Pep Guardiola - 2025/26

[Colin Bells Boots]

Still laugh about some comments in here about how he’s built another winning machine after we beat Liverpool at home earlier in the season.

There’s clearly a disconnect between Pep and the DoF, either that or they’re fucking useless at identifying a player.

Out of all the signings since the treble, only Gvardiol has been of the required standard. Cherki is good value but I just get the feeling he’ll be gone in a couple of years after being in and out of the team/injured a lot.

The rest all can’t fucking pass or trap a ball. Pep still there wanting us to build from the back and be patient in possession against a well organised block, yet we have Donnarumma clipping it out for throw ins, Nunes, Kushanov, ait nouri all knocking it slowly between them then just going long to no one once they’ve worked themselves into an alley. Midfielders not showing for the ball and wide forwards that either can’t run or can’t score. It’s just one big mess.

Getting up in the morning must be a real treat for you !

 

[Blue-Ghana]

Still laugh about some comments in here about how he’s built another winning machine after we beat Liverpool at home earlier in the season.

There’s clearly a disconnect between Pep and the DoF, either that or they’re fucking useless at identifying a player.

Out of all the signings since the treble, only Gvardiol has been of the required standard. Cherki is good value but I just get the feeling he’ll be gone in a couple of years after being in and out of the team/injured a lot.

The rest all can’t fucking pass or trap a ball. Pep still there wanting us to build from the back and be patient in possession against a well organised block, yet we have Donnarumma clipping it out for throw ins, Nunes, Kushanov, ait nouri all knocking it slowly between them then just going long to no one once they’ve worked themselves into an alley. Midfielders not showing for the ball and wide forwards that either can’t run or can’t score. It’s just one big mess.

The problem is not the players, board has bought the best players available in the last 3 windows. Similar excuses were made for Mourinho when his decline started.

 

[69FACUPfinal]

Still laugh about some comments in here about how he’s built another winning machine after we beat Liverpool at home earlier in the season.

There’s clearly a disconnect between Pep and the DoF, either that or they’re fucking useless at identifying a player.

Out of all the signings since the treble, only Gvardiol has been of the required standard. Cherki is good value but I just get the feeling he’ll be gone in a couple of years after being in and out of the team/injured a lot.

The rest all can’t fucking pass or trap a ball. Pep still there wanting us to build from the back and be patient in possession against a well organised block, yet we have Donnarumma clipping it out for throw ins, Nunes, Kushanov, ait nouri all knocking it slowly between them then just going long to no one once they’ve worked themselves into an alley. Midfielders not showing for the ball and wide forwards that either can’t run or can’t score. It’s just one big mess.

My OH follows non league. He can't bear watching us for even a few minutes because of the tactics you've so accurately described above. Not a one of them seem to be able to trap and control the ball. Yet I saw on an England video that Phil did about 500 keepy uppys whilst walking from the hotel to the training ground. Where is that skill on the pitch with any of them? Perhaps Cherki, but he's not ' allowed' by Pep.

It just all beggars belief ATM!!

 

[come-on-barney]

Still laugh about some comments in here about how he’s built another winning machine after we beat Liverpool at home earlier in the season.

There’s clearly a disconnect between Pep and the DoF, either that or they’re fucking useless at identifying a player.

Out of all the signings since the treble, only Gvardiol has been of the required standard. Cherki is good value but I just get the feeling he’ll be gone in a couple of years after being in and out of the team/injured a lot.

The rest all can’t fucking pass or trap a ball. Pep still there wanting us to build from the back and be patient in possession against a well organised block, yet we have Donnarumma clipping it out for throw ins, Nunes, Kushanov, ait nouri all knocking it slowly between them then just going long to no one once they’ve worked themselves into an alley. Midfielders not showing for the ball and wide forwards that either can’t run or can’t score. It’s just one big mess.

Definitely caught between two styles of play representing both Peps. We start off well in the first half because the tactics have been thought through and we do okay. Second half the opposing manager changes the team tactics, and we just don’t respond tactically. It’s the in game management second half when a team changes their tactics that is causing us problems. The late substitutions also play into in game management issues. Not sure why we don’t respond to the tactical changes in the second half, a puzzle for sure.

 

[Mcfc1.9.8.0]

Changing managers very rarely ever works. Look at the scum since the red nosed one left.

They’d poor planning I’d trust our board to have someone decent lined up they haven’t let us down so far

 

[Mcfc1.9.8.0]

does anyone made an a analysis on why are so shit in 2nd half?

Because teams have a plan B we don’t

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

It's the boring football that's the biggest issue for me. It's torture watching for the most part and then he wonders why the crowd are muted. Hard to get excited by the fare on the pitch.

Spot on. A few seasons ago I could barely watch other teams' games as the standard was so far below ours. But now I watch other games and often think "That was an entertaining watch. Why can't we play a bit more direct like that?"

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

We know why you want him gone so don’t even try and suggest it’s because he doesn’t know how to manage any more.

Honestly Sam, I can separate the manager from the person. And I'm clearly far from the only one on here who thinks he's gone stale and run out of ideas.

I was saying this well before his sympathies became an issue following the Heaton Park synagogue stabbings. If we were playing the sort of football we played in 2017-2019 Od be delighted, regardless of his personal issues.

 

[Mr HJ]

A day after another disappointing game I'm now in "the be careful what you wish for" category. Yes It is poor that Arsenal have opened the door to closing the gap and we have not taken advantage of that. In many other seasons we would have won at least four of the last six league games and then pressure would be on Arsenal or whomever was leading. But to suggest a different manager would have got better results is not certain.

I love what Pep has done for us but this next phase of games will tell us if our journey is going to continue for a couple of years more. I believe If we do badly in the next five matches decisions will be influenced greatly.

For a slightly different comparison, it's a tiny bit like with Bobby - I loved Mancini, loved his passion - a typical Italian - but he fired us all up and was instrumental to that first title in the PL era. However, his style was brash, loud and no nonsense with the playing staff. None of this arm around them stuff it was passion and bolloxing all the way. Problem is when you shout at players they listen for a while then naturally start to tune the noise out. He lost the impact and therefore the dressing room and was then gone. Pep is also passionate but has a more celebral approach to certain things - a deep thinker who is also ultra demanding if you will. Certain players like Bernardo understand it and flourish in it rather than get fed up of it. You see post matches Pep is, even after a good win, in players ears (even opposition ones) he lives and breathes the game. It will be telling if the players are still taking that on board or if they are tuning it out. As I said we may have the answer within the next month or so. I hope it's the former for what it's worth.

 

[GaudinoMotors]

You could get the impression that some on here celebrate poor results and form, NO, not the "jcl's, the entitled, the fanny wipes, the spoilt," ...... etc., but those who live under a delusional comfy blanket, where poor form and results are ticketyboo , it's like old times, and please don:t upset things besides, we used to be really shit, so it's all perfectly fine. Yeah, I imagine that's what the owners will be comforting themselves with. Gillingham!
I see some are even celebrating being 2nd in the league. Whilst better than 3rd, not something we set out the achieve. Maybe 20 yrs ago.

 

[youngbob]

Deserves another 12 months, I think. I'm worried we're in Wenger 2008 territory with him, but we're going okay during a period of great change and transition in the squad and we've improved on last season already. I'm hopeful that, if we can finish this season as strongly as we did 24/25, then we'll be very happy for Pep to continue come May. If we finish 2nd and win either of the domestic cups this season then that would be fantastic. A couple more additions (support at RB and CM) and I think we'll be ready to challenge for the title again next year. After everything Pep has done for us, he deserves more time to put this right - even if I am, as I said, concerned that we're past his peak now and just don't know it yet. When everyone's been fit, there have been flashes that we're getting back up there.

Plus, the manager market just isn't good right now. There's nobody available that you could point to that would instantly improve this team and then take it further in the long-term. Let's assess where we are with Pep when his contract's up for renewal in early 2027. Until then, there's no point speculating really. Maybe it would be best to do what we did under Pellegrini when Pep was on his way out of Bayern, which was hang onto him for one more year until our desired and ideal target became available. I think we would have sacked Pellegrini in the summer of 2015 and gone all in for Ancelotti in another universe, but Pep said yes to City so we hung on for 12 months instead. 15-16 wasn't fun but it was worth it in the end.

Maybe Pep should be on the way out this summer. Maybe he should have gone last summer. But if hanging onto him for 12-24 months means that we get Enrique at the end of his PSG contract in 2027, then that sounds like a great scenario to find ourselves in. Pep has a habit of getting things together between February and March and even a slight improvement on our season up to now would mean good things are coming our way. When everyone's fit, we're good enough to win the League Cup with the games we have left, good enough to reach Wembley at least in the FA Cup, good enough to make a go of it in Europe, and good enough to at least make Arsenal sweat on their way to the title.

Looking back at other seasons that didn't end with a Premier League title - 16-17, Pep's first season (which this one basically is all over again), things only really started to click in February and they only fully clicked in April, once the league was gone. We finished 3rd and reached the FA Cup semi-final. In 19-20, we didn't win five consecutive league games until the last five games of the season, playing in empty stadiums because of Covid-19. We still won the League Cup and finished 2nd on 81 points. In 24-25, our longest unbeaten run came between March and May, and we managed to somehow make the FA Cup final despite everything (a game we should have won as well). This season, I think we're capable of finishing 2nd on 75-78 points, finishing well with an unbeaten run, and getting our hands on a pot. We just need the majority of players to stay fit, which is turning out to be a big challenge in of itself.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

You could get the impression that some on here celebrate poor results and form, NO, not the "jcl's, the entitled, the fanny wipes, the spoilt," ...... etc., but those who live under a delusional comfy blanket, where poor form and results are ticketyboo , it's like old times, and please don:t upset things besides, we used to be really shit, so it's all perfectly fine. Yeah, I imagine that's what the owners will be comforting themselves with. Gillingham!
I see some are even celebrating being 2nd in the league. Whilst better than 3rd, not something we set out the achieve. Maybe 20 yrs ago.

Slightly negative input from you is fairly standard though.

Good to see that you are still committed to the cause. :)-

 

[GaudinoMotors]

Slightly negative input from you is fairly standard though.

Good to see that you are still committed to the cause. :)-

One person's "negativity", is another's reality check Colin ;

 

[GOULDYBOBS]

You will miss him when he's gone

 

[Lavinda Past]

Changing managers very rarely ever works. Look at the scum since the red nosed one left.

It should do if you have a strong Board with a credible succession plan in place.

One problem with modern football is that the Boards at most clubs consist of businessmen who actually know little or nothing about the game.

 

[BillyShears]

You will miss him when he's gone

You can spot the people who don't really understand what they're watching because they tend to fall back into cliches about the manager whenever the performance isn't to their liking.

 

[Lavinda Past]

You will miss him when he's gone

Wait and see. I think most of us will get over it.

 

[Lavinda Past]

You can spot the people who don't really understand what they're watching because they tend to fall back into cliches about the manager whenever the performance isn't to their liking.

That's absolute nonsense.

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

One person's "negativity", is another's reality check Colin ;

Agreed, and confirmed by Lavinda Past :)-

 

[Semper aggressus]

I’m not enjoying this season, especially recently, but absolutely no way should we get rid of Pep.

The issue isn’t him, it’s injuries and a lot of recent poor signings. Guehi and Semenyo are better, hopefully a few more like them and we’ll start to improve.

Players like Lewis need fucking off, and quite possibly Reijnders.