Pep Guardiola - 2020/21 Performances

[Afterthefact]

It’s so dispiriting to read this narrative forming on here of what pep has to “figure out” to beat Chelsea next time.

this, to me, is exactly the kind of thinking that has to stop.

 

[mikemcfc]

)It’s so dispiriting to read this narrative forming on here of what pep has to “figure out” to beat Chelsea next time.

this, to me, is exactly the kind of thinking that has to stop.

I've read most of the posts and may have missed them but I don't recall any about what we need to do in a much more meaningless game "next time".
Only critiques of this match like this post below, and the similar one's you've liked,
not that I necessarily disagree of course. ;)

still so frustrating. Through his own choices he made zinchenko, foden, gundo, kdb all compromised and worse from the first kick. It just makes no sense. None whatsoever.

 

[alexmcity]

We won the league despite Rodri not because of him, if he was as good as what you think he is and say he is then as a record transfer fee holder he would not be dumped for the clubs biggest games of the season for a 36 year old and then someone who has hardly played there this season. Pep has finally seen it. He’s now third choice. It’s nothing to do with form either as Sterling has been in shit form for the last few months yet started the clubs biggest game ever, another decision you will no doubt agree with as Pep made it and he’s won more trophies than me.

Rodri being part of a title winning team means fuck all on his individual abilities or contribution otherwise Darren Fletcher is one of the greatest midfielders in Premier League history.

You don't win 21 games in a row despite a player, unless you have someone like Messi to compensate for the weaknesses of that player (btw, Messi's Barca never won 21 games in a row!). And you can't be as solid in defence as we were during that winning run despite your DM, that's nonsense.

Some of the players who were key to our winning run from December to March lost form, more or less. Not only Rodri, but also Cancelo, and arguably Bernardo (poor in the final and generally not as good as in January and February) and Gundo to an extent (scored 10 goals January and February, and just 2 goals in April and May) , even Dias and Stones weren't generally as solid as between December and March and were making more mistakes in April and May. Sterling was scoring goals up to February and went off the ball after that.The only players who improved after February were Mahrez, Ferna and Zinchenko.

It's not clear that Pep was right to not play Rodri. After all we won in Dortmund and Paris with Rodri. Ferna started just one CL knock-out game, and despite some opinions on here we didn't play better with him, that's why he didn't start in the final either. Anyway, Rodri will likely be 1st choice at DM next season. We won't play Chelsea every game. Btw, we came closest to winning vs Chelsea precisely at the Etihad where Rodri was the only proper midfielder to start the game. He made a mistake in that game, but the performance with him in the team was clearly better than the performance without him in the final. So, it's far from clear Pep did the right thing despite Rodri showing signs of losing form. Let's see what happens next season.

 

[supercity88]

Made decisions with his heart not his head. Sterling was a move that just wasn't going to work and Pep let his heart rule him there when he should have been ruthless.

The Gundogan decision was Pep at his worst. He might be older, wiser and more relaxed but his players being asked to play a unique lineup on the biggest stage is just throwing the game.

Halftime should have seen us revert to type. It would have destroyed Raheem but the club is bigger and Pep shouldn't have started him.

However, we have had a campaign better than most. We lost one, drew one and won the rest yet still didn't win it. The dippers won it having lost 3 or 4 I think it was.

Let's not let the media rule our minds. It's tough to win. United have won three despite playing in it for decades. We have played in it what 13 times or something now?

It wont be long.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

We won the league despite Rodri not because of him…

Deluded.

 

[wolviedinho]

The more days pass from the final the more crazy his team selection and player positioning looks. Pep what the hell where you thinking!

Madness absolutely madness.

 

[KennyG]

Best coach in the world. but not the best tactician. That’s the crux of it. Tuchel has his number, so did Klopp for most of his time here. He needs to brush up on his in-game management for certain, lots of subs are just for fresh legs and nothing else. Will be a lot tougher next year, but he can’t go anywhere, the premier league is the ultimate challenge.

 

[blueparrot]

exactly. my reaction to that post was let him buy his own team and gamble millions.

It really is so much more than the argument of "it was only one player at the expense of another."
you know, the consensus most out of form player, for our Captain and best defender at sweeping out attacks up the middle, and the players let him down. whatever.
The fact is he tore the heart out of our team.

---------------Fernie/ Rodri
------De bruyne----------Gundogan

to

---------------Gundogan
-----xxxxxxx--------------xxxxxxx

Where was Gundy when they scored? Our teams leading scorer by the way against PL clubs by 3 goals playing DM?
30 yards up the pitch instinctively playing his usual role, getting caught out from what he was supposed to be doing in a job he doesn't really know how to do. Not his fault for me.

We didn't lose bcause they scored 1 we lost because we couldn't score. Nothing to do with who played d.m.The changes didn't work but if you can't see the thinking and the sense behind the changes it's probably because you don't want to but that's your problem not Peps nor anyone elses really.
Not everything Pep trys will work but more often it will and more often than anyone else which is what makes him the best there is around so I'll take the few rough days for all the many great days and that'll do me, and probably most City fans.

 

[oldius]

U18 champions, U23 champions, PL winners, Carabao cup winners, CL finalists - get a bloody grip; this forum is like pensioners' bingo with incessant moaning about what needs to be done. We are the team of the decade, smashing records galore, there really is not a lot that needs to be done differently to what has been done.

 

[BlueMoonz1977]

We didn't lose bcause they scored 1 we lost because we couldn't score. Nothing to do with who played d.m.The changes didn't work but if you can't see the thinking and the sense behind the changes it's probably because you don't want to but that's your problem not Peps nor anyone elses really.
Not everything Pep trys will work but more often it will and more often than anyone else which is what makes him the best there is around so I'll take the few rough days for all the many great days and that'll do me, and probably most City fans.

Totally agree, dust ourselves off and go again. We will have the chance to correct last Saturday I firmly believe that