Pep Guardiola - 2022/23

[Saddleworth2]

As Pep has said, he'll know himself when it's time to go. Until such time, he's more than earned our patience and full support.

Funny style of full support. Fair play if you have changed your mind during the day.

I thought it after the Villa game last season when Gundogan dragged us over the line to win the PL. That game was lost and Pep was on the edge until Gundogan saved his bacon.

I thought it again during the Brentford match. There's something missing with Pep now. The spark has dimmed and our football is laboured and frequently boring.

His press conference rant against the PL charges did little more than mask what's been going on on the pitch imo. The same heartfelt passion isn't apparent when it comes to matches.

The team reflects the coach. Make of that what you will.

 

[Lavinda Past]

Funny style of full support. Fair play if you have changed your mind during the day.

I expressed my opinion. I didn't say get rid of him. That's not my decision.

I'll back him until he decides to go, he deserves that for what he's done for City.

Whether I personally think that he should go now, next month, next year or in ten years time, makes no odds whatsoever.

It's only football. I'm sure he won't starve if he isn't working.

 

[BlueBanger]

His style has an air of self sabotage now imo.

 

[mattcity5]

Everyone getting on Pep's back because he didn't make any changes...

It's a fine line.

As we didn't get a winner:

Doesn't care
Doesn't know what to do
Lost his desire

If we did get a winner (bearing in mind the players out on are pitch are good enough to have done this):

Trusted his players
Stayed calm
Had belief.

It's a fine line.

 

[clarion]

I was listening to Pep after the game. He was defending his decision not making subs. He literally said he wanted to avoid dynamic game and running in two directions because of their quality.
Do we have any quality?

 

[FantasyIreland]

Completely agree with the majority but he’s being stubborn and, dare I say it, cowardly with the need for control. It’s affecting us going forward.

Part of me could understand if it was a case of us not knowing how to attack now we don’t use a false 9 and because of that he was using control to make sure we’re ok defensively while he figures it out. But we’re shite at both at the moment. The control isn’t serving any other purpose than Pep being scared shitless of having less than 70% possession. And the worrying bit? Teams don’t give a shit. They’re letting us have it like it’s Pellegrini’s 15/16 season because they know we’re blunt with it.

Again, fine if it’s start of the season and it’s teething problems but we’re in February and it’s been shit for months.

Best manager in the world? Yes. Glad to have him? Absolutely. But he needs to pull his head out of his arse and grow some of the same ‘balls’ he’s accused players of not having throughout his spell here.

Mistakes are fine by me - the CL final in 2021, mistake not to start Rodri but fine. No subs last night? Fine. His handling of certain players? Fine (line). But stubbornness to stick with a way of playing that is keeping the ball for the sake of keeping the ball (everything he’s fought against since becoming a manager by the way) is unacceptable when it’s not particularly producing results. We’re lucky Arsenal went through a dry spell and I hope he realises it’s time to show some bollocks and *attack*.

Spot on.

And those who are most vocal in their concern and criticism would be far more willing to 'cut him some slack' if most of his current decisions were not as ludicrously bizarre and damaging as they appear.
Everything that makes him 'Pep' seems to be quickly disappearing,its almost seems like we have a manager who has recognised that the end of his tenure is close and he is just going through the motions until the bullet is fired.

Add the reality and frustration of the above to the momentum that the Rag manager has created,and it only amplifying matters.

I hope i am miles off,and that in the next few weeks he proves his energy and his desire are a strong as ever and that the poor decisions he is currently making are nothing more than a blip and/or a means to finding the solution that presently evades him.

 

[clarion]

I was thinking, does the managers have their peak?

SkySports Retro T. Henry how Pep was in control in that time at Barcelona. They were not allowed to do anything without asking.
Now I have a feeling Pep is more casual. Is he hungry enough?

What bothers me is he is constantly speaking how everything is good. We play good. We lose points and this is because they are so good…

Haaland numbers are very hidden behind hat tricks on few great nights.

For me it is February and we still don’t have a style and game that provides assist for Haaland. No full backs and no direct wingers.

Passing, passing, passing back to Ederson….

 

[grim up north]

I was thinking, does the managers have their peak?

SkySports Retro T. Henry how Pep was in control in that time at Barcelona. They were not allowed to do anything without asking.
Now I have a feeling Pep is more casual. Is he hungry enough?

What bothers me is he is constantly speaking how everything is good. We play good. We lose points and this is because they are so good…

Haaland numbers are very hidden behind hat tricks on few great nights.

For me it is February and we still don’t have a style and game that provides assist for Haaland. No full backs and no direct wingers.

Passing, passing, passing back to Ederson….

Is Bobby Gould available

 

[kaz7]

I wouldn't trust him with a rebuild, clearly he's run out of ideas and his philosophy that made him so exceptional is gone.

Give him 300+ million to spend on new players and he'll just turn them into robots.

Whats the dialling code for India? Is he still on vacation?

0/10

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

I was listening to Pep after the game. He was defending his decision not making subs. He literally said he wanted to avoid dynamic game and running in two directions because of their quality.
Do we have any quality?

Think Pep is being hung out to dry here because he's had to make do with:

Losing:
1. Jesus (trusted player)
2. Sterling (trusted player)
3. Zinchenko (trusted player)
4. Fernandinho (trusted player)
5. Ferran Torrez (semi-trusted player)
6. Cancelo (trusted till insubordination)

Replaced by:
1. Erling (trusted player)
2. Julian (trusted player)
3. Akanji (trusted player)
4. Philips (not trusted)
5. Gomez (not trusted)
6. Palmer (not trusted)

* Rico Lewis (semi-trusted)

So the squad is really thin, especially up front where we lost 4 attacking players and only replaced them with 2 - and those 2 play the same position.

This is a major failure by our scouting team that thought the players would be up to it and they aren't. Losing the pace and control on the wings from Jesus and Sterling and replacing Ferna with Philips is just outright criminal and the scouting department should be fired!

Pep has fixed the Cancelo/ Zinchenko hole with Ake & Rico!

Most worrying is Philips is clearly not trusted so Rodri is having to play so much that he can run out of gas at the tail end of the season and it seems like that now.

We've got a MAJOR OVERHAUL next summer.. not just for midfield we keep talking about but also the players that we failed to adequately replace last year.


For now we're in a fight for the CL and PL and Pep might actually have to give some academy kids a real shot this year - Maybe Borges/ Ndala or Mebude and see who can play our system and give opposing defenses headaches.