Pep Guardiola - 2022/23

[BlueMoonRisin’]

Good team selection in tactics that worked a treat.

The only slight gripe I've got about Pep was his post match interview. He blew far too much smoke up Bayern's arse for my liking without heaping enough praise on how magnificent our players were.

 

[vmsuhail]

No. Akanji has been centre back and stones right back. Tonight they were the opposite. It was a subtle but important change because it tightened up the right flank when Stones joined the midfield.

A bit of change here and there is to be expected, and nobody calls out Pep on that. It's when the changes are so striking and impact the performance of the whole team, the manager gets questioned and rightfully so.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

A bit of change here and there is to be expected, and nobody calls out Pep on that. It's when the changes are so striking and impact the performance of the whole team, the manager gets questioned and rightfully so.

You mean like if we'd lost the game to a break on that side and all of you lot would have been on here accusing him of "overthinking" by not playing Walker?

He made a significant change by playing Akanji at right back and it worked a treat. It hasn't even been mentioned by the tactical geniuses who populate this thread when we lose.

 

[Pam]

You mean like if we'd lost the game to a break on that side and all of you lot would have been on here accusing him of "overthinking" by not playing Walker?

He made a significant change by playing Akanji at right back and it worked a treat. It hasn't even been mentioned by the tactical geniuses who populate this thread when we lose.

But .... but .... but ... bald fraud!

 

[vmsuhail]

You mean like if we'd lost the game to a break on that side and all of you lot would have been on here accusing him of "overthinking" by not playing Walker?

He made a significant change by playing Akanji at right back and it worked a treat. It hasn't even been mentioned by the tactical geniuses who populate this thread when we lose.

Probably if Akanji was getting slaughtered by Coman/Sane and Pep refused to bring on Walker in the second half to fix it. I cannot speak for others, but I haven't felt Walker deserves an automatic starting place this season.

 

[skillman]

He deserves so much credit for this turnaround. He's gone against his 'control' principles in the sense that he's essentially allowed teams to hit us at right-back on any given turnover of the ball for the sake of the greater good of the team.

The start of the season it was all about control because, for some reason, he was scared shitless of every team counter-attacking us. Suddenly he's not overly-focussed on it and it's showing. Giving freedom to the attackers while having the stability of Ake, Dias and Akanji.

Plus it helps when Stones very rarely gives the ball away and is efficient whenever he does have it. Maybe he wanted Walker (who can't play that role) in every game at the start of the season for his pace to make up that hole behind? No idea. But either way the change in mentality has been a kickstarter.

 

[khoitnm]

You mean like if we'd lost the game to a break on that side and all of you lot would have been on here accusing him of "overthinking" by not playing Walker?

He made a significant change by playing Akanji at right back and it worked a treat. It hasn't even been mentioned by the tactical geniuses who populate this thread when we lose.

Yeah, I still can't understand how a Man City fans can call Pep "overthinking". "Overthinking" is just a normal Pep thinking, he do overthinking almost every game.
P/S: while fans are "underthinking" at the same time.

 

[footballmanager]

pep found something with his new tactical scheme. as some previously said, he has been tinkering with it since the beggining of the season and its now paying off. Also, with 4 cbs we are physically stronger and more equiped to defend/attack set pieces

 

[joe123]

Yeah, I still can't understand how a Man City fans can call Pep "overthinking". "Overthinking" is just a normal Pep thinking, he do overthinking almost every game.
P/S: while fans are "underthinking" at the same time.

Yep - overthinking is just that he’s thought of something others haven’t. More often than not he gets it right, but as in any sport, not everything goes to plan 100% of the time and he gets ridiculously pilloried for it. Utter nonsense, the man is a genius.

 

[OB1]

You mean like if we'd lost the game to a break on that side and all of you lot would have been on here accusing him of "overthinking" by not playing Walker?

He made a significant change by playing Akanji at right back and it worked a treat. It hasn't even been mentioned by the tactical geniuses who populate this thread when we lose.

Good point. I thought Kyle might get the nod but went with Akanji; quite possibly that was a decision based on game intelligence, a mental strength rather than physical. He mentioned how calm the back four was.

It was also quite amusing to watch him in the post match presser emphasising to the media dimwits how easily the game could have been different if Bayern had produced an unstoppable strike, which they have plenty of players capable of. A manager can only do so much but when we lose, so many love to drop the blame at Pep's doorstep.

 

[OB1]

pep found something with his new tactical scheme. as some previously said, he has been tinkering with it since the beggining of the season and its now paying off. Also, with 4 cbs we are physically stronger and more equiped to defend/attack set pieces

Yes, playing four technically able centre backs along with Rodri and Erling gives us something that we have never had under Pep.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Good point. I thought Kyle might get the nod but went with Akanji; quite possibly that was a decision based on game intelligence, a mental strength rather than physical. He mentioned how calm the back four was.

It was also quite amusing to watch him in the post match presser emphasising to the media dimwits how easily the game could have been different if Bayern had produced an unstoppable strike, which they have plenty of players capable of. A manager can only do so much but when we lose, so many love to drop the blame at Pep's doorstep.

The way that Stones alternated between centre back and midfield was something I only remember us trying once before and I can't even remember the game. It was Rodri who tried to do it and it was a disaster which he changed, I think at half time. Was it United away maybe? It was so bold to make that change and it worked because Akanji was brilliant and so was Stones, we were solid at the back and we had an extra man in midfield when we needed it. Not many of the official pundits or journalists seemed to even spot it (although I heard Danny Murphy mention it the next day on Talksport).

It's why I get annoyed at the cliches about him "overthinking" or having "Brain farts" when things don't go our way. Because these innovations aren't brain farts when they work and they work most of the time.

 

[Saddleworth2]

Good team selection in tactics that worked a treat.

The only slight gripe I've got about Pep was his post match interview. He blew far too much smoke up Bayern's arse for my liking without heaping enough praise on how magnificent our players were.

I think he was trying to stress how good Bayern were to ensure they understood how difficult the second leg will be and that the tie isn’t over + he is always respectful and complimentary even if we were playing the red lion pub team.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

I think he was trying to stress how good Bayern were to ensure they understood how difficult the second leg will be and that the tie isn’t over + he is always respectful and complimentary even if we were playing the red lion pub team.

Exactly. He blows smoke up all of our opponent's arses because he is a respectful and classy man. All that matters is what he says in the dressign room which you can guarantee will be entirely different.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

It's why I get annoyed at the cliches about him "overthinking" or having "Brain farts" when things don't go our way. Because these innovations aren't brain farts when they work and they work most of the time.

There's a very real possibility this formation is going to become the dominant formation in world football for the next five years if it brings the level of security and success that is on the brink of doing. The man is operating at the level where his tactical tweaks could a) be seen as a brain fart if they go wrong or b) change football for a decade if they work out.

 

[Chak19]

He's once again managed to adapt and create a system that makes us almost unstoppable, hopefully we'll finally get rewarded with the CL and maybe a treble with Pep staying for many more years.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

I think he was trying to stress how good Bayern were to ensure they understood how difficult the second leg will be and that the tie isn’t over + he is always respectful and complimentary even if we were playing the red lion pub team.

Also....Bayern were really, really good.

And we battered them! The only higher quality game I can remember at Eastlands is the 2-1 Liverpool game in the January.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

Also....Bayern were really, really good.

And we battered them! The only higher quality game I can remember at Eastlands is the 2-1 Liverpool game in the January.

Agree with this. That was probably the best two teams in the world.

 

[OB1]

Exactly. He blows smoke up all of our opponent's arses because he is a respectful and classy man. All that matters is what he says in the dressign room which you can guarantee will be entirely different.

Yeah, he will always ensure his team don’t underestimate opponents but you can be damn sure he explains their weaknesses.

 

[OB1]

The way that Stones alternated between centre back and midfield was something I only remember us trying once before and I can't even remember the game. It was Rodri who tried to do it and it was a disaster which he changed, I think at half time. Was it United away maybe? It was so bold to make that change and it worked because Akanji was brilliant and so was Stones, we were solid at the back and we had an extra man in midfield when we needed it. Not many of the official pundits or journalists seemed to even spot it (although I heard Danny Murphy mention it the next day on Talksport).

It's why I get annoyed at the cliches about him "overthinking" or having "Brain farts" when things don't go our way. Because these innovations aren't brain farts when they work and they work most of the time.

We’ve won nothing yet this season but, if we do, Pep’s tactical innovation will be the primary reason and it’s likely it still won’t get the acknowledgement it deserves. He’s turning things upside down. At one point, he would drop the DM in between the CB’s to make a virtual back three, and push FB’s forward (wide and inside). Now he’s using 4 CB’s and pushing on forward as a 2nd DM and then basically playing a front 4 or 5. He’s been using a front 4 for ages and very few people comment on it.

The criticism of him overthinking is as stupid as people saying: “well, he couldn’t manage Burton Albion (or similar” as if:

I) that has any relevance to the fact that he gets hired to manage elite squads because he is the best at that job and so why should anyone give a fuck that he is not Neil Warnock;
II) he would probably do a better job of managing a lower level team than anyone else because he has proved time and again that he can adapt to the resources he has and produce a winning team and that his understanding of the game and ability to analyse opponents is such that the advantage he’d give a team would probably increase the lower down the leagues you went.