I don't think Pep deserves a free pass but you make some very good points. He can't legislate for players not turning up and doing their job when he's tactically set us up the right way. Barca away was the classic case in point - who could have envisaged the Fernandinho slip to let Messi in for their opener? And when we were still well in the game and arguably the better team, Bravo cocked up and got himself sent off.
I've seen enough evidence so far this season that when the players do carry out his instructions and don't shoot themselves in the foot we're virtually unstoppable but it's not happening on a consistent enough basis so far, and because his tactics are pretty high risk it has a propensity to go spectacularly pear-shaped when it doesn't go according to plan. Personally, I think that consistency will come over time and talk of him "falling on his sword" at this stage is downright ludicrous IMO.
Kolarov, Zabaleta, Toure and Aguero will be gone in the Summer. I think Guardiola knows what he is doing and we'll rebuild. We need to finish top 4 this season, and I am sure we will.
Today was a bad defeat, but the performance was not that bad. But I feel that had we not conceded that goal, Liverpool would have still nicked one at some point. Stones is such a weak central defender. He's never where the danger is. That happened against Chelsea. We're fragile at the back, and Aguero has lost half a yard. Not the team we were. But that's the consequence of sitting on our backside for two years under Pellegrini.
In all fairness, Klopp used a setup/tactic he has never used in the PL before. It was a pure attempt to close down City. And from that perspective, it is hard to argue it didn't work?I've been a member for a while, but I've never posted before. We haven't been nearly as poor as some of you suggest. The way Pep set up the team neutralised Liverpool’s pressing and counterattack - they created literally nothing, apart from the goal. When was the last time Liverpool had 5 shots in total – at home? Or was it Klopp’s master-tactician who was sitting deep and waited for our mistakes? In Lawro’s wet dream,. maybe. As I’ve seen it today, he’s done again his part of the deal – he set us up to be able to efficiently move into the last third of the pitch, as Henry once said – but it was the players who did not do their part and failed individually to do anything from there. Full-stop.
Burnley on Monday, a nice win to start 2017 on a right track, with Pep good times are ahead. Onwards and upwards! Happy New Year to every Blue Brother.
To be honest it didn't really stand out to me. Why you such an angry fucker? I couldn't give two fuck's if you like new years or not, I'm not too arsed about it either.So you don't agree about Kev then I take it?
New Year is for kids mate, it's no different than any other fucking day.
Very disappointing and predictable performance. Perhaps in forthcoming season's we should just not play at Anfield and give them the points.
The whole team seems to have stagnated
after the whirlwind start we had and now it's looking like a fight for 4th just like the last 2 seasons.
Surley we should we expecting more now?
Excellent post and a realistic assessment of our current predicament.Unless Gabriel hits the ground running I think it is more likely to go from bad to worse in the second half.
I don't think though that finishing outside the top four will hurt us much and if anything it will place more onus on getting better quality for the long term rather than the approach we have taken in the transfer market while we have been in the Champions League which hasn't served us well as you point out in part.
We really need a kick up the back side as we have been drifting backwards for too long now and finishing outside the top four may well prove a good thing in terms of how we recruit , who we recruit and how we view the academy.
Chelsea , Liverpool , Manure and Spurs have spent large parts of the past few seasons outside the top four and Arsenal are no closer to winning the title or a Chumps League despite a 16 year consecutive run in the competition.
High time we got in players that can adapt to the premier league quickly at a high level with a manager who can get them to compete with the best in Europe.
This squad IMO is miles below what is required , its old , tired , slow and lacking the steel . guile , defensive qualities and technical ability and pace required to play attractive winning football week in week out.
Yeah, 13 wins in a row.....such a lucky guy
It's ok saying we need 5/6/7 new players next season but the they need a bedding in period and so that'll be another season wasted
Conte got lucky like pellegrini good players upset with the previous manager a few tweaks and the players are happy winning games again
Oh deary me! The sky is falling, the sky is falling!!!
Two TOP teams, with two WORLD CLASS coaches, who knew how to nullify each other's strengths created a game that was short on chances. SHOCKER!
It is clear there was a difference between the two teams...desire to get stuck in and attack the ball...but that still didn't negate the fact that City had 50% more possession, and almost complete control of the second half, but the problem of us breaking down a 10/11 man defence persists. What to do?
10 things:
Firstly, you start by lowering the age of the squad, which Pep is doing, because the game is passing older players by...and we know who they are, but so do other teams!
Secondly, you cultivate the talents of the wide players and you create a system that helps them play to their strengths.
Third, when you pull the opposing defence wide to cover the wingers, you create more space in the holes for the likes of Silva, KDB, Ferni, Yaya, Gundogan, and Aguero/Kelechi.
Fourth, anyone who thought this team, at this time, was going to roll over a Liverpool team in fine form, at Anfield, is naïve at best, deluded at worst.
Fifth, there was ALWAYS going to be six teams vying for four CL positions, and at least two or three of them were going to be fighting for the Champions position.
Sixth, it has taken BOTH Chelsea and Liverpool having their best starts to the Premier League EVER to create some daylight by year's end.
Seventh, City lost today to a team that had ZERO SHOTS ON GOAL....ZERO! They had ONE header on target and scored from it.
Eighth, City had TWO shots on goal, both weak, but created FAR MORE offensive threat over a longer period, even though it amounted to very little cutting edge goal mouth action.
Ninth, EVERY SINGLE FOOTBALL PERSON knows what City's weaknesses are, but today they were exposed for ONE chance that won the game.
Tenth, Pep/Txiki/Ferran will fix it. This is a process, notnthe finished article. We ALL knew this when Pep was hired, and he needs time to adjust, teach, and recruit the quality needed to play the way he wants. That is going to include speed, size (I hope!) and ball playing ability.
It never feels good to lose to a close rival, especially one that you hate and rarely beat, but reading some of the comments on here, anyone would think we were going down and United were going to win the League! FFS, have some context and moderation, otherwise when you do go off, at least it will be considered reasonable and warranted.
Seriously...hard to even bother reading most of the comments, because they are so unnecessarily hysterical.