Cancelo was an exciting signing but also a totally extravagant and unnecessary one, the young kid Frimpong could have been Walkers back up.Totally agree regarding Cancelo , i beleive the most expensive right back in europe i and i expected the finished article and to hit the ground running but he has been a massive disappointment , but the last few games he has shown what a player he could be , but why we spent £60m on a right back as "cover" when we were desperate to replace Vinnie was a criminal decision
Our recruitment has been hit and miss , Nathan Ake is an example , relegated with Bournemouth and we spend over £40m on him , ive never rated him but Txiki & Pep obviously do .It will be interesting to see how Ake's signing works out season.
Maybe.Maybe if the manager stopped playing "Pep roulette" and started playing him more in the central midfield area instead of shoehorning him out wide or sticking him on the bench, we might get the Bernardo Silva back we had in 18/29 season.
Rubbish, theses players will take longer than 3 weeks to get last night out of there systems alone.It doesn’t matter if it’s 3 weeks away. New season means everyone starts with a clean slate.
Pep was instrumental in us signing him so I don’t agree with your last paragraph either.
It doesn’t matter, at the end of the day we’ve got our opinions and going round in circles won’t change that.
There's so much to like about Stones and so little to dislike, it's a conundrum that I am slowly seeing as one that can't be solved. For Pep to pick Garcia in front of him last night sounds alarm bells, he must have very little trust in Garcia following his request to leave after agreeing a contract (according to Tolmie) and yet he still trusts him more than Stones. That tells me Stones time is up. I would have given him one final chance next season but it's looking highly unlikely now in my opinion.
Bernardo and Foden are the answer in midfield, I understand Pep's thought process to play Gundogan (technical superiority and calmness) but I don't agree with the decisions to consistently pick him above either Bernardo or Foden.
Jesus - I think people just have to accept he's a great player in his own right, he's not a goalscorer in the Aguero sense but his performances against Madrid prove he can do things to win big games. He's different in the traditional sense of a striker which I don't think people understand, or not necessarily don't understand but don't appreciate. For me he's first choice even when Aguero is fit because I think we're a better team, however Aguero has special qualities we simply can't ignore at times.
we just beat madrid,the players were on a high,let them play their game,it was not their mentality that was the problem,they don't pick the team,pep shit the bed again,it really is that simpleHad to give this a day to gather my thoughts on our season and this performance...
I am going to be brutally honest, but i don't care, need to get it off my chest...
Firstly, Pep played the wrong team. He played a very cautious team. Playing a midfield of Gundogan, Fernandinho and Rodri is a recipe for disaster, such a passive midfield with no progression and no intent on getting forward and finding pockets of space to give the opposition more to think about defensively. You could see the apprehenion and tentativeness setting into the players during the first 5-10 mins. The first goal was coming after how we started, we didn't get on the ball, we didn't take the game to Lyon, we got what we deserved.
This is a team who finished 7th in a so called "farmers" league, what did Pep have to be scared about? Why does he turn into Mourinho when we play in the CL? Should have stuck to what we are good at and that is playing football, pressing high from the front and taking the game to the opposition.
There is something wrong with this club when we play in this competition, i just think our mentally is so weak, we just don't have the belief. Pep takes full blame for me, but even if we played an attacking team, would we have won the game? I am not so sure. We seem to crumble under pressure in this competition, especially when we are the big favourites. We are complete novices in this competition and as a team, we will only require complete respect from the rest of the world if we are to play like a big team in this competition and win it. If we never win this competition and carry on playing as we are, we won't be respected for our achievements, that is the sad reality.
Will we win the league next season? I don't think we will. I am sorry guys, but i am thinking with my head and not my heart this time.
1) We play a ridiculously high line, one ball through the middle or over the top beats the entire defence if we stand in a straight line. This needs really tweaking as we look so amateurish at the back, but Pep is unbelievably stubborn and he won't tweak his tactics. Why can't we have one or two defenders dropping off in a sweeper role so we aren't leaving ourselves so exposed at the back?
2) Pep tinkers the team too much and we can never find our rhythm.
3) Our biggest rivals Liverpool have a set way of playing. They play literally the same team every game and every single player knows their job. They are solid at the back, very mobile in midfield and have very good players on the wings who open teams up for fun. I just don't see us competing with them unless we change MASSIVELY.
4) We have lost 13 league games over two seasons, whilst Liverpool have lost 4 over 2 seasons. We are too easy to beat, too easy to play against. It is almost as if teams have figured out how to play against us and how to beat the press.
5) The midfield certainly needs tweaking. Fernandinho is getting on and Gundogan doesn't provide us with the energy required. It really frustrates me that Pep never wants to play Bernardo Silva in a CM role like he did when De Bruyne was out injured last season. It worked perfectly last season, why has Pep changed the system now and opted for Gundogan to play more games in this position? A midfield of Gundogan & Rodri/Fernandinho just doesn't work for me.
To sum it up, i am just incredibly frustrated. We need to stop pissing about and buy a quality left back, get Koulibaly in and bring in another midfield player like Aouar. The squad is going a bit stale at the moment and the obvious weaknesses are so glaring. As much as i love Pep, i don't understand how he is not seeing that.
And to top it off... If Thiago goes to Liverpool, i will be absolutely fuming. That is pretty much the league wrapped up for them.
We need to really pull our fingers out in the market and on the training pitch... NOW. Pep needs to stop being so stubborn and we need to bring in a top defensive coach who can organise the back 4, the high line we are playing just isn't working at all.
, we might get the Bernardo Silva back we had in 18/29 season.
we just beat madrid,the players were on a high,let them play their game,it was not their mentality that was the problem,they don't pick the team,pep shit the bed again,it really is that simple
Great post, but Pep will never change from his principles and that's the problem.
I don't think anything will change next season, no preseason , new players to integrate, and players who have seen it, done it all before for the last 4 years.
I think we are done with Pep and after last night I think he and his senior players know to.
I backed Lyon at 14/1 as soon as I seen Gundo?Rodri combination. He over thought it and got it tactically wrong. Just as he did the year before, playing for 0-0 at Spurs in 1st legJust been through the Lyon pre match thread. A few things stood out, especially once the team was announced.
1. Considerable number of posters concerned about the team in relation to the expected formation.
2. A few posters called the ensuing outcome correctly based on formation/team.
3. A number of posters deriding those in 1 and 2 above. Funnily enough, haven't heard a peep out of them since full time.
I know there are no guarantees in any match but we have some knowledgeable posters on here who were spot on last night.
Pep went too defensive v arses as well,the league games were a mixture of things ,including key injuries heavily influenced by pigmol and var,one off games are down to pep mucking about,he had a fully fit squad barr sergio but he chose to go with no creative energetic players ,the likes of kev must have thought wtfWell what about the rest of the season then?
What about losing 9 games in the league? What about losing to a poor Arsenal team in the FA Cup?
Can't just excuse this down to just Pep and his tactics. We have to just own up to the fact that we just haven't been good enough all season.
I was one of those involved in chat and If I remember - I am still in a cloud of anger - I thought we would play 4-2-3-1 and was wrong. Most of the posters said it would be 3-5-2, which I thought was totally unnatural. And the first three times we were with the ball, it was Laporte - Garcia - Fern, booooom! Gundo stuck between Cancelo and Rodri on the left tidying some imaginary game of his own, and Kyle having a shouting match with Pep. I could swear Pep didn't change the game, it was Gundo coming on his own after they scored and trying to muscle in between Rodri and Fern who was all over the place.Just been through the Lyon pre match thread. A few things stood out, especially once the team was announced.
1. Considerable number of posters concerned about the team in relation to the expected formation.
2. A few posters called the ensuing outcome correctly based on formation/team.
3. A number of posters deriding those in 1 and 2 above. Funnily enough, haven't heard a peep out of them since full time.
I know there are no guarantees in any match but we have some knowledgeable posters on here who were spot on last night.
Cancelo was up there as our best player in the first half. All the good (despite little) attacks were down to his link up.Why didn't Mendy play last night. I mean he is not the greatest but then Cancelo ain't turning up the heat as well.
And to that effect we are not linked with any LB so far. So for next season are we counted on a crooked Mendy and a right back in Cancelo for our games
Is Pep going the Wenger way where his favorites play despite dropping shit performances consistently and others have to walk on eggshells where a slight drop in performance and you are a perennial bencher.
Also are late substitutions becoming a theme now.
Do we need to be concerned about Laporte ?
i don't know what this new assistant brings to the table,he is a fucking jinx so far on balance!I was one of those involved in chat and If I remember - I am still in a cloud of anger - I thought we would play 4-2-3-1 and was wrong. Most of the posters said it would be 3-5-2, which I thought was totally unnatural. And the first three times we were with the ball, it was Laporte - Garcia - Fern, booooom! Gundo stuck between Cancelo and Rodri on the left tidying some imaginary game of his own, and Kyle having a shouting match with Pep. I could swear Pep didn't change the game, it was Gundo coming on his own after they scored and trying to muscle in between Rodri and Fern who was all over the place.
I really think, knowing Pep is a very emotional person, that he got scared but previous losses in CL and almost all the games we lost this season and just panicked. And not having Arteta sitting next to him doesn't help, he really looks fucked up sitting on his own and talking to himself.
Not having a go, mate, but if Pep‘s hands are tied, spare a thought for managers with only a £100m pittance to spend each year.I have been very consistent this season in saying I think our biggest problem has been a lack of pace and natural width, caused by Sane's injury and subsequent departure.
Personally I think Pep knows the problem, hence why Torres was our first signing.
However Pep's hands have been tied this season. The lack of pace and natural width have meant we have had no option but to play centrally more frequently, which teams have realised and exploited by packing central areas and catching us in possession, which has lead to numerous goals conceded on the break. To try and minimise that vulnerability Pep has gone for technical superiority in midfield, which has resulted in some teams physically dismantling us and giving us a bit of a slap.
People blame the defence and CB's in particular but they're being left exposed by a drive for technical superiority rather than a technical/physical balance in midfield. Gundogan, Rodri and Silva (Fernandinho, Mahrez, Mendy and Aguero all exaggerate the problems too) are all limited physically and cause our defence untold problems when played together.
A few new signings to give us the pace and width back will fix the defensive problems as well, as teams won't be able to defend narrow and deep against us. They won't be winning the ball in central areas as frequently meaning they won't have as many counter attacks, so our defence will be less exposed as a result.
Pep has improved players for sure. He did at Bayern too. But just like at Bayern he may have been improving individuals, and developing the squad and his playing style, but in CL with both teams, he has shown to try and outthink himself. i think it's fair at this point to criticize him for real now.beg to differ Keeper , we dont buy rough diamonds , we buy potential and Pep has improved for example Jesus , Bernardo , Sterling and more than doubled their value in the transfer market , none of these players were the very best when they arrived at the club , but they are now.