Pep Guardiola - 2022/23

[Blue_Lightsaber]

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...

It's the midfield.

Our midfield used to dominate games, cut open defenses for tap ins and instantly get the ball back when we lost it.

They don't have that half a step bounce on the opposition anymore.

Peps answer to that seems to be don't lose the ball (more control) but like your son said very aptly.. this City team is unrecognizable!

 

[JewelZee]

It's the midfield.

Our midfield used to dominate games, cut open defenses for tap ins and instantly get the ball back when we lost it.

They don't have that half a step bounce on the opposition anymore.

Peps answer to that seems to be don't lose the ball (more control) but like your son said very aptly.. this City team is unrecognizable!

I agree. It is most definitely down to the midfield. Slow of foot, slow with the ball, slow in recovering defensively. I simply don't believe that inserting Foden and/or Grealish into the attacking midfield roles would be terrible. What proof of that do we have? We've "sacrificed" points and games throughout this campaign going with the "same old". Mix it up, Pep, please. Give me Phil and Jack v Bristol City in the Cup game, but not with 2nd teamers. With Haaland, Mahrez, Alvarez, Rodri so we can get a somewhat true idea of what it would look like even if its against lesser competition. I'd rather get shot dead in the face than go on this inevitable slow death march to nowhere that we are currently on...

 

[wolviedinho]

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.

Cowardly approach is a bit strong. Why are you so afraid? Haaland will leave, Pep is shit…blah blah blah blah.

Grow a backbone through a turbulent season. Gundo won us the league few months ago. Kev was also colossal! Pep is beyond reproach for what he has managed to achieve. It was never going to stay rosy all the time. We might not win anything for years. What will you say then?

Just when you think you have read everything on here and think it can’t get worse I found your post…jeez. Wait until he leaves then you really will have something to moan about.

The players and pep have went above and beyond the last 5/6 seasons. Some will move on and 2/3 new players will arrive. If they can have the same impact as Kev, Gundo, Laporte, Bernie I will be delighted. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to replace Pep. Sure good managers will come and go but he legacy won’t be followed.

 

[JewelZee]

Cowardly approach is a bit strong. Why are you so afraid? Haaland will leave, Pep is shit…blah blah blah blah.

Grow a backbone through a turbulent season. Gundo won us the league few months ago. Kev was also colossal! Pep is beyond reproach for what he has managed to achieve. It was never going to stay rosy all the time. We might not win anything for years. What will you say then?

Just when you think you have read everything on here and think it’s can’t get worse I found your post…jeez. Wait until he leaves then you really will have something to moan about.

The players and pep have went above and beyond the last 5/6 seasons.

Love Pep, CTID, but not above and beyond. Can't say he's beyond reproach when faced with our inability to win the CL. You may be one who doesn't give a crap about the CL, that I don't know. But others, including the Club's hierarchy, do care and, therefore, you might want to amend your statement to beyond reproach IN THE PREM...just saying...

 

[wolviedinho]

Love Pep, CTID, but not above and beyond. Can't say he's beyond reproach when faced with our inability to win the CL. You may be one who doesn't give a crap about the CL, that I don't know. But others, including the Club's hierarchy, do care and, therefore, you might want to amend your statement to beyond reproach IN THE PREM...just saying...

Stop it, your making me laugh now. If you are judging pep on the champions league then there is no point having a discussion. Making yourself look very naive and silly.

Amending nothing. I don’t care if he never wins another trophy with us. No other manager will ever achieve what he has achieved. A colossal unmatched.

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

Love Pep, CTID, but not above and beyond. Can't say he's beyond reproach when faced with our inability to win the CL. You may be one who doesn't give a crap about the CL, that I don't know. But others, including the Club's hierarchy, do care and, therefore, you might want to amend your statement to beyond reproach IN THE PREM...just saying...

I think you need to take into account that we're not playing in a fair setting. If we were, the mistakes would be on Pep.

The longer picture shows you the problem in both the PL and the CL. We don't get calls that're obvious and opposition gets calls that're outrageous!

Pep thinks loading the opposition's canon is not the way to go about it since it's already not fair.

Just like Laporte was called for a ridiculous penalty last year vs Real Madrid. What's he supposed to do? Not jump for the ball? Hand in a natural position but still penalty!

And if you recall he went ballistic at Mahrez for missing a goal because he knows you have to win by 5 goals or you're not winning.

The ref's will always find a way to penalize us and they did!

Love it or hate it.. Pep is at least willing to try!

Thing is over 38 games.. even the preferred teams make mistakes and that's how Pep's managed to sneak us in to 4 PL titles. With the CL and fewer games, better opposition, its A LOT HARDER!

But we always get distracted by Melissa Reddy saying we're the cheats and the Rags don't get enough credit!

Politics in football!

I don't get mad anymore.. I just thank Pep. I thought after we got Haaland.. they'd love us but instead he's not getting obvious calls..

So it will never change. Not with the best players, not with another manager. They'll always be against us!

 

[BlueBanger]

Cowardly approach is a bit strong. Why are you so afraid? Haaland will leave, Pep is shit…blah blah blah blah.

Grow a backbone through a turbulent season. Gundo won us the league few months ago. Kev was also colossal! Pep is beyond reproach for what he has managed to achieve. It was never going to stay rosy all the time. We might not win anything for years. What will you say then?

Just when you think you have read everything on here and think it’s can’t get worse I found your post…jeez. Wait until he leaves then you really will have something to moan about.

The players and pep have went above and beyond the last 5/6 seasons. Some will move on and 2/3 new players will arrive. If they can have the same impact as Kev, Gundo, Laporte, Bernie I will be delighted. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to replace Pep. Sure good managers will come and go but he legacy won’t be followed.

Did you read my whole post? I want pep to stay.

However, It absolutely IS cowardly when there are reasonable other tactical/squad rotation approaches on the table. We are a whole load of nothing right now, what harm is it to adapt slightly? He's done it before. The fact he isn't doing that, and i suspect won't, will show if my statement holds any weight. He's terrified to really adjust anything imo.

Of course it doesn't help we are having to once again paper over squad cracks now cancelo has done one. If this team was the rags we'd be slating how shit they are...when under pep in the first four years or so could you say that? Like fantasyisland said...he feels like he's lost his identity. Be it through tactics, squad failures, or whatever else, its still a bad look right now and it goes beyond the last game. We've been between average and shit since the wortld cup imo.

As to your mentality that we might fall off a cliff when pep leaves...not sure i agree. Will be a difficult transition, but we'll still have fabulous owners who have never given us any reason to think we'll be any less well run.

 

[jimmygrimblesboots]

If Pep was the manager of a 'istree club and had the sucess he has achieved at our club he would be praised to high heaven , but we know how our club is treated in the media and if they have a chance of taking the piss they will grab it with both of their six digit hands.
Pep this season has not took any prisoners in his pressers and interviews particularly this season he fights fire with fire and has manfully stuck up for our club , i think he realises whilst he is manager of our club he will never get the recognition he deserves.
Quite simply he is the best manager we have ever had and will ever have , previously Joe Mercer was the benchmark for me , he made a brilliant team from nothing ably assisted by Big Mal.
When Pep does ride off into the sunset it will be one hell of a void to fill , f*ck the media and pundits and let's enjoy his presence over the next couple of years and the trophies he will no doubt win.

 

[Blue_Lightsaber]

If Pep was the manager of a 'istree club and had the sucess he has achieved at our club he would be praised to high heaven , but we know how our club is treated in the media and if they have a chance of taking the piss they will grab it with both of their six digit hands.
Pep this season has not took any prisoners in his pressers and interviews particularly this season he fights fire with fire and has manfully stuck up for our club , i think he realises whilst he is manager of our club he will never get the recognition he deserves.
Quite simply he is the best manager we have ever had and will ever have , previously Joe Mercer was the benchmark for me , he made a brilliant team from nothing ably assisted by Big Mal.
When Pep does ride off into the sunset it will be one hell of a void to fill , f*ck the media and pundits and let's enjoy his presence over the next couple of years and the trophies he will no doubt win.

I so much want him to stick around and gets us to 10 domestic titles.

That's the benchmark of a huge club!

You don't get to dominate an entire decade of football in your home country and not be a big club!

 

[JewelZee]

Stop it, your making me laugh now. If you are judging pep on the champions league then there is no point having a discussion. Making yourself look very naive and silly.

Amending nothing. I don’t care if he never wins another trophy with us. No other manager will ever achieve what he has achieved. A colossal unmatched.

If you say so fella...