Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[Dazzle84]

When the day comes, and it will do, we'll be able to thank him for the best footballing days of our lives, taking football to previously unseen heights.

That doesn't make him immune from criticism. For the greatest football mind of his generation, he's not come up with one decent way of getting us through this tough patch. It's rinse and repeat. I've said this quite a lot too - there seems to be something rotten in the squad this season

 

[manimanc]

Pep out. There I said it.

Pep in. There i said it.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Pep isn’t infallible but do those who are really having a go, think we were just going to win the title every season? We have won 4-in-a-row. It had never happened before and yet some think we were just going to roll off number 5, 6 and so on.

We have problems, that’s clear to see but Pep is the man I want at the helm to sort those problems out. He will get it right but people are going to have to change their expectations at least in the short term.

Our season wasn’t decided today, it was decided a long time ago. It was a painful watch but top 4 was our aim before the game and has been for weeks. We are still in that battle and none of our rivals are any better, or more consistent than we are. If your expectations are that this current side can rattle off a dozen PL wins on the bounce, you’re going to be disappointed. However, we don’t need to rattle off a dozen wins on the bounce to get top 4.

 

[madloaf]

View attachment 145320

 

[Gabriel]

Pep isn’t infallible but do those who are really having a go, think we were just going to win the title every season? We have won 4-in-a-row. It had never happened before and yet some think we were just going to roll off number 5, 6 and so on.

We have problems, that’s clear to see but Pep is the man I want at the helm to sort those problems out. He will get it right but people are going to have to change their expectations at least in the short term.

Our season wasn’t decided today, it was decided a long time ago. It was a painful watch but top 4 was our aim before the game and has been for weeks. We are still in that battle and none of our rivals are any better, or more consistent than we are. If your expectations are that this current side can rattle off a dozen PL wins on the bounce, you’re going to be disappointed. However, we don’t need to rattle off a dozen wins on the bounce to get top 4.

Tend to agree. However, there are only 14 League games left and we haven’t won more than 4 on the bounce all season. I agree that we won’t need to win 12 on the trot, but after this month we’re going to have to put a sustained run together, because, as you imply, we’re no better nor more consistent than many of these other teams either.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Tend to agree. However, there are only 14 League games left and we haven’t won more than 4 on the bounce all season. I agree that we won’t need to win 12 on the trot, but after this month we’re going to have to put a sustained run together, because, as you imply, we’re no better nor more consistent than many of these other teams either.

We’ve won 4 and drawn 2 of our last 7 games. This type of form, until the end of the season gets top 4. I get the angst and worry from fans but it’s borne out of us no longer winning every week, which is all we have known for years. As bad as we are (and my god, we have been shite), we are still good enough to get top 4.

 

[madloaf]

We’ve won 4 and drawn 2 of our last 7 games. This type of form, until the end of the season gets top 4. I get the angst and worry from fans but it’s borne out of us no longer winning every week, which is all we have known for years. As bad as we are (and my god, we have been shite), we are still good enough to get top 4.

I don't think it is out of us not winning. It's about the football being, by and large, soporific.

 

[Damanino]

does anyone have the feeling he didnt want to renew and only renewed due to our horrible from end of October coupled with Rodri injury?
he kind of implied something like that when he said he couldnt have left us in this state with squad being old and needing big rebuild while results drop off a cliff.

feels a bit like he renewed out of pride rather than being extremely hungry for a big rebuild job which it will be now. it was him who said no to a rebuild in the summer apparently (or to the start of the rebuild) and giving one last go with current over the hill players.

can imagine it was like let the new manager and new DoF do a huge rebuild while him and Txiki rides off into the sunset together alongside maybe few old players.

his personal life adds another layer onto this.

 

[pbueno16]

We’ve won 4 and drawn 2 of our last 7 games. This type of form, until the end of the season gets top 4. I get the angst and worry from fans but it’s borne out of us no longer winning every week, which is all we have known for years. As bad as we are (and my god, we have been shite), we are still good enough to get top 4.

That form includes against West Ham, Leicester and Ipswich. We're about to play Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle and probably some other top 4 contender in the next 4-6 weeks

 

[Gabriel]

We’ve won 4 and drawn 2 of our last 7 games. This type of form, until the end of the season gets top 4. I get the angst and worry from fans but it’s borne out of us no longer winning every week, which is all we have known for years. As bad as we are (and my god, we have been shite), we are still good enough to get top 4.

As I say, I agree, but we’re going to have to earn it. We also have the added difficulty of finding that consistency whilst assimilating 4 new players, maybe 5, and getting Bobb back into the team as well. That won’t be without difficulty, so Guardiola has a number of challenges ahead. It’s going to be an interesting run in, for sure.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

I don't think it is out of us not winning. It's about the football being, by and large, soporific.

I agree but I think there is some myth that we’ve all of a sudden starting playing the way we do. I would say we have been a far more pragmatic team and played a very similar style ever since the run-in of the 18/19 season. I don’t buy into the idea some have, that Pep has been found out, because I believe we have by and large, played this way for the past few seasons. We just had better players to execute.

I am hopeful that with additions in this window and in the summer, he will get us back challenging again.

 

[Delphinho]

After 24/38 games played in the PL, we’ve conceded 35 goals. The last time we conceded more goals in an ENTIRE season was 2016/17.
This season: 1.46 goals conceded per game on average. For reference, in 17/18 it was 0.61 per game

Same shit tactics for 3 months straight. Best manager of all time, but it’s been rinse and repeat all season, no signs of changing strategy or adapting to the squad he has available. Squad is obviously not as good as it’s used to be, but most of our issues this season has been structural/tactical. He needs to adapt and come up with new methods. The Real Madrid matches could get extremely ugly if we continue to do a half arsed press in a 4-0-6 formation with zero recovery pace

 

[applejuice]

his personal life adds another layer onto this.

If it is true it is very unprofessional to let the personal life drag down the performance for such long time. Especially for someone so senior. If an executive lets his divorce affect the company performance, he will be fired by the board.

 

[applejuice]

That form includes against West Ham, Leicester and Ipswich. We're about to play Spurs, Liverpool, Newcastle and probably some other top 4 contender in the next 4-6 weeks

And Pep spent most of those easy games on bringing out the best of Gundo who we all know not the answer for the tough games ahead.

 

[King Jay]

If we don’t wanna get battered we need to play the 3CM we used against Chelsea. Bernardo and Kovacic can’t defend. A third player would help regardless if he‘s a good defender or not. Just another player you have to play through.

 

[clarion]

If you play
4-2-3-1


Those 2 need to be superior defensive midfielders who protect and serve both central defenders and 3 behind striker. We don’t have them.

 

[Dax777]

If you play
4-2-3-1


Those 2 need to be superior defensive midfielders who protect and serve both central defenders and 3 behind striker. We don’t have them.

It wont matter if we give up cheap error goals.

The game was lost on John and Phil's errors. Not to mention getting lucky on the goalie's error.

Makalele and Kante wouldn't save you from that.

 

[neel]

 

[eastmanc]

Don't sound ungrateful, he's won it six times against people like Mourinho and Klopp, surely history counts for something, besides it's not like it's been 3 or 4 years since he last won it, it was just last season. The man knows how to navigate through this league. I think he just got a little bit overwhelmed with some of the things happening in his private life, add that to the fact that he brought in some new players who are still struggling to fit into the team, and then the issue about him being a little bit sentimental with one or two players who should have been let go a long time ago and voila, you have this season. It's a one off, we all have days like this.

I don't know about the private life thing, it seems to have been coming for a long time, I do know he deserves our support.

 

[Crooked_rain]

If we don’t wanna get battered we need to play the 3CM we used against Chelsea. Bernardo and Kovacic can’t defend. A third player would help regardless if he‘s a good defender or not. Just another player you have to play through.

I'd try Akanji or Stones as the DM. They've both played that position for us before, they're no Rodri, but at least it's an extra body in there, especially Stones who is good on the ball.

That might mean putting the new Uzbek lad back in defence again but so be it. I think his lack of experience is far less important than the fact teams can walk through our midfield at will and we have no control there. That's what's really damaging us, not our defence.

either that or give Jack another go in midfield, he did well vs Forest.

Surely these are better options than us just keep doing the same thing again and again and letting teams waltz through our midfield