Pep Guardiola - 2025/26

[richards30]

Khaldoon needs to have a serious word with Pep

 

[Gabriel]

So bizarre. From the most beautiful football in the world, to the most basic football in the world. Yes the players have changed, and yes, they might not be as good, but we're not talking chopped liver here. We've simply stopped playing the way we used to. Its nowhere near as fun, or right now, as successful.

Have to give the opponent credit. Inzaghi just did what he did with Internazionale back in September: soak it up, trust we're our usual profligate selves in front of goal, and then go at them on the counter, especially just after the break. It's the blueprint for playing against us, and, worryingly, we've still not shown that we can prevent it.

 

[BluestBlue]

Had the feeling that Pep picking Bernie as captain is this year's bringing Gundog home.

The second that decision was made I instantly knew what it meant

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Had the feeling that Pep picking Bernie as captain is this year's bringing Gundog home.

That one decision should have had the alarm bells ringing amongst fans. He has been awful for 2 years and Pep gave him the captaincy. There will always be exceptions but rarely does it end well when clubs reward mediocrity.

 

[David White]

Old players are his... newer ones are club bought and given to him to work with, don't think he has as much of a say these days, possibly due to lack of commitment ect so he doesn't feel obliged to play them.


Also all the good football we played in that tourney was down to the fullback system that Pep L has clearly brought to the table. Pepball was back when Akanji, Rodri and Ake came on and it was all side to side shite.

I think there’s a lot of truth in your first paragraph. It’s something that was on my mind too when we weren’t sure if he was going to extend. The club are looking beyond Pep with these signings.

Pep is the manager of the team and ultimately he’ll pick who he trusts to follow out his instructions. Sadly, our tactics are very, very boring, leave us slow in the build up and exceptionally weak defensively.

I do hope we’ll be better going forwards this season with reijnders coming in and Rodders back and hopefully that’ll be enough for us to challenge but I’m not confident if our game plan is just to do the same as last year but with a couple of slightly better players.

 

[Mr HJ]

Tactically I found last night a bit odd in that he is asking both fullbacks at the same time to press so high up the field - when we lose possession they were able to run unchallenged for 40 metres or more - it happened time and again and led to too much stress for the centre backs and central midfield. I get it if we haven't got 2 out and out wingers (both of who are not good at running back to cover the vast space left by the fullbacks) but it was odd that we seemed happy to have 6 players high in attacking moments and no real pacy cover to stop counters.

Pep is smarter than me but at any level you will not do well when you leave only 2 at the back and lose the ball cheaply (Savinho the worst) so they can have 4 players running into space at pace. He now has to find a system that doesn't let that happen and we still can pour forward ourselves. For me the solution is not playing both wingers at the same time allowing either fullback to overlap into the space one at a time. We have to have one of them capable of covering if we lose the ball. It was much better against Juve because we had the insurance of both Rodri and Tijjani but with Gundo also wanting to be higher up the field we were a mess defensively - just like last year.

 

[madloaf]

Have to give the opponent credit. Inzaghi just did what he did with Internazionale back in September: soak it up, trust we're our usual profligate selves in front of goal, and then go at them on the counter, especially just after the break. It's the blueprint for playing against us, and, worryingly, we've still not shown that we can prevent it.

Inzaghi isn't daft. We fall into the same traps over and over and over. Ah well.

 

[B\connellblue]

Have to give the opponent credit. Inzaghi just did what he did with Internazionale back in September: soak it up, trust we're our usual profligate selves in front of goal, and then go at them on the counter, especially just after the break. It's the blueprint for playing against us, and, worryingly, we've still not shown that we can prevent it.

Yes but he tried the same with an arguably superior Inter side against PSG and got roasted. Are we really that far adrft of PSG now?

 

[meeesh]

Yes but he tried the same with an arguably superior Inter side against PSG and got roasted. Are we really that far adrft of PSG now?

Why are PSG being used as the yardstick?

Because they won (eventually) a CL?

I’d wager we’d beat them 9/10 on any day of the week, there are better sides than PSG in Europe and I do include us in that, anything can happen on any given day but I’m not having that PSG are the best team ever as Inter were absolute shite on the night and nobody can deny that, we wouldn’t get caned 5 in any cup final as bad as things have been

 

[Gabriel]

Yes but he tried the same with an arguably superior Inter side against PSG and got roasted. Are we really that far adrft of PSG now?

In certain respects we are. We're currently rebuilding, but we're doing so with a mix of different quality materials.

 

[B\connellblue]

Why are PSG being used as the yardstick?

Because they won (eventually) a CL?

I’d wager we’d beat them 9/10 on any day of the week, there are better sides than PSG in Europe and I do include us in that, anything can happen on any given day but I’m not having that PSG are the best team ever as Inter were absolute shite on the night and nobody can deny that, we wouldn’t get caned 5 in any cup final as bad as things have been

Because Inzaghi tried and failed against them with the same tactics he successfully deployed last night. As for beating PSG 9/10 Id say you'd lose your wager fairly often in the here and now .

 

[Brewster's millions]

Yes but he tried the same with an arguably superior Inter side against PSG and got roasted. Are we really that far adrft of PSG now?

I’d say we’re a long way off them.

 

[Gordyola]

Have to give the opponent credit. Inzaghi just did what he did with Internazionale back in September: soak it up, trust we're our usual profligate selves in front of goal, and then go at them on the counter, especially just after the break. It's the blueprint for playing against us, and, worryingly, we've still not shown that we can prevent it.

Using the same solution that doesnt work over and over is the reason

 

[Craig]

Why are PSG being used as the yardstick?

Because they won (eventually) a CL?

I’d wager we’d beat them 9/10 on any day of the week, there are better sides than PSG in Europe and I do include us in that, anything can happen on any given day but I’m not having that PSG are the best team ever as Inter were absolute shite on the night and nobody can deny that, we wouldn’t get caned 5 in any cup final as bad as things have been

Did you see what PSG did to us when we played them and how much they were better than Liverpool for the majority of the 2 legs? We’ll see what happens if PSG play this lot later in the tournament and i know who my money would be on.

Not saying PSG can’t be got at or are anywhere near the level of Pep’s Barca side. Make no mistake though they’re a very good side and miles better than we currently are.

 

[Gabriel]

Using the same solution that doesnt work over and over is the reason

We've actually tried different permutations to mitigate Rodri's absence, most of which have enjoyed limited success. However, we also need to start questioning why it is that our conversion rate allows teams back into games that should be sewn up by the break.

 

[meeesh]

Did you see what PSG did to when we played them and how much they were better than Liverpool for the majority of the 2 legs? We’ll see what happens if PSG play this lot later in the tournament and i know who my money would be on.

Not saying PSG can’t be got at or are anywhere near the level of Pep’s Barca side. Make no mistake though they’re a very good side and miles better than we currently are.

When we played them being 2-0 up and cruising then a last 20 mins debacle happened, that’s what I saw

Agree they outplayed Liverpool over both legs and got beat at home off them so yes not unbeatable

 

[GaudinoMotors]

The Pep conundrum.
Is both our strength and our weakness at the moment. Probably still a net positive on the whole - but his fcking selections!!!! It's like he's experimenting in important games.

 

[Craig]

When we played them being 2-0 up and cruising then a last 20 mins debacle happened, that’s what I saw

Agree they outplayed Liverpool over both legs and got beat at home off them so yes not unbeatable

We somehow went 2-0 up in that game but they were miles better than us. This is a City side that’s not beaten any of Liverpool, Arsenal or Madrid in about 12 games over the last couple of years.

 

[Gordyola]

We've actually tried different permutations to mitigate Rodri's absence, most of which have enjoyed limited success. However, we also need to start questioning why it is that our conversion rate allows teams back into games that should be sewn up by the break.

He allows his CBs to advancce up to 30 yards from the opponents GL, when a low block is applied, and pass it back and furth amoungst themselves slowly, until we loose the ball and are counterred. Firstly the players with the wrong skill set are trying to break the block and secondly they are no where during a counter. The best coach cant see it yet most of his opponents know it

 

[OrigamiNinja]

We've actually tried different permutations to mitigate Rodri's absence, most of which have enjoyed limited success. However, we also need to start questioning why it is that our conversion rate allows teams back into games that should be sewn up by the break.

We have a whole host of midfielders and more importantly wide forwards that don’t score goals. Sterling and Mahrez used to do my nut in at times but come the end of a season, they would invariably both be in double figures for goals. Our current crop can barely get double figures between them. It puts far too much pressure on Haaland.

Like it or not, Salah is the benchmark for a wide forward and ours are not even close. There’s just no getting away from the fact that from the days of Sane and Sterling, we have gotten progressively worse out wide. It’s one of the main reasons we don’t kill off games and why teams don’t really fear us anymore. If I was an opposition manager, I would just pack the middle to negate Haaland and leave Doku and Savinho to it. Yeah, a handful of times a season, one of them will turn it on and get on the scoresheet but even a broken clock is correct twice a day.

I say this as someone who likes watching Doku and thinks Savinho has something but their returns are pitiful and it’s having a major impact on the side.