Guardiola rules out any January signings.

[Colin Bells Boots]

He plays for the Ivory Coast

And flatters to deceive .

 

[bluealf]

He plays for the Ivory Coast

He also has English nationality and has 2 caps for the England national team.

 

[domalino]

He plays for the Ivory Coast

Doesnt stop him being English.

People can have more than one nationality, and having lived in England since he was 4, representing English youth teams and the full national team is probably enough for someone to refer to him as English without being pulled up on it.

Especially as he does free up a foreign spot by being homegrown, the reason his nationality was brought up.

 

[asahartford1]

One of the things I've never understood about Guardiola is that he doesn't see fast CBs as a necessity. He talks about making the pitch as big as possible in possession but you obviously have to spread your team a bit thin to do that and leave spaces in the middle. He then talks about the importance of winning the ball back high up through the forwards and midfielders so he knows the danger. He also mentions needing defenders who can defend big spaces and win one on ones. So he knows the problem there. He's completely aware of the dangers presented by his way of playing the game. Yet he buys ponderous John Stones, rather slow Aymeric Laporte, persists with over the hill Otamendi. He buys the slow as treacle Gundogan. Rodri doesn't look like he's a sprinter. De Bruyne's not that fast. Mahrez isn't fast for a winger. Everything he does and says about football points to a need for some quick, mobile players in the team but he buys plodders. All good on the ball but they can get left for dead one on one. I think he's assembled too many of this type of player at City. The current problems are also due to copping for injuries to all the left-sided players but the number of one-paced blue shirts behind the ball is a self-inflicted problem.

I always thought Guardiola was a football genius, after reading your piece I realise I was wrong and he is a fraud.

 

[Marvin]

One of the things I've never understood about Guardiola is that he doesn't see fast CBs as a necessity. He talks about making the pitch as big as possible in possession but you obviously have to spread your team a bit thin to do that and leave spaces in the middle. He then talks about the importance of winning the ball back high up through the forwards and midfielders so he knows the danger. He also mentions needing defenders who can defend big spaces and win one on ones. So he knows the problem there. He's completely aware of the dangers presented by his way of playing the game. Yet he buys ponderous John Stones, rather slow Aymeric Laporte, persists with over the hill Otamendi. He buys the slow as treacle Gundogan. Rodri doesn't look like he's a sprinter. De Bruyne's not that fast. Mahrez isn't fast for a winger. Everything he does and says about football points to a need for some quick, mobile players in the team but he buys plodders. All good on the ball but they can get left for dead one on one. I think he's assembled too many of this type of player at City. The current problems are also due to copping for injuries to all the left-sided players but the number of one-paced blue shirts behind the ball is a self-inflicted problem.

Laporte and Stones are not slow or ponderous. This is largely the same squad that accrued a record number of points and won a domestic treble.

 

[cityboy1]

Laporte and Stones are not slow or ponderous. This is largely the same squad that accrued a record number of points and won a domestic treble.

Wierdly enough despite stones having many faults slow isnt one of them and laporte isnt really slow either there probably slow compared to van dik or a prime kompany but there plenty quick enough

 

[caseball]

Laporte and Stones are not slow or ponderous. This is largely the same squad that accrued a record number of points and won a domestic treble.

Neither of them's quick. Stones backs off because of it and also needs time to pass the ball and Laporte wouldn't be out now with a knee injury if he was quick (and Gundogan wasn't soft as shite). That's not to say Laporte isn't a terrific defender. Cups won don't make these two players fast. Nor does it mean that the squad wouldn't be improved by a couple of sharper players.

 

[caseball]

I always thought Guardiola was a football genius, after reading your piece I realise I was wrong and he is a fraud.

I wondered how long it would take.

So you don't think there's a certain similarity in Stones, Laporte, Otamendi, Puyol, Pique and a couple of his Bayern CBs? So he likes defenders who can play a bit. But when in need, he makes Fernandinho the regular not Stones or Otamendi. Last season, when the chips were down, Kompany was the main man. He recognizes the value of speed and decisiveness alright. In my post, I just wondered why he hasn't bought those qualities more often.

Back to gazing at his picture on the wall.

Oh aye. Back in his first season when the initial good run faltered, I posted on here that we needed to improve in both penalty areas. A week or so later, the manager said the same. ;o)

 

[caseball]

And flatters to deceive .

Pretty much everything he does is to deceive. A right moaning little cheat.

 

[Esteban de la Sexface]

We realistically arent going to get a top class centre back in January, let's be honest. Plus, it's a huge risk bringing one in and getting them used to Peps defensive system with no preseason.

We aren't going to add to midfield. Or full back.

Laporte and Sane are back in the new year.

What I'd like to see is another centre forward. Someone that gives us another dimension.

Currently we have fuck all change up to how we play. If plan A isn't going well, do plan A harder.

Haalands kid would thrive here. We get more crosses in the box than any other side I've seen and we never have any fucker there to score a header, unless it's absolutely pin point on their head.