Pep Guardiola - 2020/21 Performances

[alexmcity]

Our formation last night was similar to the formation at Anfield: Gundogan played at DM instead of Rodri and Kevin played at AM instead of Gundogan. The front 3 were the same, they were the same also vs Spurs at Wembley when in the 1st half we played arguably our best football after February.

So, those saying we played a completely new formation in the CL final are wrong. We played that formation when Kevin was injured and we beat with it Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Everton in February and Spurs at Wembley in April.

Was Pep wrong to try Gundogan at DM? Maybe he was. Probably he was. When you lose, the alternatives always look much better, even if every possible tactics would allow the opposition to have some chances and win.

Truth is we had a poor first half with Rodri in Paris and poor first half with Ferna in Manchester (yes, the 1st half at the Etihad vs PSG was poor, read the interviews with Pep and Mahrez after the game). Overall, we didn't play much worse than in Paris, but failed to score from our chances, whereas in Paris Kevin scored from a cross and Mahrez himself admitted he was lucky with the free kick.

People's analysis of tactics is too much influenced by the final result. If we win it's great, if we lose it's bad. Maybe Pep made a (big) mistake with the starting XI, but the players didn't perfotm well either, including Dias and KDB.

 

[radcliffe1309]

Our formation last night was similar to the formation at Anfield: Gundogan played at DM instead of Rodri and Kevin played at AM instead of Gundogan. The front 3 were the same, they were the same also vs Spurs at Wembley when in the 1st half we played arguably our best football after February.

So, those saying we played a completely new formation in the CL final are wrong. We played that formation when Kevin was injured and we beat with it Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Everton in February and Spurs at Wembley in April.

Was Pep wrong to try Gundogan at DM? Maybe he was. Probably he was. When you lose, the alternatives always look much better, even if every possible tactics would allow the opposition to have some chances and win.

Truth is we had a poor first half with Rodri in Paris and poor first half with Ferna in Manchester (yes, the 1st half at the Etihad vs PSG was poor, read the interviews with Pep and Mahrez after the game). Overall, we didn't play much worse than in Paris, but failed to score from our chances, whereas in Paris Kevin scored from a cross and Mahrez himself admitted he was lucky with the free kick.

People's analysis of tactics is too much influenced by the final result. If we win it's great, if we lose it's bad. Maybe Pep made a (big) mistake with the starting XI, but the players didn't perfotm well either, including Dias and KDB.

Very good and totally agree

 

[Tugay One Cup]

Maybe Pep made a (big) mistake with the starting XI, but the players didn't perfotm well either, including Dias and KDB

I don't think anyone criticising Pep is giving the players a free pass.

The way he set us up left us incredibly exposed and we were lucky to be behind by one at half time. That doesn't mean it's his fault that Stones was a nervous wreck but the space was there for all to see.

It's all good and well saying "if we won, we'd be saying he's a genius" but a huge part of why we didn't win is that he fucked with the midfield in order to crowbar in a player who has been in awful form for months.

He took a huge gamble when the gamble wasn't necessary.

 

[The1nvisibleMan]

The players should be able to adapt.

You’re insane. You don’t tell players who got you to a final to switch up a winning formula to play a guy who has been out of form for half the season and expect it to be rosy

 

[alexmcity]

I don't think anyone criticising Pep is giving the players a free pass.

The way he set us up left us incredibly exposed and we were lucky to be behind by one at half time. That doesn't mean it's his fault that Stones was a nervous wreck but the space was there for all to see.

It's all good and well saying "if we won, we'd be saying he's a genius" but a huge part of why we didn't win is that he fucked with the midfield in order to crowbar in a player who has been in awful form for months.

He took a huge gamble when the gamble wasn't necessary.

That's reasonable. But the formation wasn't experimental, we used it when Kevin was out injured late January and February and also vs Spurs at Wembley.

Maybe Gundo did worse at DM than Rodri in Paris and Ferna in Manchester vs PSG, that's debatable, but remember that PSG could have been 2 up in Paris and level after the first half in Manchester even though they were without Mbappe in Manchester. The first half in both games with PSG was poor.

Foden scores from that chance in the first half like Mahrez did in Manchester, and it's a different game. Aguero crosses the ball better and it's game on, Mahrez scores from that volley, and we are back in it, etc. etc. Fine margins.

 

[blueparrot]

I don't think anyone criticising Pep is giving the players a free pass.

The way he set us up left us incredibly exposed and we were lucky to be behind by one at half time. That doesn't mean it's his fault that Stones was a nervous wreck but the space was there for all to see.

It's all good and well saying "if we won, we'd be saying he's a genius" but a huge part of why we didn't win is that he fucked with the midfield in order to crowbar in a player who has been in awful form for months.

He took a huge gamble when the gamble wasn't necessary.

We didn’t lose because we were exposed, we lost because we couldn’t find a way through their organised defensive wall and score. Would Rodri or Fernandinho changed that , doubtful. What would ? Maybe a centre forward disrupting them, maybe but probably a different type than we have this season..
We may have crowbarred Sterling in but to my eyes he was the attacker that came closest to unpicking them, closer than any of our other attacking players.
Maybe the way to beat them was play at their game and draw them out and try to counter, but that is the tactics of a different manager to Pep and on balance I ‘d rather have Pep because we win more and are better to watch.

 

[mosssideblue]

Absolutely furious at three things:

Changing a team tactic and dynamic that rolled over the top of Dortmund and PSG. Experiments on a game he had absolutely no right to. One game in 84 was it with no holding midfielder?

Stands and watches his tactics fail for 80 mins before changing them, leaving too little time for the change in tactics to take effect. We dominated the last 10/15 once Sterling and Bernardo came off.

Starting an out of form Sterling and leaving our club legend on the bench. Aguero would have given everything, fucking everything that game, instead we had Sterling toddling about falling over the ball.

Agree. Sterling off, Phil to the left and Kun (or Jesus/Torres) in the middle

 

[Len Rum]

Our formation last night was similar to the formation at Anfield: Gundogan played at DM instead of Rodri and Kevin played at AM instead of Gundogan. The front 3 were the same, they were the same also vs Spurs at Wembley when in the 1st half we played arguably our best football after February.

So, those saying we played a completely new formation in the CL final are wrong. We played that formation when Kevin was injured and we beat with it Liverpool, Spurs, Arsenal and Everton in February and Spurs at Wembley in April.

Was Pep wrong to try Gundogan at DM? Maybe he was. Probably he was. When you lose, the alternatives always look much better, even if every possible tactics would allow the opposition to have some chances and win.

Truth is we had a poor first half with Rodri in Paris and poor first half with Ferna in Manchester (yes, the 1st half at the Etihad vs PSG was poor, read the interviews with Pep and Mahrez after the game). Overall, we didn't play much worse than in Paris, but failed to score from our chances, whereas in Paris Kevin scored from a cross and Mahrez himself admitted he was lucky with the free kick.

People's analysis of tactics is too much influenced by the final result. If we win it's great, if we lose it's bad. Maybe Pep made a (big) mistake with the starting XI, but the players didn't perfotm well either, including Dias and KDB.

Whilst people's analysis of tactics will be influenced by the result for me this isn't about retrospection.
If you gamble bigly with a team formation ( in this case out of form attacking player replacing a crucial holding midfielder) then one of two things happen:
1 You win then you're a hero, hailed as a tactical genius and all the praise comes your way.
2. You lose and it's hero to zero and all the criticism comes your way.
Pep is clearly in the second category and he deserves the criticism.
As a general principle this could apply to lots of decisions made in life i.e. play the percentages and if you fail there can be acceptance.
Gamble (bigly) and you've got to succeed. Expect no sympathy if you don't.

 

[Goater=Legend]

Lost for words, really am. The 5-3-2 made sure there was always a player available for them and Pep knew this would happen so it's absolutely bizarre that he would decide to play Gundogan as a DM, does anybody know what position Foden was playing?

 

[hammocity]

Not read the thread and not going to, just like to say Pep has revolutionised football in this country at all levels, his style of football is replicated at my mate's 12 year old son's team.

I love the football we play, its fantastic, Pep is a great tactician and Manager.

Way above all his footballing prowess Pep is also a brilliant human being, I love the guy and I'm so proud he is our Manager, can't wait to get back to the Etihad to see his team. We won the most difficult league in the world and finished runners up in an elite tournament where you need a little bit of luck to win it.

Onwards we go, down but not out, enjoy the summer, the sunshine, the Euro's and Covid being beaten and look forward to seeing our team with Pep at the helm next season.