Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[Roachy]

Sorry, I don't know what you mean.

My point is we'll recruit as necessary and I'm not disagreeing with you on some of the positions that you mention those which Pep will identify as insufficient. I think it's coincidental the numbers are similar. Some posters think 4-5 players are too many. I don't and possibly neither do you.

 

[John Wayne]

My point is we'll recruit as necessary and I'm not disagreeing with you on some of the positions that you mention those which Pep will identify as insufficient. I think it's coincidental the numbers are similar. Some posters think 4-5 players are too many. I don't and possibly neither do you.

Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, I'm with you on this one. I'm certainly thinking 5 players. Some are suggesting 8 or 9 but I do think that's excessive.

 

[Roachy]

Thanks for clarifying. Yeah, I'm with you on this one. I'm certainly thinking 5 players. Some are suggesting 8 or 9 but I do think that's excessive.

8-9 is way OTT right now, but over 3 to 5 windows possible.

 

[Jonas.shaffer]

Did he fall off his bike? What the hell happened to his face?

 

[jaiguruKun]

We can't carry on playing the same style with this squad of players. So unless we sign quality reinforcements sharpish a change of approach is badly needed.

 

[CatMan]

As crazy as it sounds after winning 4-in-a-row, this is a huge refresh, arguably much bigger than at the end of 16/17. That’s why I said a few weeks ago, that Pep either really needed to commit (more than 12 month extension) or he should leave. Thankfully he opted for the former.

I look at the squad and there are huge question marks…

GK - We are fine. I know some aren’t happy with Eddie but there’s hardly a huge line of top replacements available.
RB - Walker is past it and Rico isn’t good enough.
CB - The talent is there but fitness records are atrocious. No other side rotates CBs and gives them as much rest as we do and yet they’re still always injured. Big question marks over Stones and Ake.
LB - We still don’t really have one. Gvardiol (last month aside) has been really good but is his long-term future there?
CDM - We had the best in the world but what Rodri do we get back after a year out? Kovacic is a fine back up to the best in the world but he isn’t good enough to be 1st choice every week.
CM - KDB is out of contract, wrong side of 30 and always injured. Do you give someone £300k pw at his age, when he only plays half a season every year? Gundo is finished. Rico isn’t good enough. Nunes isn’t good enough. I do have faith that Foden will return to form but much of that will probably depend on what he has around him.
LW - Grealish doesnt produce enough. Doku has something but unless he can add consistency and G/A to his game he won’t be the answer.
RW - Savinho is probably the one that I have most hope for. Needs to work on his decision-making but I do think there is a player who has the potential to make it here. Bernie is done.
FW - We have the best striker in the world but zero back up. He can’t play every game.

If our CBs can’t stay fit and KDB leaves, I reckon we need a £300m spend this summer. Some will probably think I am being overly negative with some of my player assessments but if we are talking about title challenges, that’s where I am at.

I couldn't disagree with a word of it! There's no easy way back. It's like a complete blow out on a Formula 1 engine. Every internal piece is broken or fatigued to the point of no further use. Maybe, just maybe Foden, Dias and hopefully a fully recovered Rodri may have a future, but the rest are done. Our most important purchases now are proper defenders like a Kompany/Lescott, and a right back like Zabaleta, and anybody with half a brain, a left foot and a pair of boots to play left back.

Our midfield is like a care home 5 a side team. They are all geriatric or no taller than 5'6" and 10 stone wet. How we let Lavia and Luiz leave this club, knowing full well we had nobody who could tackle in midfield is beyond any sensible comprehension. We have to start being nasty and trying to win games 1-0. My biggest concern however, is we have institutionalised the whole club in both every age group, and even the women, to play this high line possession football, which has now resulted in us not having anyone in the academy that offers anything different.

I fear the solution is not more Pep, but a manager who can overhaul and organise a defence. It would be an Italian coach for me.

 

[Bazzmand Show]

Did he fall off his bike? What the hell happened to his face?

Watch him on the touchline he puts his fingers into his head in frustration he's been doing it for years

 

[Ezy]

Pep is our hero is all i got to say

 

[Jonas.shaffer]

Watch him on the touchline he puts his fingers into his head in frustration he's been doing it for years

Jesus Christ. So all of those scratches on his nose/head came from himself during the match?

That's, erm, concerning...

 

[ninjamonkey]

Scratches really arent anywhere near as bad as they appeared to be. Just a moment of frustration where hes sunk his fingers into his head, the marks will have vanished soon after, it's not really any different to one of us in the stands kicking the back of a seat or slamming it and there's no chance there's anybody who hasn't done that.

Knew there would be blow back on Peps attempt to make light of the scratches though. Having to clarify he wasn't making light of self harm is beyond tedious. Anybody that struggles to understand he was in no way making light of people who self harm has massive problems of their own.