If the rot continues what happens ?

[wolviedinho]

It's a great test for Pep, tactically, psychologically and intellectually. I'm reading World War 1 stuff at the moment and the similarities to the military leaders is striking. The invention and improvements of the machine gun changed battle tactics forever. You could no longer use your highly trained motivated army to just charge at the opposition and let your superior soldiers prevail. They just got shot down and slaughtered. So the war settled down into a defensive stalemate interspersed with military leaders losing their heads and sending their men to face the machine gun bullets. The bullets always won. Pep needs to evolve and discover new tactics (tanks, aeroplanes, nuclear bombs) to counter the machine gun.

Good analogy

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

100% probably the first time in his life he has experienced something like this, be looks utterly shocked by everything going on around him.

How long do you give him, if we go into January without a win , don't questions need to be asked?

Well it won't be BM posters, asking the important questions or providing the answer either.

If only for that reason, we should be reassured.

 

[kaz7]

100% probably the first time in his life he has experienced something like this, be looks utterly shocked by everything going on around him.

How long do you give him, if we go into January without a win , don't questions need to be asked?

How long do we give him ? Lol

 

[Colin Bells Boots]

How long do we give him ? Lol

Longer than certain posters, that is for sure !

 

[Luddite_Blue]

This version of Pep maybe, to be honest I haven't got a scooby.

I am just tired of watching the same issues every game and no changes made.

This is new territory for the great man, and so far he is not handling it well at all.

Ignore the title of this youtube video as it's extremely misleading but the video shows Pep did make high risk changes against the rags which were largely working.

Instead of the default 3 at the back in build up play Gvardiol was pushed into midfield creating a 5 v 4 overload in the centre and leaving 2 at the back.

The changes also meant that the space was created in the left channel for Nunes.

But for the horrendous Nunes back pass it would had been professional 1-0 win by an exhausted team.


The author concludes:

"I thought Pep strategy despite being high risk was for the most part paying off and it was just undone by some horrific play meaning he earns a five while amorim wasn't far off meaning he earns a 4.5".

Subtle changes are being made which aren't even noticed so your assertion of no changes being made is just false.

 

[AndyP68]

Good analogy

I haven’t looked at the stats but my sense is the over the past 15 months our goal difference has been much lower than previous 5 years. Suggesting that our superiority was already eroding as teams worked us out

Add to that injuries etc. and we go from superior to inferior.

We are still having lots of possession, and no one apart from Spurs has absolutely hammered us in terms of margin of defeat.

If we can still get 60% possession and have a world class striker we should be able to win matches.

Am sure Pep can figure.

 

[Luddite_Blue]

Everyone has a time limit no one goes on forever.

Pep is the ultimate winner but he looks so broken at the moment that's the worry for me and the players seemed to have picked up on that.

In the embargoed part of the Villa press conference Pep seems relaxed and remarkably sanguine; he doesn't appear broken at all

 

[Gone for a Burton]

Well it won't be BM posters, asking the important questions or providing the answer either.

If only for that reason, we should be reassured.

He may be chatting to Khaldoon right now about what's best for the club, players ,fans and himself.

His health and wellbeing is the most important matter and he owes us nothing.

 

[kaz7]

In the embargoed part of the Villa press conference Pep seems relaxed and remarkably sanguine; he doesn't appear broken at all

Keeper is revelling in our current situation and i agree that pep is not looking broken at all

 

[HolisticJim]

100% probably the first time in his life he has experienced something like this, be looks utterly shocked by everything going on around him.

How long do you give him, if we go into January without a win , don't questions need to be asked?

As long as he wants.

He will be hurting right now. He will be searching for answers more than anyone else.

Nobody is better equipped to provide them than Pep.

We may find that WHEN we come out of this, IF we have backed and supported our manager in his time of need, when we have won another title with him - he may then extend again to reciprocate that backing which he so badly needed.

People need to give their heads a wobble.

 

[HolisticJim]

I haven’t looked at the stats but my sense is the over the past 15 months our goal difference has been much lower than previous 5 years. Suggesting that our superiority was already eroding as teams worked us out

Add to that injuries etc. and we go from superior to inferior.

We are still having lots of possession, and no one apart from Spurs has absolutely hammered us in terms of margin of defeat.

If we can still get 60% possession and have a world class striker we should be able to win matches.

Am sure Pep can figure.

I actually feel there is a real dirth of top tier players available right now.

In years gone by, I could reel off a list of names. Now I really do think there just seems to be a global dip in talent which has also led to us not buying players for key weak positions.

 

[wattle]

When I saw this story about different colour kits, I thought surely no adult would actually give a shit about something so silly....

Sorry for being such a child then ;)

 

[hello]

As long as he wants.

He will be hurting right now. He will be searching for answers more than anyone else.

Nobody is better equipped to provide them than Pep.

We may find that WHEN we come out of this, IF we have backed and supported our manager in his time of need, when we have won another title with him - he may then extend again to reciprocate that backing which he so badly needed.

People need to give their heads a wobble.

lets hope Santa is bringing him the 1st edition of "How to win football matches with midfielders that can't or won't run"

 

[Always Ali]

lets hope Santa is bringing him the 1st edition of "How to win football matches with midfielders that can't or won't run"

Or, a copy of "Why not try playing right footed wingers on the right, and left footed wingers on the left - An idiots guide to going past the fullback without having to cut back onto your favoured foot".
Fascinating read apparently, Grealish, Doku and Silva have purchased copies to give him on Christmas Day.

 

[Gone for a Burton]

I actually feel there is a real dirth of top tier players available right now.

In years gone by, I could reel off a list of names. Now I really do think there just seems to be a global dip in talent which has also led to us not buying players for key weak positions.

The same market conditions therefore apply to all clubs.

Equal oppotunities & restrictions..... the key differentiators then being academy's and coaching.

 

[Gray]

If it continues for a long time we will get relegated.

So what, we have done it before and enjoyed playing in the lower divisions.

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

At this moment I think they are better managers.

Pep is in a hell of a rut and needs to pull himself out of it

He simply does not have the players available to him to do anything different until January. Pep is the greatest manager of all time. If he can't fix it nobody can. Which is why him looking completely clueless is putting the fucking fear of God into me because if he goes a new manager won't improve it.

 

[Kippax Street 1880]

I asked various Livarpool, Man Yoo, Chelski, Arsenal, fans at work yesterday would you take Pep as manager. None of them said thay would. I'll remember that in May and remind them.

Load of bollocks from them. If Pep left tomorrow they would be dancing in the fucking streets and they know it.

 

[TShed]

If the rot continues what happens?

I'll tell what has to happen, we have to get new fans. Read into that what you want.

We’ve already got too many new fans that could be half the problem

 

[Lovebitesandeveryfing]

He simply does not have the players available to him to do anything different until January. Pep is the greatest manager of all time. If he can't fix it nobody can. Which is why him looking completely clueless is putting the fucking fear of God into me because if he goes a new manager won't improve it.

He may look clueless, but you can be absolutely sure that his maniac's brain is racing at a thousand miles an hour since the beginning of this crisis (its cruising speed is five hundred). He's already said he's not sleeping well nights, and I reckon that's an understatement.
I'll say it again, because it apparently needs saying on this forum, to the point of nausea: he may be partly responsible for getting us into this mess (and there's messes and messes — United have just been pasted at home and are sitting solidly and hopelessly in thirteenth position), but there is absolutely no manager in the world I'd rather have to get us out of it. Every single player who's worked with him has said that they've never worked with a manager like him. For me, that counts far more than what any fan might think.
And I will continue to say that unless we drop into the relegation zone. Even then, I'd have to have a big, long think about it…