Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

Status
Not open for further replies.
Don't like listening to him talk about how we play too quickly for his liking because in my eyes we play far, far too slowly. He admits we cannot play the way we have in the past but the goal is still to try? He needs to use what he has got and what he's got upfront suits a quick and direct attack.

He's right to say were not set up to play that way anymore, so find a different way of playing that gets the most out of what we have, don't just try and force a system we're incapable of playing that's not what the best manager on the planet does.
 
ninjamonkey said:
Don't like listening to him talk about how we play too quickly for his liking because in my eyes we play far, far too slowly. He admits we cannot play the way we have in the past but the goal is still to try? He needs to use what he has got and what he's got upfront suits a quick and direct attack.

He's right to say were not set up to play that way anymore, so find a different way of playing that gets the most out of what we have, don't just try and force a system we're incapable of playing that's not what the best manager on the planet does.
Click to expand...

He says it quite clearly he always understood City will suffer when the opponent has the ball, but never thought he would suffer when we have the ball. But something has changed this season, we can't even pass the ball!

The team was built for that and we were able to do sequences of 20-25-30-35 passes but we're not able to do that anymore. Take last game, we had the ball, we lost the ball trying to pass it within 5 seconds and Vincius and Jude scored within 2 seconds.

And when his entire game plan is built on precise passing but instead currently trying to do that leads to turnovers.. there's no quick fix!

It's obvious there will be major changes in the off season.
 
I’ve been “shouting” about SIZE, STRENGTH & SPEED all year, but keep getting the likes of David Silva thrown in my face, or that McAtee is a 6 footer!!!

Thankfully, Pep has spilled the beans…

"But now we are suffering when we have the ball. It never happened before. We were comfortable with that. And now is what it is, because it's built for that. Now I cannot change it. Now I cannot go to the gym for three days and put players stronger and faster and quicker. It's not going to happen."

Preach on, Pep, and get Txiki and Hugo working overtime on a brand new City!!!
 
ninjamonkey said:
Don't like listening to him talk about how we play too quickly for his liking because in my eyes we play far, far too slowly. He admits we cannot play the way we have in the past but the goal is still to try? He needs to use what he has got and what he's got upfront suits a quick and direct attack.
Click to expand...

It’s not that we can’t attack quickly, because we obviously have the tools. It’s that we cannot control the opposition in a fast game, because they’re bigger, stronger and faster and our midfield gets overrun, exposed our defence, and we get the old “1 shot, 1 goal” stat again.

I think he likes that quick pass, be it through the lines, a quick lob, or early ball to the far post…if we are set up for it. Therein lies the rub. The faster we get to that point, the less set up we are for losing the ball.

ninjamonkey said:
He's right to say were not set up to play that way anymore, so find a different way of playing that gets the most out of what we have, don't just try and force a system we're incapable of playing that's not what the best manager on the planet does.
Click to expand...

That’s why he’s gone to a 4-4-2/4-2-4, which he can morph into a 2-3-4-1/2-3-2-3, but it requires time to get those old men into position and into the right set up.

Pep does not like transitions he’s not controlling. When we have possession, we generate our own time to transition into the formation we need. Without the ball, the transitions are out of his control, and to a certain extent, out of the team’s control, because they have to immediately react to whatever the opposition is doing, not what we are set up to do.

He has always cultivated the personnel for that, and even acknowledged that, when fit, 9, 10 or even all 11 players have picked themselves. Today, due to age and injuries, and the replacement personnel available, that cannot happen.
 
ChicagoBlue said:
I’ve been “shouting” about SIZE, STRENGTH & SPEED all year, but keep getting the likes of David Silva thrown in my face, or that McAtee is a 6 footer!!!

Thankfully, Pep has spilled the beans…

"But now we are suffering when we have the ball. It never happened before. We were comfortable with that. And now is what it is, because it's built for that. Now I cannot change it. Now I cannot go to the gym for three days and put players stronger and faster and quicker. It's not going to happen."

Preach on, Pep, and get Txiki and Hugo working overtime on a brand new City!!!
Click to expand...
True, our treble season squad was in fact very physically strong. But right now we don't have size, strength and speed(especially our midfield), we're probably the weakest team in premier league when it comes to physicality. We can't defend by controlling the ball anymore. When we don't have strength, we can't keep the ball while getting pressed. When we don't have size and speed, we can't recover the ball successfully by pressing and physical duel. Pep style football is very technical, but it also needs physicality if we want to compete at top level.That's why I hope the broad would bring more players that are both physical and technical into this squad.
 
KDB4ever said:
True, our treble season squad was in fact very physically strong. But right now we don't have size, strength and speed(especially our midfield), we're probably the weakest team in premier league when it comes to physicality. We can't defend by controlling the ball anymore. When we don't have strength, we can't keep the ball while getting pressed. When we don't have size and speed, we can't recover the ball successfully by pressing and physical duel. Pep style football is very technical, but it also needs physicality if we want to compete at top level.That's why I hope the broad would bring more players that are both physical and technical into this squad.
Click to expand...
We are already a very technically proficient team. It’s a prerequisite. But, we do lack the speed and physicality to boss a midfield battle.
 
ChicagoBlue said:
We are already a very technically proficient team. It’s a prerequisite. But, we do lack the speed and physicality to boss a midfield battle.
Click to expand...
It's one thing not having the speed or physicality , another thing entirely chickening out of 50/50s. Until this changes nothing else will. That's something Pep can do something about at least.
 
Brilliant tactics and players fit in the spots they needed.

Marmoush is not a touchline winger, so perfectly allowed Gvardiol (who loves to attack) go wide and let Marmoush come in.

Lewis inverted and Phil dropped to join the midfield making the 4 man midfield to keep possession.

Savio is a touchline winger, and did his job there.

Haaland drifted to make space for Marmoush.

Khusanov and Stones have pace, and trusted to clean up any danger balls over the top.

The man marking meant Ederson had loads of time to place a ball over the top to a forward.

Everything was spot on.
 
I've begged for that approach all season. He set us up today with player in positions they're comfortable in and had us play to the strengths of those on the pitch and not some pre-determined plan he's trying to make fit. That's what we've needed from him and what's been missing all season. I've lay the blame firmly on pep nunerous times this season for shit tactics sending a team out to lose, well that win today belongs to him more than any player. Got it spot on, please let's see it more, if we take it to the dippers. We'll beat 'em.
 
Something I noticed we did successfully against Madrid (until we imploded from subs) and did in this game, and did in prior games successfully... Is Pep has completed switched away from the 3-2-5 build up to the 2-3-5 build up.

Now I have written about this in prior weeks how I have liked this when Pep made both fullbacks go wide, the wingers tuck inside, and played with 3 deep centre midfielders.

We have seen this destroy Chelsea, he switched to it against Brugge when the 325 wasn't working and destroyed them.

Then for some reason he went back to 325 after Brugge, but has now switched back to 235.

He just creates the 3 in midfield in a different way than I expected.

1) Against Madrid, he inverted both fullbacks (Gvardiol and Akanji) around the pivot (Stones). This makes sense because his profile of wingers (Savio, Jack) wanted to hold the width so he did that.

2) In this game he still had Savio, but Marmoush doesn't want to hold the width, so to recreate it, he only had Lewis invert (with Gundo and Nico) to make the 3, and tasked Gvardiol with staying wide. And this still preserved the 235 with players in the spots that work best for them.

Small things I didn't fully realize until looking at our setup again and reflecting on prior setups... Pep is just next level.

Btw I think the switch to 235 (which is clearly far more successful) is likely due to stop the midblock pressing shapes we are seeing this season.

If Pep played a 325, and a team midblocked in a 442, then the 2 strikers happily "half-ass" press the 3 defenders, because the team has a man advantage on City's 7 players (with their 8), this put more pressure on the players ahead of the CB to do anything as they were always hounded down as we are always down a player higher up the pitch.

With 235, we match their 8 with our 8, giving our players a much better chance of finding spaces and/or time to react when they get the ball.

The downside is losing a CB at the back on counters, but this is by far worth it since we suffer without the ball (Pep's own words), and can't lose this identity.

And Nico can very quickly drop to make a back 3 anyways on a counter.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Unread Posts

Don't have an account? Register now and see fewer ads!

SIGN UP
Back
Top