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.
Nonsense. Those are his friends. Txiki and Co discuss with Pep and sign players. Players are not signed without Pep's approval.Think Pep is being hung out to dry here
We didn't get the winner. We had a carbon copy situation in back to back games and he managed them both with the same response to the same conclusion.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.
Nonsense. Those are his friends. Txiki and Co discuss with Pep and sign players. Players are not signed without Pep's approval.
Txiki may recommend Phillips, but he will discuss it with Pep. Pep has seen all these players play, if he didnt think it would work he would say so. Txkiki wouldnt buy a player after Pep says no.Your most trusted friends can recommend a Mercedes Benz to you but after you buy it, it can still turn out to be a lemon!
That's not nonsense, its real life! And sadly we're in that situation this season..
Txiki may recommend Phillips, but he will discuss it with Pep. Pep has seen all these players play, if he didnt think it would work he would say so. Txkiki wouldnt buy a player after Pep says no.
I agree wholeheartedly regarding pep almost losing his identity.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.
Remember the 17/18 amazon documentary? Pep said 'You..Have..To Play..Football..With..Courage'I agree wholeheartedly regarding pep almost losing his identity.
The last few seasons any games where we seemed to not create anything tended to be brushed off with "we just need a proper striker". Then all summer everyone with a hole in their arse was salivating over how many chances we'd be feeding Haaland. Oh the irony...hence my "self sabotage" comment. Now we find it was much more to do with this stinker of a system/tactics that pep employs, borne less out of a lack of striker previously, and more a reaction to never being able to really handle the dipper system imo. Just strangle yourself to death with meaningless possession, then end up getting seriously set in your ways. This is possibly why gabby also struggled at times.
I just seriously worry the long term casualty of peps cowardly approach to total control, or the illusion thereof (given our comedy defending at times), will be Haaland...that would cut deep as he's the most exciting signing we've arguably ever made.
If gundogan and bernardo are failing to play the big man the balls he needs, drop them and bring others into the mix...it's not rocket science. We have grealish, foden, phillips to name a few that can play in the middle. Doing so would even give alvarez/palmer much more game time. Grealish proved to be more useful in one five second moment covering in the middle, than either gundo or bernardo in our last match. Also, we all know that chances are both these players are possibly already mentally checked out given their circumstances... especially bernardo.
Pep is just not presenting solutions right now, many months into the season and we seem to be getting worse not better, and his clear stubbornness is killing us imo. I feel bad throwing gundogan under the buss too given that, were it not for his heroics last season, we wouldn't even be champions now...and pep would be more under the spotlight.
The answer is obviously not to change manager as pep can be brilliant, but we need another arteta type character to temper pep and insert some new thinking into our system. We also desperately need wholesale changes in the center of the pitch...or we just become the rags under van gall and haaland leaves at the first opportunity.
More nonsenseEver dated a person based on looks?
Not all are the sharpest pencils in the pack!
Some are definitely not partner material!
Hard to disagree with what you are saying...the reality of the matter is its not just down to teams putting 10 guys behind the ball anymore...even when teams open up and look stretched and ripe for the taking we do nothing. Our going forward now is markedly devoid of any pace, precision, or menace. Guys can't even manage simple through balls in acres of space. Too much weight on the ball, not enough, hitting it straight at the only defender within 20 yards...Its hard to believe. Everyone putting 2 hands to their heads after they miss the frame from point blank range over and over again. Is everyone watching? I mean really watching, not sticking their heads up their asses in denial...my son uses the perfect term to describe how we feel watching this City...UNRECOGNIZABLE...I agree wholeheartedly regarding pep almost losing his identity.
The last few seasons any games where we seemed to not create anything tended to be brushed off with "we just need a proper striker". Then all summer everyone with a hole in their arse was salivating over how many chances we'd be feeding Haaland. Oh the irony...hence my "self sabotage" comment. Now we find it was much more to do with this stinker of a system/tactics that pep employs, borne less out of a lack of striker previously, and more a reaction to never being able to really handle the dipper system imo. Just strangle yourself to death with meaningless possession, then end up getting seriously set in your ways. This is possibly why gabby also struggled at times.
I just seriously worry the long term casualty of peps cowardly approach to total control, or the illusion thereof (given our comedy defending at times), will be Haaland...that would cut deep as he's the most exciting signing we've arguably ever made.
If gundogan and bernardo are failing to play the big man the balls he needs, drop them and bring others into the mix...it's not rocket science. We have grealish, foden, phillips to name a few that can play in the middle. Doing so would even give alvarez/palmer much more game time. Grealish proved to be more useful in one five second moment covering in the middle, than either gundo or bernardo in our last match. Also, we all know that chances are both these players are possibly already mentally checked out given their circumstances... especially bernardo.
Pep is just not presenting solutions right now, many months into the season and we seem to be getting worse not better, and his clear stubbornness is killing us imo. I feel bad throwing gundogan under the buss too given that, were it not for his heroics last season, we wouldn't even be champions now...and pep would be more under the spotlight.
The answer is obviously not to change manager as pep can be brilliant, but we need another arteta type character to temper pep and insert some new thinking into our system. We also desperately need wholesale changes in the center of the pitch...or we just become the rags under van gall and haaland leaves at the first opportunity.