of tarnishing his reputation by staying at City for no good reason other than to cover up the City Group's lacklustre / ineffectual approach to succession planning.

 

[blueparrot]

Pep's legacy was the CL. That was what he was appointed for.

Qualifying for the CL is no great challenge for any wealthy club nowadays. Elite clubs should consider being outside top 5 as abject failure.

Pep's in danger of tarnishing his reputation by staying at City for no good reason other than to cover up the City Group's lacklustre / ineffectual approach to succession planning.

It's an opinion, not mine though and we'll see it 2 years time who was nearer. Because whatever your or my opinions pretty sure he's not going anywhere yet.

 

[alexmcity]

We never brought in a Rodri back up, that has been an issue , the signing of Phillips was a disaster.

Sold Alvarez pre season , a superb player full of goals, assists and effort yet did not replace him, arrogance for me.

We need not go into the market last season because I am certain the club and Pep thought this would be his last season.

Pep is our greatest manager, a history maker but he is not beyond constructive criticism.

He is not beyond constructive criticism indeed, but most of those mistakes weren't shocking.

Take Alvarez. He's a very good player but many thought, guess Pep too, that in terms of pure talent our very own Bobb is superior. We expected big things from Bobb this season. Like Rodri, he got injured, so we have missed Alvarez indeed. Hardly a shocking mistake.

Also, maybe we weren't happy with the options on the market for a Rodri back up. The reasoning was that Kova had a whole season under his belt, plus Gundo returned. Unfortunately, it wasn't only Rodri who got injured. Dias missed many games, Stones and Ake even more, even Akanji got injured for 2-3 months.

One can make a case for serious mistakes from Pep and Txiki, but I wouldn't call them shocking. Sometimes, a lot of bad things happen at once, there is no guarantee against having shit seasons.

 

[mcfcbill91]

There was a mistake on Saturday in playing little width, but it appears to have stemmed from Southampton's back five previously being pulled open by someone holding a wide position. To that extent, our set up was to look and take advantage of underlapping runs into the space or tight spaces.

He sought to fix it at half time by bringing Doku on - we did everything but score in the second half.

Everyone is aware of the issues with the squad, which have been exacerbated by repeated injury issues this season too. The club have had to juggle the 115 nonsense for 2 years also.

The decisions on keeping players after the treble and last season are a lot more nuanced than they may appear now. You would be breaking up a team of serial winners who have shown the ability to win titles on the last day, bounce back from CL semi & final defeats etc.

Regarding the style of play comments - the PL is now full of teams that play some of the worst football possible with expensive players. Low block defending followed by pinning your back line with wing backs so they can seek to launch vertical attacks. Look how many games are won by the side with the least possession.

Emery, Frank and a number of other managers couldn't coach consistent title winning football. Villa at the Etihad was almost comical, if they couldn't get through they would go back to the Martinez to try and then play a vertical combination.

We encounter this low block defending weekly - it requires patient play to pull the shape apart and then the shift in tempo. It's difficult to do this with a consistent team and we've had numerous games where a 1-0 has done in title winning seasons. When there's so much uncertainty about the best eleven at the club, it's that much more difficult.

I would be interested to know how else these low blocks can be taken apart on a consistent basis.

 

[Keeper!]

He is not beyond constructive criticism indeed, but most of those mistakes weren't shocking.

Take Alvarez. He's a very good player but many thought, guess Pep too, that in terms of pure talent our very own Bobb is superior. We expected big things from Bobb this season. Like Rodri, he got injured, so we have missed Alvarez indeed. Hardly a shocking mistake.

Also, maybe we weren't happy with the options on the market for a Rodri back up. The reasoning was that Kova had a whole season under his belt, plus Gundo returned. Unfortunately, it wasn't only Rodri who got injured. Dias missed many games, Stones and Ake even more, even Akanji got injured for 2-3 months.

One can make a case for serious mistakes from Pep and Txiki, but I wouldn't call them shocking. Sometimes, a lot of bad things happen at once, there is no guarantee against having shit seasons.

Bobb is getting better with ever game he misses, the hype on this lad is crazy, he had a brilliant pre season, everyone was excited to see what he could do but sadly the footlaing gods had other ideas, he has missed 8 months at a vital period in his career.

Alvarez was a great player, a player ever top team needs, low maintenance, incredible effort, versatile and brings goals and assists, he's been a huge loss.

Gundo wanted 2 years to stay with us, the club would not, yet after a season at Barca we take him back and give him the two years, sad to see a legend of a player in our shirt looking old and leggy.

Ake and Stones have been sick notes for the day they arrived, both wonderful players when fit and available but that is simply not often enough.

Ederson had a huge life changing financial offer to leave, his head understandably was turned, we made him stay and he has not looked the same guy for much of the season.

Walker was getting ripped by any top winger 18 months ago but again we gave him an extension.

 

[pbueno16]

Pep's made history at this club but does that make him infallible?

He and the club have made some shocking errors in the last 12 months and it needs to be said, no individual is bigger than the club, when they are the empire disintegrates as we have witnessed in Stretford.

So what's the point you're trying to make? Sack him, give him full control of the transfer strategy for the rebuild or sign new players and tell him to get to work with what' he's been given?

He's just led the club to four titles in a row and we're still somehow in contention for CL qualification and prepping for a cup final. It's been a shit season, but let's have some perspective that we have a new director who isn't going to stand having his first full season at this club be a repeat of this season when we have the personnel and resources to be on top of the world. Pep's fucked up this season and he's admitted it himself, but it's not like we're rebuilding from nothing. If we keep on playing the way we're playing (which has been absolutely horrendous of late) come November/December, then maybe we can start asking questions.

 

[thegoatsthegoat]

Bobb is getting better with ever game he misses, the hype on this lad is crazy, he had a brilliant pre season, everyone was excited to see what he could do but sadly the footlaing gods had other ideas, he has missed 8 months at a vital period in his career.

Alvarez was a great player, a player ever top team needs, low maintenance, incredible effort, versatile and brings goals and assists, he's been a huge loss.

Gundo wanted 2 years to stay with us, the club would not, yet after a season at Barca we take him back and give him the two years, sad to see a legend of a player in our shirt looking old and leggy.

Ake and Stones have been sick notes for the day they arrived, both wonderful players when fit and available but that is simply not often enough.

Ederson had a huge life changing financial offer to leave, his head understandably was turned, we made him stay and he has not looked the same guy for much of the season.

Walker was getting ripped by any top winger 18 months ago but again we gave him an extension.

Happens all the time with injured players, only player it is true about is Rodri, everyone else becomes ten times better when injured. To say we was happy to let Alvarez go because we had Bobb was laughable, even more so that Bobb got injured two days before Alvarez officially left and then we still had weeks to put things right.

From the top down to Pep they fucked up royally in the last two summers, we are now seeing the product of them fuck ups. An overhaul is needed which will see a transition next year too in my opinion. Fingers crossed we can play remotely exciting football during that period

 

[Keeper!]

Happens all the time with injured players, only player it is true about is Rodri, everyone else becomes ten times better when injured. To say we was happy to let Alvarez go because we had Bobb was laughable, even more so that Bobb got injured two days before Alvarez officially left and then we still had weeks to put things right.

From the top down to Pep they fucked up royally in the last two summers, we are now seeing the product of them fuck ups. An overhaul is needed which will see a transition next year too in my opinion. Fingers crossed we can play remotely exciting football during that period

100% I can take not winning titles just give me our team playing attractive attacking football with pace and great technicality.

 

[meeesh]

We need to bring in 4-6 top players, not project players, top players.

January was a decent start but still question marks against some of those signings in terms of can they challenge for titles next season.

Viana has a hell of a task on his hands this summer, this has to be our best window since this...

You could tell by just looking at that photo that the **** Boateng didn't want to be here, more fool him