It's Quiet the £250m return

BluestBlue said:
Is it me or we are in scary times. I have no idea what direction we’re going in. The Cheri injury was the kick in the teeth for me. We can easily lose to Utd and Arsenal. We were building the greatest dynasty now ever match is a UCL final

You’re right I’m not seeing Lindjers influence anymore. The decision making in the final 3rd is still poor. There’s still no urgency when we have the ball. Brighton was the perfect game. It doesn’t look like the players are doing anything different.

I’d expect the staff around Pep would put a lot of effort and could get rewarded to stay even after Pep leaves.
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Something doesn't seem quite right behind the scenes to me, as Rodri alluded to. I wouldn't go as far as to say we're in scary times, but knowing the corporate world as I do, whatever is the cause, continued failure isn't taken very lightly.

Guardiola was negligent (imo), by not reinforcing our treble winning season dominance by buying a mixture of challengers & future talent, & expanding our squad to enable us to cope with the ever increasing demands being placed on us.

What made little sense is Pep was the first to highlight that too much was being asked of players in terms of the amount of games they were expected to play per season. However, he still stuck to his small elite squad mantra.

In several lower grade games, he fielded ultra strong teams & didn't make substitutions until late, if at all. This also made little sense to many, but how can anyone argue with probably the most successful manager in the history of the game?

My hope is that we splatter the Rags tomorrow (which I'm struggling to see atm), & that our performances begin to reflect the outstanding squad talent we have available.

We've had a squad revolution. We've sacked one coaching team & brought in another. We tried a more dynamic style of football during the first three matches of the CWC which worked, then inexplicably reverted to the tactics that failed us so miserably last season & promptly lost to Al Hilal.

We've tried everything, so what else is left to change???

We just have to keep the faith that Baldy can find the combination to unlock our full potential & unleashed it on the opposition in the coming weeks & months.
 
oldhamblue said:
If you watch the end of season DVD's the thing that is most apparent with Pep is the intensity. Game after game macro managing players positions and performances.

At some point, that intensity has to wane. The players have been amazing to keep going back to the well time and time again to do the 4 in a row.

There's an argument that managers only have a 10 year cycle at the top which Pep has exceeded and then some. But there has to be a moment where he's had enough or the players have with him
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Great leaders are adaptable & are happy to reinvent themselves so as to remain ahead of the curve in ever evolving times. Pep has been the master of this over the last 18 years with Barça, Bayern & now City.

However, last season his inverted FB tactic had stopped working through a combination of it being figured out, crippling injuries, & us not having the players to properly execute it. This is where I'd have expected Guardiola to adapt his tactics to best suit the cards he'd been dealt. He didn't.

Many point to City winning the most points in the second half of the season, but this was after we were eliminated from the CL, PL positions 1 & 2 were virtually sewn up by ArseAnal & the Dippers, & they were concentrating on the CL.

Our football remained uninspiring, & aside from Newcastle & an imploding Spuds who themselves were safe from relegation & were focusing on the UEFA Conference League title, we didn't beat any of the top contenders which was, & remains worrying.

Why? Because on the evidence of what I've seen this season so far, I've no idea where a dominant enough performance would come from to beat any of the contenders. Every team has a punchers chance of victory, hence me stressing a dominant enough performance.

The media have begun to question Guardiola's inverted FB tactics. Football analysts are doing the same too. However, in the Brighton post-match presser, Pep reasserted that he wasn't for turning.

Whether this was mind games, or he truly believes his inverted FB system is best & will come good again, remains to be seen. Personally, I've lost faith in it for
now & I'd prefer that we reverted to Pep's classic Barcelona 4-3-3 formation, with a flat back four & over/underlapping FB's.

I think this reset would give everyone the chance to rebuild from a basic foundation, from which Pep can then figure out the tactical nuances needed to unpick packed, low-block defences.

Having watched the Spuds match back, it was painful to see how unafraid they were to camp in our half & attack at will. We barely laid a glove on them.

Many onlookers (including players) have alluded that things on & off the pitch need to be addressed, & very soon. The uncomfortable question is, will Pep Guardiola see it this way?
 
HelloCity said:
For me the biggest flaws in our team at the end of last season were -

- No right back
- No DM
- No impactful wingers

We’re into the next season with 2 of the 3 flaws still there with the DM issue covered mostly by the return of Rodri.
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No right back for sure, but it seems we're all in on Livramento.

But "since the end of last season" doesn't really do justice to having a DM in Nico G and an impactful "winger" in Marmoush

Plus, looking to the future, Savio, Doku, Bobb is probably the best collection of under 23 wingers outside PSG.
 
NQCitizen said:
No right back for sure, but it seems we're all in on Livramento.

But "since the end of last season" doesn't really do justice to having a DM in Nico G and an impactful "winger" in Marmoush

Plus, looking to the future, Savio, Doku, Bobb is probably the best collection of under 23 wingers outside PSG.
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Marmoush isn’t a winger and rarely is anywhere near his best there.

Nico G hasn’t been great.

Savio, Doku, Bobb are still completely unproven to the quality we need to win the league and CL and if they don’t improve then we’ll continue to struggle.
 
HelloCity said:
Marmoush isn’t a winger and rarely is anywhere near his best there.

Nico G hasn’t been great.

Savio, Doku, Bobb are still completely unproven to the quality we need to win the league and CL and if they don’t improve then we’ll continue to struggle.
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I think with the transition we're going through we're aiming to develop our own proven players and we've built a really good young core to do it.

A big part of a DoFs job is to know which seasons are for building not going all out for the league or CL. Makes sense to let Liverpool run VVD and Salah into the ground while we grow a load of really talented 21-24 year olds into something special.

There's not really been many ready made guaranteed successes that we've missed out on anyway.

Out of all the players that moved this summer how many actually get in our best 11? Maybe none.
 
Dribble said:
Great leaders are adaptable & are happy to reinvent themselves so as to remain ahead of the curve in ever evolving times. Pep has been the master of this over the last 18 years with Barça, Bayern & now City.

However, last season his inverted FB tactic had stopped working through a combination of it being figured out, crippling injuries, & us not having the players to properly execute it. This is where I'd have expected Guardiola to adapt his tactics to best suit the cards he'd been dealt. He didn't.

Many point to City winning the most points in the second half of the season, but this was after we were eliminated from the CL, PL positions 1 & 2 were virtually sewn up by ArseAnal & the Dippers, & they were concentrating on the CL.

Our football remained uninspiring, & aside from Newcastle & an imploding Spuds who themselves were safe from relegation & were focusing on the UEFA Conference League title, we didn't beat any of the top contenders which was, & remains worrying.

Why? Because on the evidence of what I've seen this season so far, I've no idea where a dominant enough performance would come from to beat any of the contenders. Every team has a punchers chance of victory, hence me stressing a dominant enough performance.

The media have begun to question Guardiola's inverted FB tactics. Football analysts are doing the same too. However, in the Brighton post-match presser, Pep reasserted that he wasn't for turning.

Whether this was mind games, or he truly believes his inverted FB system is best & will come good again, remains to be seen. Personally, I've lost faith in it for
now & I'd prefer that we reverted to Pep's classic Barcelona 4-3-3 formation, with a flat back four & over/underlapping FB's.

I think this reset would give everyone the chance to rebuild from a basic foundation, from which Pep can then figure out the tactical nuances needed to unpick packed, low-block defences.

Having watched the Spuds match back, it was painful to see how unafraid they were to camp in our half & attack at will. We barely laid a glove on them.

Many onlookers (including players) have alluded that things on & off the pitch need to be addressed, & very soon. The uncomfortable question is, will Pep Guardiola see it this way?
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We've bought poorly, that's it

Players that have been here 1,2,3, years look nowhere near being decent regulars in a good team.
 
Dribble said:
Our football remained uninspiring, & aside from Newcastle & an imploding Spuds who themselves were safe from relegation & were focusing on the UEFA Conference League title, we didn't beat any of the top contenders
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Apart from Liverpool and Arsenal we beat every team that qualified for Europe on at least one occasion.
 
Dribble said:
Who are the top contenders...
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Why on earth did you say apart from Spurs and Newcastle then?
I think we all know that we didn't beat Arsenal or Liverpool. Every other contender for CL spots we beat.
We also didn't invariably play inverted full backs or any other formation. Nunes who played a lot usually has chalk on his boots most of the match.
Gvardiol and OReilly were often the widest player with the winger coming in.
You're narrative is one I don't see on the pitch.
We were poor for much of last season but I don't recognise your explanation for our performances.
 
Dribble said:
View attachment 169251

Seriously chuffed for the kid. He's a lion & a warrior & shouldn't be blamed for the tactics he's been told to play.

Hopefully, this brilliant news settles the differing opinions about the unique position Guardiola tasks Rico Lewis to play, & we can all now get behind him.
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We should be totally behind every player who pulls on the shirt we all wish we could.
 
NQCitizen said:
I think with the transition we're going through we're aiming to develop our own proven players and we've built a really good young core to do it.

A big part of a DoFs job is to know which seasons are for building not going all out for the league or CL. Makes sense to let Liverpool run VVD and Salah into the ground while we grow a load of really talented 21-24 year olds into something special.

There's not really been many ready made guaranteed successes that we've missed out on anyway.

Out of all the players that moved this summer how many actually get in our best 11? Maybe none.
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Wirtz, Kerkez, Eze, Dean Huijsen. Any right back!?
 
Dribble said:
View attachment 169251

Seriously chuffed for the kid. He's a lion & a warrior & shouldn't be blamed for the tactics he's been told to play.

Hopefully, this brilliant news settles the differing opinions about the unique position Guardiola tasks Rico Lewis to play, & we can all now get behind him.
Click to expand...
Only thing that settles debate on him is much improved performances from him not matter what the role/unique position he is playing....fact is no matter how much you want to dress it up (this unique role) - he isnt very good at ANY part of it...offensively, defensively, linking play between the lines.
His one attribute (getting in between the lines and finding space and picking the ball up in these spaces) is all good but when he moves with the ball little usually comes from it. ....often slowing down the play or passing sideward. Defensively (whether that is in midfield or whe in the fullback position - he is a liability - he was last season and has started much better this season).
This unique role you describe - he isnt fit for it...is that on Pep...yes....but Pep needs to drop him and the idea/unique role and play a fullback that can actually defend for a start.

Despite criticism, no one isnt behind him...people comment on his and others performances. ......good and bad
 
Semper aggressus said:
Wirtz, Kerkez, Eze, Dean Huijsen. Any right back!?
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Wirtz, yeah most likely.

Kerkez any better than RAN?

Eze I doubt, Huijsen likely wouldn't make it in over Dias or Gvardiol.

If "any right back" would improve us i imagine we'd have bought one. Fact is TAA and frimpong were the only half decent ones who moved and they're completely useless our tactics.
 
Dribble said:
View attachment 169251

Seriously chuffed for the kid. He's a lion & a warrior & shouldn't be blamed for the tactics he's been told to play.

Hopefully, this brilliant news settles the differing opinions about the unique position Guardiola tasks Rico Lewis to play, & we can all now get behind him.
Click to expand...
It only hit me that he is still only 20 ! He has been trusted with a lot of responsibility by Pep for 20 and hopefully his game improves with age as expected. If so, he will be an asset.
 
NQCitizen said:
Wirtz, yeah most likely.

Kerkez any better than RAN?

Eze I doubt, Huijsen likely wouldn't make it in over Dias or Gvardiol.

If "any right back" would improve us i imagine we'd have bought one. Fact is TAA and frimpong were the only half decent ones who moved and they're completely useless our tactics.
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Says it all. Also there are plenty RB who are better than our current ones. We just didn’t go for them for whatever reasons
 
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