Pep Guardiola - 2019/20 Performances

[mccity]

I think there's more of a self-belief issue than a not wanting it issue with the mentality. It's probably down to a lot of things but ever since the Tottenham game and then the Laporte injury a couple of games later the team's developed a bit of softness.

Pep's spoken about belief a lot, and when we were winning games late he'd bring it up. He's now noted mentality issues with our failings and this is where I think it comes from.


We have a way of playing. It's about quick passing, quick movement, and patience. Play it around in the tight areas, create the overloads, have someone exploit the space, and if it's on play the pass. We're good enough that we'll always create chances doing that if we do it right.

The problem is we've lost belief. 1st we have some players that try too hard to force the issue (De Bruyne, Aguero, Laporte, Mendy, Mahrez etc). Sometimes this pans out but sometimes they go way too early. And then we have players that never force the issue (Silva, Sterling, Gundogan, Jesus, Walker etc) so anything resembling an opportunity isn't grabbed upon. Worst of all is Bernardo, who has so little faith that he either does nothing or hits in aimless crosses. One thing to note about him is that often he's the first to "break".

When you have the belief then no matter what's going on you have the confidence to play the way you know best. Not only do we lack a certain something when we're chasing goals, but more times than ever this season I've witnessed us go into panic mode at the back, making clearances galore.

The only player to have the belief seems to be Ederson, who no offence to him is probably the last player you want to have that attitude. Although it is still welcome.


What's important is that Pep recognises what issues have caused the players to lose belief and solves them as best as he can. It's possible we have success fatigue, or fatigue from Pep's style. Or maybe losing Sané and Laporte for the full season dented morale. Or the Bernado and Sterling incidents. Maybe not getting the praise they felt they deserved from the media got to them. Maybe the cloud of UEFA FFP stuff got to them. Maybe VAR. My suspicion is that the players have lost a motivating factor which has let all these things bug them.


There've been a few games this season we've really fought well. Chelsea and Leicester last winter we were excellent after conceding. Real Madrid was a great game. The recent Liverpool fixture too. I think when the players have a really good reason to want to win they play fantastically. So next season Pep's job is to make them want to fight. Whether it's to keep their places (with affirmative transfers in and out), to win back the title, to stick it to UEFA/the media, to prove we're better than Liverpool. Whatever works, he needs to do it.

 

[Ezzy]

I think there's more of a self-belief issue than a not wanting it issue with the mentality. It's probably down to a lot of things but ever since the Tottenham game and then the Laporte injury a couple of games later the team's developed a bit of softness.

the problem with our team is about Broken Balance.

"So Close, Yet So Far" sums up our problems in 19/20 pretty well.
all the off the field excuses are Invalid in the grand scheme of things.

just off the top of my head this is our biggest problem this season:

Bernardo Silva should've been one of the biggest beneficiary of the Covid Break. But instead he came back still looking like he got all of his energy & abilities stolen from him.

0) How can you consistently build up self belief when you are in a system that plays against your strengths??



some other ones:
1) who are our Left sided attacking midfielders?
2) who supports our inverted wingers with natural width?
3) who provides the width when we go with Inverted Full-Back?
4) who/what is helping our full-backs defend?
5) is Sterling our only "real winger" that plays on the left?
6) what is Bernardo's best position?
7) what type of Squad is easier to manage / Build?

• 25+ Outfield Playing Squad?
• 14+ Outfield Playing Squad?

 

[cjn]

What other plan B is there? There's no plan which allows you to break down a team with all 11 players in their own box.

Our options are to try plan A a bit faster, or try to cause a bit of havoc with some crosses.

I'd like to see us run at defenders more when they're queued up in the box to invite penalties, but referees rarely give them.

I think that's right in theory. The issue for me is how many of the crosses are floated in and harmlessly headed away verses ones that are fizzed in to dangerous areas on the ground, where at least the ball can bounce around, be deflected, etc. The former leads to those days where it feels like we could play another hour and not get anything. Or we can bring in a credible goal threat from outside the box.

 

[domalino]

I think that's right in theory. The issue for me is how many of the crosses are floated in and harmlessly headed away verses ones that are fizzed in to dangerous areas on the ground, where at least the ball can bounce around, be deflected, etc. The former leads to those days where it feels like we could play another hour and not get anything. Or we can bring in a credible goal threat from outside the box.

Sometimes I think we want the ball to be headed away.

When teams clear the ball, they all push out to establish an offside line, and quite often we score goals from a clearance that goes straight to a City player and we play the ball back in straight away and take advantage of that extra space they just created.

That's the same reason we go back to the keeper from advanced positions, to make the opposition push out and give us more space to attack again.

That's my only theory for why we do it, because otherwise it makes no sense and Pep generally doesn't do things without reason.

 

[cjn]

Sometimes I think we want the ball to be headed away.

When teams clear the ball, they all push out to establish an offside line, and quite often we score goals from a clearance that goes straight to a City player and we play the ball back in straight away and take advantage of that extra space they just created.

That's the same reason we go back to the keeper from advanced positions, to make the opposition push out and give us more space to attack again.

That's my only theory for why we do it, because otherwise it makes no sense and Pep generally doesn't do things without reason.

Agreed, which is why I don't think it's necessarily the tactic as much as its the execution - not varying the types of crosses, taking a few more long shots, running at defenders to draw a pen every now and then. The predictability of it neutralizes its effectiveness.

 

[St.Pauli support]

Sometimes I think we want the ball to be headed away.

When teams clear the ball, they all push out to establish an offside line, and quite often we score goals from a clearance that goes straight to a City player and we play the ball back in straight away and take advantage of that extra space they just created.

That's the same reason we go back to the keeper from advanced positions, to make the opposition push out and give us more space to attack again.

That's my only theory for why we do it, because otherwise it makes no sense and Pep generally doesn't do things without reason.

But it's not Pep who puts in cross after cross.
We were without any self-confidence from the start, our big guns (KDB, Raz, Laporte) did mistakes they rarely do and a team feels it immediately.

2-0 down and 11 reds in their box we were absolutely helpless, in panic mode and neither cool nor smart. Arsenal dictated where they wanted us to have the ball: Mendy and Laporte.

Your theory would be a lottery and headers mostly are cleared too far out to have a strategical advantage, at least I can't remember of such a situation.

And actually Arsenal had no ambition to even get out of the box to establish an offside line,
they wanted to frustrate us and they did.

High crosses obviously were the wrong measure, but you can cause a little mess in a box when you have lots of movements and sharp low crosses, if nothing else works.

 

[domalino]

But it's not Pep who puts in cross after cross.

It might as well be.

The players aren't putting in crosses for 30+ minutes without it being Pep's idea.

They definitely aren't reverting to that tactic 13 times this season without it being Pep's idea.

My theory might not be correct, but I don't think anyone who's seen Guardiola for the past 10 years believes Guardiola just lets his team start crossing blindly out of panic time and time again without correcting them.

 

[St.Pauli support]

I agree to the point that Pep might better did it himself and that he doesn't plan panic times ;)
Anyway, theory and practice. Whatever the plan was, it didn't work. Just a bad day I hope.

I also missed more shots from outside the box but many didn't trust their own skills.
Laporte was close once though. Shame.

 

[kaz7]

Guardiola on keeping his intensity: "Yeah but for myself it's a challenge for me. I have never been five years in one club and also the challenge for me to prove myself that we can have the level we have had in previous seasons.

"In one world managers sack everyone, so keeping the job for a long time is so difficult. It depends on results and being here for a fifth season makes me so proud for our staff and players - they helped me to be here

 

[mikemcfc]

What other plan B is there? There's no plan which allows you to break down a team with all 11 players in their own box.

Our options are to try plan A a bit faster, or try to cause a bit of havoc with some crosses.

I'd like to see us run at defenders more when they're queued up in the box to invite penalties, but referees rarely give them.

more shots should come from the middle area, 18-25 yards out 6-7 feet high with Kev or whoever blasting on net. These can get through, get deflected or spilled by the keeper anywhere. This is making something happen rather than our outside guys trying to dribble through half the team getting tackled or having a pass blocked.