Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[Craig]

All to do with giving the ball back if you cross loads and shoot loads and we be in a transition

Which happened anyway this week and last with our more cautious approach. We need to back ourselves and play to our strengths without Rodri. 90% possession is impossible and teams will always counter us. When we’ve got the ball we need to do more with it. The service to Haaland in the last 2 league games with basically midfielders out wide has been shocking.

 

[blueparrot]

Which happened anyway this week and last with our more cautious approach. We need to back ourselves and play to our strengths without Rodri. 99% possession is impossible and teams will always counter us. When we’ve got the ball we need to do more with it. The service to Haaland in the last 2 league games with basically midfielders out wide has been shocking.

Of course teams will counter us they have for the last 9 years. If you expect a Pep team not play possession football and a high line then you haven't been paying attention for 9 years. Rodri missing is an issue not easily solved, but in just about 10 games without him this season we are unbeaten.

 

[Craig]

Of course teams will counter us they have for the last 9 years. If you expect a Pep team not play possession football and a high line then you haven't been paying attention for 9 years. Rodri missing is an issue not easily solved, but in just about 10 games without him this season we are unbeaten.

That’s exactly what i’m saying. We’re always going to have loads of the ball and we’re always going to play high up the pitch. Rodri is a huge miss but we need to play to our strengths. That strength is having the best goal scorer in the world . The last 2 games we created nothing for him. Having control of you like didn’t work as we got countered for fun. Got the 3 points which is great but we all know we got away with it big time yesterday.

 

[DMA's]

That’s exactly what i’m saying. We’re always going to have loads of the ball and we’re always going to play high up the pitch. Rodri is a huge miss but we need to play to our strengths. That strength is having the best goal scorer in the world . The last 2 games we created nothing for him. Having control of you like didn’t work as we got countered for fun. Got the 3 points which is great but we all know we got away with it big time yesterday.

Agree. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that we have not created much for haaland when the wingers are Bernardo and Grealish. One of doku or savinho have to start to create the space for haaland

 

[hilts]

Of course teams will counter us they have for the last 9 years. If you expect a Pep team not play possession football and a high line then you haven't been paying attention for 9 years. Rodri missing is an issue not easily solved, but in just about 10 games without him this season we are unbeaten.

Being unbeaten is masking some problems imho, how many good teams have we played and beat so far?

I thought Chelsea were playing us at a good time first game of the season but now I think we played them at a good time.

 

[Bluewonder]

Being unbeaten is masking some problems imho, how many good teams have we played and beat so far?

I thought Chelsea were playing us at a good time first game of the season but now I think we played them at a good time.

We've played 5 of the 9 teams in the top half and 2 of the 10 in the bottom half.

We've had a remarkably good start, considering the above.

 

[Gordyola]

Being unbeaten is masking some problems imho, how many good teams have we played and beat so far?

I thought Chelsea were playing us at a good time first game of the season but now I think we played them at a good time.

Aside from West Ham & Leicester all the others have been in the top ten, 2, 4, 6, 7 & 9th compared to Liverpool only one in top ten 17, 9, 14, 11, 13, 12, & 20th

 

[hilts]

We've played 5 of the 9 teams in the top half and 2 of the 10 in the bottom half.

We've had a remarkably good start, considering the above.

Teams beat

Chelsea
Ipswich
West ham
Brentford
Fulham
Watford
Bratislava

Teams not beaten

Arsenal(10 men)
Inter
Newcastle


4 good sides and the only one we have beaten is Chelsea on the first game of the season with all their problems and a new manager. We also got lucky with a couple of those victories.

Imho We ain't been great but if you disagree that's fine.

 

[Bluewonder]

Teams beat

Chelsea
Ipswich
West ham
Brentford
Fulham
Watford
Bratislava

Teams not beaten

Arsenal(10 men)
Inter
Newcastle


4 good sides and the only one we have beaten is Chelsea on the first game of the season with all their problems and a new manager. We also got lucky with a couple of those victories.

Imho We ain't been great but if you disagree that's fine.

We don't have to beat Arsenal or win away at Newcastle to win the league. We've had a tough set of fixtures and we're one point off the top, behind Liverpool who have only played one team in the top half.

 

[Gabriel]

If we play Bernardo and Grealish, then we know that we’re less likely to penetrate teams down their flanks, but it also means we’re less likely to lose possession there. Instead, we’re going to have to create chances through the middle, which we did yesterday with our short, one-touch passing. It’s all a question of finding the right combination and balance of players for each particular opponent. We’re doing well just need to keep tweaking to get the maximum out of a very small squad.

I’d still like to see McAtee tried in the Bernardo role in the coming weeks (Prague/Southampton-off bench/Spurs), and I’d like to see us making changes in the engine room slightly earlier than has been the case. Anyone watching from higher up can see that as the game goes on, our midfield runners are getting further apart from their opponent runners as they chase back. It doesn’t matter the combination. We need to preempt that and shore up accordingly, or sooner or later a win is going to be turned into a draw, or worse.