I cannot say how much I appreciated hearing Sam Lee's post-match analysis on Pep following the Chelsea loss during the last Why Always Us? and apparently in his latest Athletic article.
Lee's the only journalist I hear who consistently reports thoughts that seem quite logical, and often cross my mind, yet I can barely recall other journalists raise when they come to their conclusions on Pep.
Conclusions I feel often COMPLETELY MISS THE BOAT, leaving these same journalists befuddled as to how Pep came to his decisions, and instead slate him off with discomforting ease. Someone with his success record. Someone who since joining City has managed a squad full of the highest quality talent, carefully selected with Txiki and managed by him to temper the usual accompaniment of massive ego that hurt him in the past (read: Ibrahimavic).
Who deserves credit for that? Not Pep. He's a chequebook manager with it easy. Anyone can win with that squad goes the cliche. No CL victory? Automatic failure.
No CL victory? Automatic failure. Criticised for failing his first season then win back 2 back titles one with 100 points, then drop off significantly whilst Liverpool win CL and the PL and are hailed even more unstoppable. What next? Start off the season poorly, in 8th, then recover and leave them all in the dust, win the title with weeks to spare, and take the side to the CL final? No worries, David Moyes is your manager of the year, or some other mid-table club. Put Pep in charge of a lesser club like Burnley. Otherwise not so impressive.
Player of the Year? Harry Kane, Fernandes or anyone but City, of course. I heard one journalist seem to go out of their way to avoid City players on a BT pod, whilst the other 2 did give KDB or Dias more of a shout, but Spurs are not even in the top 4.
What else could be happening here? Perhaps some due to bias against City and even for an English player, but perhaps due as well to bias against the focus of Pep: HIS DESIRE TO CREATE A STRUCTURED TEAM SYSTEM, that relies less on one individual (logical given the risk you face when one of your best is injured - see Mbappe or how we used to suffer when Kun or Komps or KDB previously were out) and how his rotation system EMPHASISES TEAM and less of the individual.
Why is it we do not hear massive peeps of "I want out now?" We know some players are unhappy, but Pep rewards hard work and resilience. He will always give you your chances to prove yourself and keep some players in the team longer than seems sensible, but that's called MAN MANAGEMENT. So many who've been dropped or I've thought were off, yet have stuck around and/or thrived after coming back from the dead to prove themselves following the chances Pep gives them by using the depth he has, rather than the same 11 over and over and over again.
I struggle to recall the vast majority of the "award winning journalists" demonstrating the capacity to step outside of their own viewpoint on MANY issues I can attest to observing regarding coverage of City.
Thank you Sam Lee for being one who can see what seems sensible and missing. In fact, in this episode Lee explained that what he is writing and saying is what the coaching staff would probably say and makes more sense than just saying oh he was wrong. We all know far less than Pep and none of us can say we do.
What I too frequently hear and read from other journalists is an attempt to promulgate their viewpoint without any reflection of how it could be flawed. Their own ego gets in the way, perhaps? Rafa Honigstein is one who I give credit as I've heard him try to argue with some of Pep's detractors whilst he struggled in the PL in his 1st season on occasion. Yet, SURPRISE he covered Pep closely whilst he was at Bayern so he spent the time and energy.
The rest? I'm not so sure.
