Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[ChicagoBlue]

His playing style this season has been put to pasture by more direct attacking football.

Exactly!

Pep’s “system” helped create the best British team in generations, but as he rightly says himself, he needs some of the best players in the world to make it work in the manner intended.

This season, he has been severely limited in the quality and combinations of players he has been able to utilize, which has meant a lack of cohesion and balance…which is the entire ball game!

The problem, of course, is that lacking the personnel he feels he needs, there is simply not the quality to slice and dice opposition. This leads to turnovers, fast counterattacks, and a vulnerable Back 2/3 getting exposed on a regular basis.

What’s crazy is that, bad as this season has reportedly been for City and Pep, we are still in a Champions League position and in our seventh(?) consecutive FA Cup Semi-Final!

As I have said repeatedly, the game has developed to challenge us over the past few years, because teams have not only learned how to blunt the inverted full back (and other Pep foibles) with the low block and then counterattack us. This year, with the injuries and aging squad, many have shown they’re passing us…with often inferior players, but better team set ups.

As I have also said repeatedly, the game has, for the most part (with the possible exception of some players at the absolute zenith of the game) overrun us with size, speed and strength put into a tactical framework that works for the personnel they have recruited and developed.

We need some more of each, preferably players with all three!

 

[madloaf]

Great managers have taken over from great managers. Teams have been successful after an "irreplaceable" manager has left. He's took the year off. How much longer are we willing to accept it?

 

[Paul1970]

If there is a failing to be levelled at Pep this season it’s the fact he’s insisted on carrying on with his tactical approach despite not having the players to successfully carry it out. I mentioned in my previous post that I’d have liked to see him be a bit more pragmatic at times.

However, that does not mean he has ran out of ideas. It just means that he hasn’t got the required personnel. Injuries have put an even heavier burden onto an aging midfield and we’ve badly struggled.

We’re a 45 minute team playing a 90 minute game. Pep obviously believes a stronger emphasis on ball retention is the best way to combat the mobility and fatigue issue in the squad. For me, it hasn’t worked but it doesn’t mean his approach is broken.

Just adding two pacy, energetic full backs and the return of Rodri makes us title challengers again IMO.

Only if he stops picking players who are good enough no more such b silva gundo kova and Rico Lewis . The more I think about him hat team yesterday the more angry I get and the pissed if with pep im getting as he basically threw that gane to give his old guard another go .

 

[melrose40yarder]

Got to be careful what we wish for.
This man has given us memories of a lifetime,do not become entitled like the red shits.
I agree the football is turgid at the moment and would love him to trust the new players and youth.
If he persists with Gundo,Kovacic and Bernado next season then that may be the time for him to go.
As for now he is the man.
Scouse 1 title in 35 yrs,Arse 0 in 21
Scum 0 in 13 yrs. We are have been blessed.

 

[manimanc]

Got to be careful what we wish for.
This man has given us memories of a lifetime,do not become entitled like the red shits.
I agree the football is turgid at the moment and would love him to trust the new players and youth.
If he persists with Gundo,Kovacic and Bernado next season then that may be the time for him to go.
As for now he is the man.
Scouse 1 title in 35 yrs,Arse 0 in 21
Scum 0 in 13 yrs. We are have been blessed.

You hit the nail on the head mate.
We got entitled fans. This thread is full of them, half of these posters aren't city fans, we all know that but fuck me the slagging off of the manager who has brought us nothing but joy is an embarrassment.

 

[Mr Grumpy]

You hit the nail on the head mate.
We got entitled fans. This thread is full of them, half of these posters aren't city fans, we all know that but fuck me the slagging off of the manager who has brought us nothing but joy is an embarrassment.

Disagree.

I'm not even sure entitlement applies to any club tbh.

Pep has made us winners. Winning mentally demands we demand winning.

We've just grown up.

Or to put it another way.
Only losers are happy losing.

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Pep deserves some criticism for this season. IMO, not so much for the league position, or the poor CL campaign. History tells us that no team wins all the time. The idea or expectation that some fans had, that we would just win title after title forever is ludicrous.

My criticism of Pep is centred around the continued selection of certain players and the turgid style of play, with seemingly no wiggle room for a change in style or approach. I would expect someone of Peps ability, to be able to look at our injury situation and be able to make the required adjustments to maximise what we have at our disposal. I don’t think he has done this at all.

That being said, I don’t think this is enough to argue for replacing our (and possibly footballs) greatest ever manager. For those that do want him gone, I never hear from them, any real ideas for a replacement. It’s all pie-in-the-sky, pipe-dream scenarios, where a guy with no history of real success, is going to come to City and get us back where we want/need to be, all because they’ve had a couple of half-decent seasons at unfancied sides. There is a huge difference between improving Bournemouth and challenging for the title and CL every season. If you want evidence, look at what’s happened at the rags over the past decade…Moyes, ETH, Amorim and the rest.

I would rather Pep is here next season trying to turn things around. He 100% deserves the opportunity to do so. If he doesn’t, he can go and someone else will get the chance.

 

[waspish]

I'd part ways, I said this season when he leaves it to the last minute to sign a contract that whilst I wouldn't jump for joy at him leaving, I would certainly welcome a change, sometime it is needed. Liverpool being a good example. He is a legend, we won't win the same amount again with anyone else but sometimes a managers cycle comes to an end and he has show all season he cannot adapt.

Hey we had pelegrine for better than Slott in his first season ended up playing dead football like slot will do next season! I'd have pep for life anyone who don't see that have rose tinted blinkers on thinking the next manager we be better he WONT

 

[mancboy]

While it is completely churlish to question pep, given what he has done in the game and what he has brought to us fans, i feel sometimes his need to prove that he is right and everyone else is wrong makes him his own worst enemy, i think all of us to a man groaned when we saw that line up yesterday and the performance proved us right. Loyalty to players is to be commended but not to the detriment of the team.

Dont get me wrong i love pep and he has earned the right to do whatever he damn well pleases but sometimes i think he overthinks things a little much and it is to the detriment of the team and it seems to be happening a little too often this season.

 

[uwerosler28]

If only there was a pep thread to discuss this in.

 

[meeesh]

Injuries have screwed us this season, wrong times and wrong players at the same time, it's just a freak season on that score, nobody can deny it, not an excuse, it's reality.

Yes, he has played certain players a lot more than in hindsight he probably wished he hadn't, but considering were we are at in the league and still in cup semi I think it's remarkable that we are.

One final push now, let's be honest, we could and should win all our remaining games left.

But.....and there's always a but, can he rebuild a squad to take us back to the summit in 2 years, I dunno myself.

 

[mancboy]

If only there was a pep thread to discuss this in.

its a separate question from the pep thread but fair point

 

[Rammy Blue]

Pep deserves some criticism for this season. IMO, not so much for the league position, or the poor CL campaign. History tells us that no team wins all the time. The idea or expectation that some fans had, that we would just win title after title forever is ludicrous.

My criticism of Pep is centred around the continued selection of certain players and the turgid style of play, with seemingly no wiggle room for a change in style or approach. I would expect someone of Peps ability, to be able to look at our injury situation and be able to make the required adjustments to maximise what we have at our disposal. I don’t think he has done this at all.

That being said, I don’t think this is enough to argue for replacing our (and possibly footballs) greatest ever manager. For those that do want him gone, I never hear from them, any real ideas for a replacement. It’s all pie-in-the-sky, pipe-dream scenarios, where a guy with no history of real success, is going to come to City and get us back where we want/need to be, all because they’ve had a couple of half-decent seasons at unfancied sides. There is a huge difference between improving Bournemouth and challenging for the title and CL every season. If you want evidence, look at what’s happened at the rags over the past decade…Moyes, ETH, Amorim and the rest.

I would rather Pep is here next season trying to turn things around. He 100% deserves the opportunity to do so. If he doesn’t, he can go and someone else will get the chance.

Personally, the way I look at it, is that Pep is not going to be here for more than a couple of years now, and seeing as this year has been such a shitshow then maybe a change of manager and ethos, along with the new sporting director, might be the way to now attempt to go.

Pep has really disappointed me this season, I expected far more from him. Yesterday summed it up completely. How can he pick a team with all of Kev, Bernie, Gundo and Phil is utterly bemusing. The first half then played out extremely predictably. To then leave Kev and Bernie on for the full 90 was inexplicable too, especially when you have Nico, Grealish and Savio sat on the bench. Madness.

Having a team as utterly shite as the scum having the better of the second half where there was only ever going to be one winner was pathetic in the extreme.

So yeah, he may well be the best manager we’ve ever had, and I’m eternally grateful for the last 8/9 seasons, but I don’t think Its wrong to think that maybe a change is for the best.

TBH, assuming we get the correct decision for the 115, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Pep reversed his decision and decided to ride off into the sunset.

 

[Bluewonder]

Personally, the way I look at it, is that Pep is not going to be here for more than a couple of years now, and seeing as this year has been such a shitshow then maybe a change of manager and ethos, along with the new sporting director, might be the way to now attempt to go.

Pep has really disappointed me this season, I expected far more from him. Yesterday summed it up completely. How can he pick a team with all of Kev, Bernie, Gundo and Phil is utterly bemusing. The first half then played out extremely predictably. To then leave Kev and Bernie on for the full 90 was inexplicable too, especially when you have Nico, Grealish and Savio sat on the bench. Madness.

Having a team as utterly shite as the scum having the better of the second half where there was only ever going to be one winner was pathetic in the extreme.

So yeah, he may well be the best manager we’ve ever had, and I’m eternally grateful for the last 8/9 seasons, but I don’t think Its wrong to think that maybe a change is for the best.

TBH, assuming we get the correct decision for the 115, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Pep reversed his decision and decided to ride off into the sunset.

Our rivals would be celebrating like they themselves won the league if that happened.

 

[Rammy Blue]

Our rivals would be celebrating like they themselves won the league if that happened.

Really? I don’t see any fear factor any more. Anyhow, I’m allowed an opinion, and that’s mine.

 

[RACHACE]

From scratch?

He already had KDB, Sterling, Aguero, Silva, Kompany at his disposal.

All he had to do was sprinkle it with a few more decent players.

This rebuild is off the scale to what he had when he took over.

Maybe it's you that needs to watch another sport??

All he had to do was sprinkle it with a few more decent players?

Have you actually paid attention over the last 5 or 6 seasons?

Ridiculous comment. I expect you're a teenager that's been a bit spoilt. At least I hope you are anyway as if not, you should be a bit embarrassed.

 

[dhruvblue]

When team wins manager having unlimited power works

But when team loses manager having unlimited powers becomes counter productive

No one at club is probably telling Pep to be rational and stop playing old players for sake of Cl qualification

 

[OrigamiNinja]

Personally, the way I look at it, is that Pep is not going to be here for more than a couple of years now, and seeing as this year has been such a shitshow then maybe a change of manager and ethos, along with the new sporting director, might be the way to now attempt to go.

Pep has really disappointed me this season, I expected far more from him. Yesterday summed it up completely. How can he pick a team with all of Kev, Bernie, Gundo and Phil is utterly bemusing. The first half then played out extremely predictably. To then leave Kev and Bernie on for the full 90 was inexplicable too, especially when you have Nico, Grealish and Savio sat on the bench. Madness.

Having a team as utterly shite as the scum having the better of the second half where there was only ever going to be one winner was pathetic in the extreme.

So yeah, he may well be the best manager we’ve ever had, and I’m eternally grateful for the last 8/9 seasons, but I don’t think Its wrong to think that maybe a change is for the best.

TBH, assuming we get the correct decision for the 115, it wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if Pep reversed his decision and decided to ride off into the sunset.

I think we agree on a fair amount, especially the bolded part.

My argument for Pep staying would be that a) he has enough credit in the bank to be afforded a poor season (by our incredibly high standards) and b) replacing Pep is going to be incredibly difficult. Even more so, if the new manager is coming into a struggling side. I think Pep can get us back on an upwards trajectory and replacing him then, might be a little easier on the new guy.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

I wonder who will come and hold their hands up if/when Pep wins us another league next year after building his third great Man City side.

 

[Blue Mist]

its a separate question from the pep thread but fair point

The line 'all of us groaned when we saw the line up' sums everything you've written up. Not one Blue would honestly say they thought that team was their 2nd choice never mind first.
The thing is it's not new. I was in Portugal for the CL final so didn't hear the team before getting to the ground. The rest is history.

Oh and by the way I agree with everything else in your post.