Pep Guardiola - 2020/21 Performances

[alexmcity]

Pep's success and the comparisons with Ferguson are rattling United fans. They are concerned :)

What United fans forget about Pep when arguing about Ferguson's superiority is Pep's tactical influence on the game. Tactically, and as a coach, he's on a different level to Ferguson. What Ferguson managed at United was unique in terms of building and rebuilding teams over decades. But it's also unique to win multiple trophies in different top leagues while communicating your tactical innovations in different languages. I'd say the latter is more difficult, even if one works with top players. The combination of being a great tactical mind and being very successful at communicating your ideas and winning many trophies in different countries is very special.

 

[Mr HJ]

I still pinch myself to think we have this man as our leader. I think this year has been an outstanding achievement, driven by Pep - when they said he was stubborn and his teams only played one way how wrong they were. He saw that teams had studied how best to beat a "Pep team" and made subtle changes that once again left them all in the rear view mirror. That is the sign of the best manager in the world.

I have never listened to the constant media rant about how much our squad cost. Look at the likes of Spurs (Sanchez and Ndombele cost 100m) and Arsenal (Pepe and Aubameyang cost 120m) spending huge sums of money and still not having a team close to us. Sure our team cost a bundle but it is clearly wrong to suggest we are the only team that spends big. I just hope we can keep him for at least another 3 years because when he goes it will be hard to find someone with his skillset. I love him.

 

[mccity]

Pep's success and the comparisons with Ferguson are rattling United fans. They are concerned :)

What United fans forget about Pep is his tactical influence on the game. Tactically, and as a coach, he's on a different level to Ferguson. What Ferguson managed at United was unique in terms of building and rebuilding teams over decades. But it's also unique to win multiple trophies in different top leagues while communicating your tactical innovations in different languages. I'd say the latter is more difficult, even if one works with top players. The combination of being a great tactical mind and being very successful at communicating your ideas and winning many trophies in different countries is very special.

When you break it down, there's a lot of things in Pep's favour, just from his time here:

He has the best win percentage.
In December 2016 Chelsea set the record for most consecutive wins (13). Since then City have beaten that number on 3 separate occasions across 3 separate seasons.
Scored over 100 league goals in multiple seasons.
100 points in 1 season. 98 the next.
More high quality, dominant football.
More tactical innovation.
Both more bold and bald.
Came out on top against a Liverpool side that got 97 points.
Broke multiple records over multiple seasons.

That's off the top of my head.

There's two, maybe three big things going in Ferguson's favour. One is the CL, and there's a chance that advantage goes. One possible is the fact Ferguson won the treble, but if City win the CL then it'll be two different trebles in Pep's favour. Lastly is the longevity. Which is a big favour to Ferguson.

I don't count the rebuild stuff anymore. Pep built the first title winning squad and he's effectively had to rebuild things for this season, after everybody doubted he could on both occasions. I would wager that he could do it repeatedly if given the time.

Only a United fan would argue Ferguson didn't have the financial dominance btw.

There's a reason people are praising Pep the way they are. Ferguson won a lot of titles but they never really ever blew anyone out of the water. In all his time there he only twice hit 90 points in a 38 point season, and 4 different managers have beaten his best total. And he never toppled a truly dominant team. The one and only spell where he was up against a real juggernaut (Chelsea 04-06) who could put up a huge points total, he lost both times, comfortably so. In fact, the one time they actually did put up a fight against a high points total rival of any kind, they lost (2012).

 

[sir baconface]

Must admit I wondered if Pep had taken us far as he could after such a mediocre start to the season. I was only 50/50 about him signing a contract extension.

How pleased I am to be proven wrong.

He’s shown a degree of flexibility and pragmatism that wasn’t always obvious. He’s introduced a less cavalier attitude to defence and used ingenuity to work around the striker problem. The miracle of Dias certainly helped but big credit is due for the renaissance of Gundo, Stones, Bernardo and Mahrez in the revised system. And, of course, Foden has come good as we all knew he would.

 

[OB1]

Pep's success and the comparisons with Ferguson are rattling United fans. They are concerned :)

What United fans forget about Pep when arguing about Ferguson's superiority is Pep's tactical influence on the game. Tactically, and as a coach, he's on a different level to Ferguson. What Ferguson managed at United was unique in terms of building and rebuilding teams over decades. But it's also unique to win multiple trophies in different top leagues while communicating your tactical innovations in different languages. I'd say the latter is more difficult, even if one works with top players. The combination of being a great tactical mind and being very successful at communicating your ideas and winning many trophies in different countries is very special.

Last year Four Four Two published a list of the greatest managers of all time:

7.Matt Busby

6. Arrigo Sacchi

5. Pep Guardiola

4. Bill Shankly

3. Johan Cruyff

2. Rinus Michels

1. Alex Ferguson

Not surprisingly, for a British mag, it overrates in my mind the Scots on the list.

90Mins (not sure of their credibility) recently produced a list

6. Johan Cruyff

5. Giovanni Trapattoni

4. Pep Guardiola

3. Rinus Michels

2. Arrigo Sacchi

1. Alex Ferguson

France Football (which is free of British bias) came up with:

6. Valerie Lobanovski
5. Pep Guardiola
4. Johan Cruyff
3. Arrigo Sacchi
2. Alex Ferguson
1. Rinus Michels

We know what SAF's claims are but the other guys on the list immediately above changed how the game is played.

Pep is guy who was mentored by Cryuff, who you almost have to band with Michels because their combined work is so key to the total football concept. Another one that was a huge influence on Pep was Sacchi.

What Pep has done is taken what those guys and the likes of Bielsa and Lillo and formulated a brand of football that stands on its own.

He has also been a huge success at three top clubs in three different leagues, straight from being a rookie manager. His success rate based on how long he has been a coach is surely unrivaled (Zidane has a pretty good win ratio / trophy haul but, please).

Pep is in a league of his own and I can foresee a day when most of this lists will have him at the top.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Given last year it wasn't a certainty he would even be here this season,and then the very lacklustre/muddled start to it....as the man himself states,its probably up there with his greatest achievements.

As a huge bonus,i also think its reinvigorated him to such a degree that i cant see him going anywhere for a long time.

 

[OB1]

Given last year it wasn't a certainty he would even be here this season,and then the very lacklustre/muddled start to it....as the man himself states,its probably up there with his greatest achievements.

As a huge bonus,i also think its reinvigorated him to such a degree that i cant see him going anywhere for a long time.

I didn't expect him to stay this long. Not a clue if he will stay beyond his latest contract but from a football perspective (as opposed to private life), where is he going to find a football club more suited to him.

Can eventually see him going to a national team that has a chance of winning the World Cup but what he does is best suited to a club side.

 

[RayCTID]

Its is extremely difficult to predict what Pep's next move is once he does leave City but I don't see him staying beyond his contract.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

Excellent article by Guillem Balague in which he distilled the essence of the requirement for the Starting XI this season:

“The manager determined that his priority was players who gave fluidity, whose first touch and body positioning allowed the ball to be moved faster. That became a determining factor in his selections for big games.”

This is an integral part of what I’ve been talking about when saying “Pep players.”

He identifies traits he believes will make a difference TO THE TEAM and cultivates those talents. We saw it in that clip of Pep teaching Sterling to take the ball on the angle, rather than straight on. However, it has to be just one of the strings in their bow, because he demands much much more. That’s just the basic FOOTBALLING requirement.

 

[sir baconface]

Its is extremely difficult to predict what Pep's next move is once he does leave City but I don't see him staying beyond his contract.

I‘m inclined to agree. Once we’ve won the CL - which I’m convinced will be this year - he will have achieved all his targets with us. That doesn‘t mean he’ll walk immediately but I’d be surprised if he didn‘t fancy a completely fresh challenge.