Pep's tactics

Status
Not open for further replies.
eversince 76 said:
I think credit should also go to Kolarov himself. He started preseason top fit (unlike other players) with an attitude to make all us fans eat their words, and has never looked back since. However it really is not that big a surprise as Pep seems only interested in the players' capacity on the ball and his versitallity. And Kolarov is that kind of player, although he received justified critics last season (the scapegoat thing was a bit overdone). Not sure if it's just Pep's manmanagement. It's Pep learing the player to brighten his horizon with Kolarov clever enough to understand and perform like Pep wants it.
We 've made some wild guesses about players leaving of not being a Pep kind of player. Hart out, Kolarov to stay? That bet would have made me a fortune if it was just on Blue Moon.
Click to expand...

couldn't,t have put it better myself, add in the introduction of bravo (which at the moment is a bit heart in mouth at times) and we'll see further evidence of the mans genius.

In Pep we trust
 
eversince 76 said:
I think credit should also go to Kolarov himself. He started preseason top fit (unlike other players) with an attitude to make all us fans eat their words, and has never looked back since. However it really is not that big a surprise as Pep seems only interested in the players' capacity on the ball and his versitallity. And Kolarov is that kind of player, although he received justified critics last season (the scapegoat thing was a bit overdone). Not sure if it's just Pep's manmanagement. It's Pep learing the player to brighten his horizon with Kolarov clever enough to understand and perform like Pep wants it.
We 've made some wild guesses about players leaving of not being a Pep kind of player. Hart out, Kolarov to stay? That bet would have made me a fortune if it was just on Blue Moon.
Click to expand...

AK does deserve a lot of credit for his performances this season and I say this as one of his biggest critics. What I will add though, is how seeing his performances this season only reinforces what was said about him in previous seasons ie He wasn't even trying. We as fans will tolerate someone not being very good or making mistakes as long as the commitment to the cause is there, what is now 100% clear is that for the past few seasons Kolarov has been absolutely stealing a living. Maybe the reality has hit home that we now have a manager in charge who wields ultimate power and will not tolerate "performances" like his at Southampton last season. Isn't it interesting how playing for your career can act as a motivator?
 
Early days but there is so much to love and admire under Pep. Big thing for me is how often we are winning the ball back in the opposition half after losing it. Last 1/2 years we'd lose possession, have players trudge back into position and go from there, but by then the opposition team have advanced on our defence. This season, we lose it (which doesn't seem to be often!), but we snap away at them very quickly with Dinho, Silva, Kev, Sergio etc all happy to muck in, and more often than not we win the ball back in a comfortable position (half way or so) or in a dangerous position like their defensive 3rd. Instead of losing the ball and being on the back foot, we lose the ball but can, in the blink of an eye, be back in control of the game and start another attack.

I love how we nearly always have an option; if Stones or whoever gets closed down, they'll generally have at least 2/3 decent pass options on, including going back to a ball playing keeper. If the opposition don't press then we can simply advance into midfield under no pressure whatsoever. Must be tough for other teams to gauge when to press and when to drop off, as we can combat either tactic under Pep.

Think it's gonna be the dippers and Chelsea who will give us the best games this season, but no fear whatsoever with Guardiola at the helm.
 
feedthegoat27 said:
Early days but there is so much to love and admire under Pep. Big thing for me is how often we are winning the ball back in the opposition half after losing it. Last 1/2 years we'd lose possession, have players trudge back into position and go from there, but by then the opposition team have advanced on our defence. This season, we lose it (which doesn't seem to be often!), but we snap away at them very quickly with Dinho, Silva, Kev, Sergio etc all happy to muck in, and more often than not we win the ball back in a comfortable position (half way or so) or in a dangerous position like their defensive 3rd. Instead of losing the ball and being on the back foot, we lose the ball but can, in the blink of an eye, be back in control of the game and start another attack.

I love how we nearly always have an option; if Stones or whoever gets closed down, they'll generally have at least 2/3 decent pass options on, including going back to a ball playing keeper. If the opposition don't press then we can simply advance into midfield under no pressure whatsoever. Must be tough for other teams to gauge when to press and when to drop off, as we can combat either tactic under Pep.

Think it's gonna be the dippers and Chelsea who will give us the best games this season, but no fear whatsoever with Guardiola at the helm.
Click to expand...

Every game, against even the weakest of opposition there would be at least once where they could run straight down the middle of the pitch against us without any problem whatsoever. This was an problem that MP couldn't solve in 18 months, Pep seems to have eradicated it in a matter of weeks.
 
The start of tactics of this kind originated with Ajax and the Dutch which Cruyff then took on to Barcelona. Total football, all players interchangeable and comfortable with the ball. They are being modified all the time but the original concept remains the same. It is also all about the success and functioning of the team, with big ego's and players self serving their own agenda's quickly moved on.

Pep like all great managers is extremely driven, single minded and ruthless in the pursuit of his goals. If you think about the players he has moved on or frozen out, all have been called to question one way or another on this board in the last few years.

What has to happen now is for all the teams to play the same way, so if we get injuries then squad players can slot into the team seamlessly meaning the impact of injuries is lessened.
 
This is from Pep Confidential book regarding winning the ball back

Pep Confidential chapter 8 said:
The afternoon training session focuses on pressing, too. The defenders and one midfielder start things off, working together at the back, and the forwards try to get the ball from them using fast, aggressive pressing.

Neuer’s skilled footwork stands out and Mandžukić’s Eto’o-style aggression also impresses. The coach shouts his instructions to his players as he directs their efforts.

‘It’s four-second pressing only. I don’t want to see Ribéry chasing his winger the length of the pitch. He needs to make it into the centre and stay put. What I need is for them all to press together for just a few seconds. That way they’ll get the ball back high up the pitch.’

At the end of the session, Pep sits down on the bench in the heat of the afternoon and shares his ideas: ‘We need intense, precise work. If all we were interested in was one-on-one man marking, all this effort wouldn’t be necessary. I could just sit back and that would be enough. But we are aiming at a very specific style of play and must therefore work extremely hard to perfect every single move.’

There is no middle ground. If the players want to play his brand of football, they will have to give it all they’ve got. ‘We have to train with the maximum intensity. It’s just like the rondos: you do them with 100% effort or you don’t do them at all. If the players don’t like them then they’re welcome to go mountain running, but in that case we’ll never achieve our potential.’

Zonal defending rather than man marking; four-second pressing with the nearest player in position to press the man who’s about to receive the ball; moving calmly into the middle to create and use space; working in a co-ordinated way. Pep breaks down his fundamental ideas about the game for me.
.
Click to expand...

 
Last edited:
This bedding in period where Pep has to figure out the league........... when does it start?
 
From what I've seen so far I'd guess that if they get to the CL semi-finals Pep's game plan won't be to try for two 0-0 draws and get to a PKs.
 
I have to say whilst we seen what he did with Barca and Bayern i did have questions to see if he could do it coming to a team like ours that some what had been struggling but how wrong i was to question him at all just seeing what he has done to our team in such a short space of time the guy is a genius.
 
I think it's been the last two games where we have seen Pep's philosophy perfectly implemented (even if Pep won't admit it in public). It's beautiful to watch and with the endless pressing and clinical finishing it makes us almost invincible. Had it come a game earlier, the rags wouldn't have been let out easily.
 
I was worried about the lack of preseason with a lot of our players. Worried that we'd struggle to implement Pep's philosophy at the start of the season, leading to a bad start & then all the press on Pep's back saying they knew he couldn't do it in the EPL! So glad that's not the case! Can only see us going from strength to strength now. Players getting better understanding of what Pep wants as well as of each other. Looking forward to each match in a way I haven't since Keegan, Bernarbia & Berkovich in the Championship, only now in EPL & Champions League! Bring on the Swans!!!!
 
Andrew___K said:
For those who have asked "what will happen if/when Pep leaves": the expected goals map from the last Bayern home game. The signs of decline are already there.
Click to expand...

They played with second squad.

The only downside in Pep's strategy is inevitable burnout. At his days in Barca fans called it "black February". Or March. In his first season he had 5 games in a row w/o win and with two defeats. City covers almost 115 km every game - he never played so intensively before. I bet it has something to do with CL quali. His teams always went slowly and steady into the season. Not the case here.

Nothing to worry, everyone lose eventually, but be prepared.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top