Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

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I was thinking about Pep today and how he's the equivalent of eating at a 4-star Michelin restaurant. The only catch is it's the only restaurant you can eat at and it's been ten years. My point is no matter how great something is it will go stale in time. I'm not saying there's a better manager because there isn't, I'm just saying that maybe City need to try something new.

That being said, if he can right the ship and take City back to the top it will be his most impressive feat as a manager.

But if Gordon Ramsey has produce from farm foods, it isn't going to be Michelin star is it.

We've shopped in Farmfoods for the last few years, found some gems but also mostly rubbish, and at the same time our Waitrose produce has gone stale and old.

Give Pep Booths and Waitrose produce this summer and we will get 5* Michelin results next year.
 
Pep: "I said to the club, 'I don't want that!' I don't want to put five, six players in the tribune, I don't want that. I will quit. If they don't make a short squad, I will not stay."It's impossible for my soul to put players in the tribune and cannot play. Now it happened because we added four players... Three or four months we could not select 11 players; we didn't have defenders, so difficult. After people came back and next season it cannot be like that."As a manager, I cannot be training 24 players and when I select there has to be four, five, six staying in Manchester at home because they can't play. This isn't going to happen. I said to the club I don't want that..."

WTF?!?!?

People like Khaldoon and Sheikh Mansour do not like being manipulated or threatened with an employee quitting no matter how good the employee.

I hope he just had too much wine or something.. but if this is really happening.. its not good!
 
Squad is currently at 28.

Thats includes young player who get few mins like Reis, Khusanov, McAtee and Echeverri, these are fine to add to the squad.

I think Pep would be satisfied if it got trimmed down to 24 or 25 tbh. Which isnt too hard to do.
 
Pep: "I said to the club, 'I don't want that!' I don't want to put five, six players in the tribune, I don't want that. I will quit. If they don't make a short squad, I will not stay."It's impossible for my soul to put players in the tribune and cannot play. Now it happened because we added four players... Three or four months we could not select 11 players; we didn't have defenders, so difficult. After people came back and next season it cannot be like that."As a manager, I cannot be training 24 players and when I select there has to be four, five, six staying in Manchester at home because they can't play. This isn't going to happen. I said to the club I don't want that..."

Pep is telling some of our older players and their fans that the said players will/should leave. Also, some young players will be sold or loaned out.

Stones and Ake are fan favourites and Pep likes them, but he said many times that he wants reliable players.

He will need experienced players around, just maybe not the ones fans prefer...
 
Squad is currently at 28.

Thats includes young player who get few mins like Reis, Khusanov, McAtee and Echeverri, these are fine to add to the squad.

I think Pep would be satisfied if it got trimmed down to 24 or 25 tbh. Which isnt too hard to do.
If he isn’t satisfied then tough as we all have to make sacrifices in life .
 
Nowhere near big enough as that’s what has fucked us bloody hell does he not learn

What fucked us was having injury prone players whose absence forced Pep to over play other players who then got injuries too, etc. We entered a self-destructive cycle.

Pep's solution is not to bloat the squad but to release the players who have not been reliable fitness wise for years now.

I wrote already in September that Stones and/or Ake had to go. Back then many were optimistic that we could fight for the title even without Rodri (hugely underestimating his role and the problems injury prone players cause).
 
What fucked us was having injury prone players whose absence forced Pep to over play other players who then got injuries too, etc. We entered a self-destructive cycle.

Pep's solution is not to bloat the squad but to release the players who have not been reliable fitness wise for years now.

I wrote already in September that Stones and/or Ake had to go. Back then many were optimistic that we could fight for the title even without Rodri (hugely underestimating his role and the problems injury prone players cause).
What fucked us up what pep refusing new players + barely using subs. Akanji played with an injury for weeks. Foden started despite having a. As season. Pep has plenty of chances to integrate other players - yet he only did when he had to !
Look at Luis Enrique - look at Flick. They used all their players, use all the subs and don’t refuse to acknowledge certain players because they ain’t part of the squad from 2+ years ago. Still don’t get how pep doesn’t get any credit for this bad season.
Txiki asked him and he said no so we only went with an Gundogan who we were somehow lucky being available again and savinho.

If he wants non injury prone players within a small squad then we are in for a big summer and I don’t know if Viana and the board want to go all out for someone who might not be here within a year. The club has to look at other options already and can’t fumble certain players who are going to be big because Pep doesn’t like/ want them.

For me personally the January signings were good and important there’s a life after Pep and it has slowly to start now not when he‘s gone.

We want at least 4 new players which would make the squad even bigger and put us to 32. so by pep logic at least 8-10 players need to leave. Does he include all his favorites? Because that’s where it needs to start .
Stones, Ake, Grealish, KDB, Pbilips, Walker, Bernardo, Gundogan. And even those are 8. potentially Akanji + Nunes too. Can’t see him accepting that. All talk

Girona isn’t free yet so Reis and Echeverri will most liked stay until at least January
 
What fucked us up what pep refusing new players + barely using subs. Akanji played with an injury for weeks. Foden started despite having a. As season. Pep has plenty of chances to integrate other players - yet he only did when he had to !
Look at Luis Enrique - look at Flick. They used all their players, use all the subs and don’t refuse to acknowledge certain players because they ain’t part of the squad from 2+ years ago. Still don’t get how pep doesn’t get any credit for this bad season.
Txiki asked him and he said no so we only went with an Gundogan who we were somehow lucky being available again and savinho.

If he wants non injury prone players within a small squad then we are in for a big summer and I don’t know if Viana and the board want to go all out for someone who might not be here within a year. The club has to look at other options already and can’t fumble certain players who are going to be big because Pep doesn’t like/ want them.

For me personally the January signings were good and important there’s a life after Pep and it has slowly to start now not when he‘s gone.
There was life after Ferguson too, so did United fans think.

Clubs can decline, success is far from guaranteed. Liverpool have won just 2 PL titles, United haven't won a title for 12 years now and are getting worse...

Those wanting Pep out might be surprised by how stupid they were. They don't understand that a season doesn't define you, especially a season after 4 in a row...

You keep the best manager in history for as long as possible.
 
Squad is currently at 28.

Thats includes young player who get few mins like Reis, Khusanov, McAtee and Echeverri, these are fine to add to the squad.

I think Pep would be satisfied if it got trimmed down to 24 or 25 tbh. Which isnt too hard to do.
He said “I cannot be training 24 players”

I think he wants to work with a squad of about 20 core players and supplement them with Academy players as needed.

If that’s true, and we bring in some new players this summer, it means the axe for a large number of the existing squad - or maybe even the exit door for Pep.
 
Releasing perennially inured players may free us now to buy fitter alternatives, but it doesn't satisfactorily resolve the issue. Unless the physical demands are reduced, this season's Stones and Ake could be next year's Rodri and Foden, and both their contracts expire in 2027. Do we extend now and bind ourselves in the same way?

Guardiola may dislike explaining players to players their omission, a responsibility Gundogan could assume, yet in more games than not. he spurns the opportunity to use his full complement of substitutes. If you are not playing and sat at home or not playing but sat on the bench, I see no difference, the disappointment is the same.

If Guardiola wants ready-to-go players, give him what he wants, and if the Club wants greater success in Europe, then give him more of what he wants.
 
He said “I cannot be training 24 players”

I think he wants to work with a squad of about 20 core players and supplement them with Academy players as needed.

If that’s true, and we bring in some new players this summer, it means the axe for a large number of the existing squad - or maybe even the exit door for Pep.
Well excluding 3 goalkeepers that's 17 outfield players.
6 Defenders
6 midfielders and
5 attackers

Dias, Nunes, Gvardiol,Khusanov, LB
Rodri, Gonzales, Kovacic, Bernardo, +1
Haaland, Marmoush, Foden, Savinho, Doku

That means exit for Stones, Akanji, Ake, Phillips, Walker, KdB, Gundogan, McAtee, loan for Reiss. Don't think all those leaving is feasible.

That's your squad Pep
Supplemented with O'Reilly
Looks a bit light to me and with a few injuries Pep would be complaining.
 
Well excluding 3 goalkeepers that's 17 outfield players.
6 Defenders
6 midfielders and
5 attackers

Dias, Nunes, Gvardiol,Khusanov, LB
Rodri, Gonzales, Kovacic, Bernardo, +1
Haaland, Marmoush, Foden, Savinho, Doku

That means exit for Stones, Akanji, Ake, Phillips, Walker, KdB, Gundogan, McAtee, loan for Reiss. Don't think all those leaving is feasible.

That's your squad Pep
Supplemented with O'Reilly
Looks a bit light to me and with a few injuries Pep would be complaining.
Wouldn't shock me though tbh.
 
As far as I'm concerned we were owed this season last year and the fact Pep squeezed a fourth league title out of those players is testament to his management not that this season is evidence of his decline. If you were offered the last five years we have had, painful cup finals included, again for the next five years every single one of us would ask whether they want the signature in ink or blood.
The three years ending 2023 were fantastic. I hope we can get back there.
 
How can you play 70+ games in Europe and domestic without international & World Club games without a larger squad.
Either Kev leaving got to him, or he has lost it and should go, either way it is not for him to dictate and undermine the new DOF in public.
 
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