Pep Guardiola - 2022/23

[meeesh]

I think some on here are saying Pep Out without actually saying it.

Nah,I'm not,although I ain't too impressed with a few things,and it's not just about yesterday,if he signs he signs,if not we will still be here.

 

[jrb]

Pep.

Stop chopping and changing then 2 centre halfs and the back 4. If you’ve got to piss certain players off because they aren’t getting regular football, then do so

Also, can you use the subs a bit more during the game. Bringing just Alvarez on for 5 minutes + 10 minutes injury time was’t enough. Not bringing Grealish on was a poor decision. You after all wanted the new 5 sub rule as you said the PL schedule is too much and to hectic for your team and squad.

Let’s just put it down to you having a bad day. Go home, enjoy the break with your family, some home cooking, some wine, the sunny and warm weather, some golf, go to the training camp in Abu Dhabi, meet your boss Sheikh Mansour, have a chat, sign a new contract, come back to the Rainy City, sort the team and your tactics out, and win the PL 3 seasons in a row. :-)

 

[FantasyIreland]

I think some on here are saying Pep Out without actually saying it.

If that is aimed at me....if I wanted Pep out I'd say so.

 

[come-on-barney]

Our football is boring,thats my opinion.

Constantly playing side to side and backwards,only for most of our slow play in the final third to break down is mind numbing.....especially when you see the opposition take the ball,quickly break,and look far more dangerous than we had for the previous 80% of possession.

We have too many square pegs and not enough options to change in the attacking positions,and then the defensive positions are changed for fun rather than purpose.....i get the need for genuine rotation,but there have been many games where that need has not existed and yet players find themselves in unfamiliar line ups and with none ideal tactics.

We are not getting the best out of this squad,and if you think different,well,thats up to you.

Totally agree, it’s light years from the days of Leroy, Silva and Raz at his best, where it was so exciting to watch.

 

[Gumzy97]

I just dont think flair players work under pep he had the same criticism at Bayern, I think Pep prefers winger that work hard and are a part of the system than players that like to dribble past players, use skills etc have a bit of flair to them. Like Henry said Pep had a go at him when he scored because he didnt keep to the line/his position in a game at Barca. its why we haven't seen a Villa Grealish.

 

[come-on-barney]

I think some on here are saying Pep Out without actually saying it.

I just want him to go back to playing wingers and the exciting team he built when Leroy was here. That was magical Pep.

 

[Brewster's millions]

I dont agree,he has had the luxuries no other manager experiences.

As for left back,he sold a very reliable/steady option and brought in a kid from Anderlecht who in the grand scheme of things is as much use as tits on a fish.

He has the players to to formulate a very very effective team,yet he chooses to go down the shoehorn route by picking his perceived best 11 individuals.

Then rather than encouraging direct aggressive football we try to win the most passses in 90 mins cup,which also encourages and forces the opposition to park the bus and again limit our options.

We need a rethink.

Given the resources of the club, highlighted this week with the latest accounts, the squad simply isn’t good enough at the moment and Guardiola can’t be fully absolved from the blame here even if he isn’t the main culprit.

For the life of me I can’t understand why we let Zinchenko leave, and given how green Gomez is (that’s being kind), we’ve placed ourselves in a situation where one injury to a 32 year old full back - who was missing for a big chunk of last season - leaves us completely in the shit. That simply can’t happen to a club like ours and again Guardiola can’t plead ignorance here.

Similarly we went into the season lacking options out wide and without any genuine pace on the wings. Sterling was far from perfect last season, he wanted out and we got a good deal for him in the end. But even when he was playing poorly, Sterling was still capable of knocking it past someone on the outside and whipping a cross in, unsettling defences. We’ve lost that ability now, it hasn’t been replaced, and in key moments - such as yesterday - we’re lacking a spark or the ability to mix things up through a bit of physicality and directness.

Again, I can’t see these things being allowed to happen without Guardiola’s consent.

He seems far too happy this season to play with three centre backs and four central midfielders. Pushing Bernado out wide to accommodate this is a criminal waste of his influence in the middle of the park, while Gundogan has often played almost as a centre forward this season given how high up the pitch he’s been. The net result has been a lot of sideways movement and very slow transitions. In his interviews, Guardiola has increasingly referenced the need to build up slowly to reduce our vulnerability to a counter attack. He seems to have talked himself into believing that we need to hang onto the ball at all costs, and now picks the team accordingly. It even seems to be influencing his substitutions, or lack of. It’s a backward setup in my opinion and we’ve failed to exploit a very favourable run of fixture before the WC.

The derby showed how we can play if we pick the right team and take more risks with how we approach the game. Granted, united’s approach that day allowed us to play much more freely, but we seem to have moved in a completely opposite direction since and Guardiola seems quite happy doing so. He made no attempt to change things yesterday - zero - and I find that very hard to understand given how poor and pedestrian we were.

 

[FantasyIreland]

Given the resources of the club, highlighted this week with the latest accounts, the squad simply isn’t good enough at the moment and Guardiola can’t be fully absolved from the blame here even if he isn’t the main culprit.

For the life of me I can’t understand why we let Zinchenko leave, and given how green Gomez is (that’s being kind), we’ve placed ourselves in a situation where one injury to a 32 year old full back - who was missing for a big chunk of last season - leaves us completely in the shit. That simply can’t happen to a club like ours and again Guardiola can’t plead ignorance here.

Similarly we went into the season lacking options out wide and without any genuine pace on the wings. Sterling was far from perfect last season, he wanted out and we got a good deal for him in the end. But even when he was playing poorly, Sterling was still capable of knocking it past someone on the outside and whipping a cross in, unsettling defences. We’ve lost that ability now, it hasn’t been replaced, and in key moments - such as yesterday - we’re lacking a spark or the ability to mix things up through a bit of physicality and directness.

Again, I can’t see these things being allowed to happen without Guardiola’s consent.

He seems far too happy this season to play with three centre backs and four central midfielders. Pushing Bernado out wide to accommodate this is a criminal waste of his influence in the middle of the park, while Gundogan has often played almost as a centre forward this season given how high up the pitch he’s been. The net result has been a lot of sideways movement and very slow transitions. In his interviews, Guardiola has increasingly referenced the need to build up slowly to reduce our vulnerability to a counter attack. He seems to have talked himself into believing that we need to hang onto the ball at all costs, and now picks the team accordingly. It even seems to be influencing his substitutions, or lack of. It’s a backward setup in my opinion and we’ve failed to exploit a very favourable run of fixture before the WC.

The derby showed how we can play if we pick the right team and take more risks with how we approach the game. Granted, united’s approach that day allowed us to play much more freely, but we seem to have moved in a completely opposite direction since and Guardiola seems quite happy doing so. He made no attempt to change things yesterday - zero - and I find that very hard to understand given how poor and pedestrian we were.

Great comment,we are very much on the same page.

Pep needs to go back to the drawing board in some respects,some of his ideas have been sussed and others just dont work.

He is still the best in the business,i fully expect he will as frustrated as the rest of us and he will find answers

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

Pep is not the problem!

However he does have a problem and the last few wins/ draws have papered over the cracks.

After 24 hours and cooly thinking about it..

In a strange way I think its a blessing. Good for Pep and Txiki. Now they know the problems can't be ignored and they might have to address them sooner than later. We've not had a good run of form since the Derby and the last few wins are just papering over cracks.

Sometimes a band aid just won't last forever and Cancelo's form and KDB's dip of form is concerning.

We don't need a complete overhaul but we need more midfield and corner back options. Maybe that's why Cole Palmer has been trusted in midfield and although not 10/10, he can do the job.

Pep if you're somehow reading this, PLEASE SIGN THAT CONTRACT!

 

[Millwallawayveteran1988]

Given the resources of the club, highlighted this week with the latest accounts, the squad simply isn’t good enough at the moment and Guardiola can’t be fully absolved from the blame here even if he isn’t the main culprit.

For the life of me I can’t understand why we let Zinchenko leave, and given how green Gomez is (that’s being kind), we’ve placed ourselves in a situation where one injury to a 32 year old full back - who was missing for a big chunk of last season - leaves us completely in the shit. That simply can’t happen to a club like ours and again Guardiola can’t plead ignorance here.

Similarly we went into the season lacking options out wide and without any genuine pace on the wings. Sterling was far from perfect last season, he wanted out and we got a good deal for him in the end. But even when he was playing poorly, Sterling was still capable of knocking it past someone on the outside and whipping a cross in, unsettling defences. We’ve lost that ability now, it hasn’t been replaced, and in key moments - such as yesterday - we’re lacking a spark or the ability to mix things up through a bit of physicality and directness.

Again, I can’t see these things being allowed to happen without Guardiola’s consent.

He seems far too happy this season to play with three centre backs and four central midfielders. Pushing Bernado out wide to accommodate this is a criminal waste of his influence in the middle of the park, while Gundogan has often played almost as a centre forward this season given how high up the pitch he’s been. The net result has been a lot of sideways movement and very slow transitions. In his interviews, Guardiola has increasingly referenced the need to build up slowly to reduce our vulnerability to a counter attack. He seems to have talked himself into believing that we need to hang onto the ball at all costs, and now picks the team accordingly. It even seems to be influencing his substitutions, or lack of. It’s a backward setup in my opinion and we’ve failed to exploit a very favourable run of fixture before the WC.

The derby showed how we can play if we pick the right team and take more risks with how we approach the game. Granted, united’s approach that day allowed us to play much more freely, but we seem to have moved in a completely opposite direction since and Guardiola seems quite happy doing so. He made no attempt to change things yesterday - zero - and I find that very hard to understand given how poor and pedestrian we were.

I agree mostly but to be fair to Pep yesterday, he did change Bernado and KDB positions and bring Alvarez on so whilst it was nowhere near enough and much too late, it wasn’t zero. I was more concerned that he spent most of the last 15 mins sat on the bench rather than influencing things. Strange game yesterday. It seemed no one was up for it, and yes I know the World Cup is coming but it didn’t stop Spurs, Liverpool, Arsenal or Newcastle from winning.