Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

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Bluewonder said:
Really makes me laugh when people say he's been figured out or that his system is failing, completely ignoring the fact that he's changed our style of playing multiple times already through his tenure.

First we had the 17-19 team that was direct, played with width in the form of Sterling and Sane and had two creative midfielders in KDB and Silva. That brought two league titles.

Then we had the false 9 system in 20-22 with loads of goalscoring creative midfielders who swamped the spaces between the lines. That brought two league titles.

And finally we had the dominant inverting full back/ box midfield system in 22-24. That also brought two league titles.

The next iteration will come next season when we ship out the old guard and integrate the new blood. It will probably bring two league titles like the other teams.
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All true and for next season I hope you’re right.

This season has been a stubborn mess though. Again, not talking about winning anything but we’re less than competitive at times and crumbling at the end of games. I guarantee he could have made us harder to beat and more potent up front by taking the handbrake off at times and sitting back at others.

My concern though, is that he looks absolutely shattered himself. I’m not going to question his professionalism or claim that his personal life is affecting him. It most likely is as it would all of us. He is making mistakes though and I wonder if no break for him this summer is going to help regardless of how many players we ship out and bring in.

I desperately want him to succeed because I’m a blue and want anyone in his chair to do the same.
 
I read some Pep books when he started at City, and it was all about "I will get us into the last third of the pitch, but then it's down to the players".

Now that teams often play a really deep back ten against us, I wonder if that's changed at all. Because for the most part getting us to the final third can often be a piece of piss, the problem is that when we get there we just recycle for recycling's sake.
 
Charlesfarsbar said:
Is anyone seriously saying that pep should be given the bullet ? if you are then name some names on who you think would be a safer bet to rebuild this side ?
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Not sure about the bullet part, but I'm sure there are others who could do very well within City's infrastructure. Inzaghi is one. Hansi Flick and Xabi Alonso are two more. Iraola at Bournemouth could be a very good choice. What he's been able to do with that Bournemouth side is quite impressive. Could Pep do as well with that same side? Can't say definitively yes. I'm not Pep out, but it wouldn't bother me in the least if we were to go forward in a new direction. Right now instead of becoming in Europe what we've been in the Prem we're becoming in the Prem what we've been in Europe. Putting Real Madrid aside when Barca, AC Milan, Liverpool, Bayern, and Ajax were dominant domestically they were also dominant in Europe. Even ManUre to an extent. Many long time fans have stated they could not care less about winning in Europe but the truth of the matter is SM and Khaldoon have stated that the goal of the club is to be a consistent European power. We have quite a way to go to be that irrespective of our many domestic successes. The reality is in terms of European success since our first Prem title 13 years ago we are currently one hit wonders. That's a fact no matter how many circumstances, bad breaks, poor calls, injuries, etc. we're able to come up with. Pep's been at the helm for 9 of these CL campaigns. Just sayin'. This Summer will speak volumes about whether the club are still committed to being winners outside of England (or maybe even in the Prem).
 
decmancity said:
So you can't be good enough if your a teenager. I refuse to believe that O'Reilly offers less than what Gundogan has in the minutes hes had on the pitch. This hasn't been some prime version of City's midfield he can't get into. 90% of our squad is out on its feet most games and still the same suspects are getting the minutes, its a joke quite frankly.
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It's an absolute joke. A total shit show top to bottom. KDB walking around turning the ball over at will and not playing an ounce of defense yet staying on the pitch for 83 minutes. Ederson with the ball in his hands at the 84 minute mark deciding to disrespect the entire squad and try some selfish prick move of drop volleying a ball aimlessly that they turned and countered on. Bringing in a useless Gundo. taking out Savinho who was clearly up for it defensively all game long. Bringing Rico into RB. Taking Stones out of midfield. Playing Bernardo in a pivot which let's face it he currently sucks at. Not knowing how to or willing to close up shop in the last moments.
Tactics, player utilization, game management by the manager have been nothing short of piss poor this season. If anyone wants to give him a pass for everything he's done with us then fine. Makes perfect sense. But please stop trying to spin that into this year not being a very off brand performance by Pep. If he wasn't Pep he'd be sacked, simple as.
 
Prestwich_Blue said:
In the 11 games from 5th October up to and including the Sunderland 4-3 when he was sacked, Mark Hughes' team picked up 14 points.

Over the same period this season (11 games from 5th October) Pep's team has picked up 13 points.
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We've taken 13 points from the last 5 PL games, mate.
 
JewelZee said:
If he wasn't Pep he'd be sacked, simple as.
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If we don’t get into the CL, he might jump before he’s pushed.

While the game is played on the field, so players have to take some significant responsibility, it is the managers job to send the best players for the job and to create a structure for success for those players.

Pep has publicly looked spent, has said some strange things, and done other strange things.

My biggest concern is that at City he has always bought players he trusts to do what he wants, but we seem to be rebuilding under a different philosophy today…young talent that will secure the clubs future.

Is he the manager who is going to use them to rebuild an old, old squad or is he going to shoe horn one or two of them in when his old guard gets injured, while continuing to trust the oldies if fit? History would suggest the latter considering the amount of young talent he lets go.

Lastly, I’m not sure why he will buy a player in their mid-20s and believe he can take what they have and remake them into something else (the shoe horn again!) when he has quality players who have been here 10-12 years, working in his system, yet they get short shrift.

We have had multiple DMs pass through the Academy and First Team squad, but none of them could do a job filling in as needed, while they develop, grow, and mature? None of them??
 
Paul1970 said:
Looks like it and it’s this stubbornness which is pissing me off . We have the most potent striker in the world and whenever we go direct he scores and we look great but then we go back to crab football and we lose .
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I’ll admit it’s frustrating and some of his decisions are bizarrre and stubborn but he’s got such a body of work behind him that there is obviously method in his madness

I think next season will be his swan song and he’ll want to go out on a high, the club will massively back him in the summer , which will be his legacy that he hands to his successor

A bit of short term pain will be worth it in the end , especially when we take back the league off them Scouse tramps
 
Charlesfarsbar said:
I’ll admit it’s frustrating and some of his decisions are bizarrre and stubborn but he’s got such a body of work behind him that there is obviously method in his madness

I think next season will be his swan song and he’ll want to go out on a high, the club will massively back him in the summer , which will be his legacy that he hands to his successor

A bit of short term pain will be worth it in the end , especially when we take back the league off them Scouse tramps
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Would you invest heavily in a manager who is probably gonna be gone after one more season because I know from a business point I wouldn’t . From my point of view I don’t want see pep sacked and I’ve loved him being here but if he went in the summer I would be ok with .
 
Paul1970 said:
Would you invest heavily in a manager who is probably gonna be gone after one more season because I know from a business point I wouldn’t . From my point of view I don’t want see pep sacked and I’ve loved him being here but if he went in the summer I would be ok with .
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I don't really get this point of view. A good player is a good player, no matter if Pep stays or leaves.

We aren't going to appoint Allardyce next.
 
Paul1970 said:
Would you invest heavily in a manager who is probably gonna be gone after one more season because I know from a business point I wouldn’t . From my point of view I don’t want see pep sacked and I’ve loved him being here but if he went in the summer I would be ok with .
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Very fair point but I think he has enough good will in the bank with club leadership to get us out of the hole we’re in. He’s more likely to walk away, but who he’s shown himself to be as a person doesn’t indicate he’d do so.

If we’re still playing like this a few months into next season after investing in the squad again, then we can have a discussion.
 
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