Tevez City
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When Stones, Ake , Rodri & Oscar Bobb return from injury, he will have tough decisions to make.
Pep Guardiola - 2024/25
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Pep is somewhat blindly trusting his old players for a top four finish
But I would not confuse this with him not being ruthless in the summer
He knows the squad is a very poor version of what we expect
Get rodri, Haaland, bobb back from injury and fit for next season and Get foden back in form, all of a sudden we are a different team
Add to that some energy and pace in the middle and at full back
Pep will know exactly who he wants in and out, but he won’t say anything out of respect
But I would not confuse this with him not being ruthless in the summer
He knows the squad is a very poor version of what we expect
Get rodri, Haaland, bobb back from injury and fit for next season and Get foden back in form, all of a sudden we are a different team
Add to that some energy and pace in the middle and at full back
Pep will know exactly who he wants in and out, but he won’t say anything out of respect
stan bowles
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I applaud Pep for keeping the same back four in recent games as we've definitely tightened up defensively - albeit with some help from the woodwork - allowing us to get some much needed continuity back there. Next season though, I hope he's going to take the shackles off us and allow us some risk going forward rather than being more concerned with being hit on transitions. Constant recycling of possession going nowhere will not work. Hopefully, a summer squad refresh with younger, better players will allow him more confidence in us as an attacking force.
Im not 100% sure this new system will be used next season with a fit Haaland, and also since we have seen recently us winning games due to Doku wide left 1v1 with LB tucked in. Savinho prefers to be wide right and not as a false striker as well.
I was thinking if our treble system, and the key players that made that work, Gundogan in CM but going into a 10 role.
Stones as a CB but going into a CM role.
I thought, O Reilly and Nico G could surely do this?
Both in defense are so tall, and win alot of aerial duels (especially Nico G), and it lets Pep mold O Reilly into that kind of 6 player without the ball defensively, but lets him go up when we attack to score.
It means no more wide fullbacks, but im not convinced that system is working because of its attacking shape in this run.
I think the team has just found some stability from core members and that the 244 press specifically is working, but not entirely the 2422 in possession (we have been quite lucky as many counters have gone against us in this system where we should have conceded). That 244 press can easily be made in our treble system as well.
I was thinking if our treble system, and the key players that made that work, Gundogan in CM but going into a 10 role.
Stones as a CB but going into a CM role.
I thought, O Reilly and Nico G could surely do this?
Both in defense are so tall, and win alot of aerial duels (especially Nico G), and it lets Pep mold O Reilly into that kind of 6 player without the ball defensively, but lets him go up when we attack to score.
It means no more wide fullbacks, but im not convinced that system is working because of its attacking shape in this run.
I think the team has just found some stability from core members and that the 244 press specifically is working, but not entirely the 2422 in possession (we have been quite lucky as many counters have gone against us in this system where we should have conceded). That 244 press can easily be made in our treble system as well.
skybluepower
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This is an exceptional system and way of playing football, I would like City to try something similar in the future, I think we would be ruthless in both defense and attack; Because we have better personnel than Inter, with our players it would be even better
DiMarco ( Kerkez,Cambiasso?)
Bastoni (Gvardiol)
Acerbi( Dias)
Bisseck ( Khusanov)
Dumfries ( Frimpong?)
Calhanoglu ( Rodri)
Mkhitaryan ( Gibbs White?)
Barella ( Foden ,Echeverii, name it)
Haaland ( Thuram)
Marmoush (L.Martinez)
We played something similar at the start of the 2017/18 season until Mendy got injured and it looked phenomenal.
DiMarco ( Kerkez,Cambiasso?)
Bastoni (Gvardiol)
Acerbi( Dias)
Bisseck ( Khusanov)
Dumfries ( Frimpong?)
Calhanoglu ( Rodri)
Mkhitaryan ( Gibbs White?)
Barella ( Foden ,Echeverii, name it)
Haaland ( Thuram)
Marmoush (L.Martinez)
We played something similar at the start of the 2017/18 season until Mendy got injured and it looked phenomenal.
ChicagoBlue
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So, dump all the fast, young wingers we have???This is an exceptional system and way of playing football, I would like City to try something similar in the future, I think we would be ruthless in both defense and attack; Because we have better personnel than Inter, with our players it would be even better
DiMarco ( Kerkez,Cambiasso?)
Bastoni (Gvardiol)
Acerbi( Dias)
Bisseck ( Khusanov)
Dumfries ( Frimpong?)
Calhanoglu ( Rodri)
Mkhitaryan ( Gibbs White?)
Barella ( Foden ,Echeverii, name it)
Haaland ( Thuram)
Marmoush (L.Martinez)
We played something similar at the start of the 2017/18 season until Mendy got injured and it looked phenomenal.
skybluepower
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We seem to have already given up on them.
Doku, Savinho, Bobb ( injured tbf) , Grealish sit on the bench, while Gundogan and Bernardo play and act as wingers.
More or less the same thing awaits us next season.
Gundogan will have more minutes than both Doku and Savio.
ChicagoBlue
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IMHO, Pep likes to have midfielders play FB, because that’s where he thinks they should play. Sure, they have to be able to defend, but doesn’t every player?!
Depending on the opposition, either a back 3 with one FB going forward, with a wide player on the other flank OR a back 4, with both FBs going long and the DM dropping in as needed and the second CM playing a more complementary role by not getting too far forward until we are solidly in possession. This allows an attacking 4, with a CM and both FBs joining the attack, for a smothering 7, with 3 “defenders” inside the opposition half.
Recently, we have been playing a 4-4-2/4-2-4/3-3-4, depending on who has the ball and where we are on the field. With NOR and Nunes being freed to get up the line, Bernardo has been given the free role in midfield to fill the gap, pick up the ball from the two CBs and then play with Kova in CM, allowing him to occasionally make that burst to break the press. That resulted in our first goal in the FA Cup SF.
I think 3-4-3 is the way forward, with the two wide midfielders having both offensive and defensive responsibilities. Conversely, we can stay with a more traditional midfield 3 (a DM and two AMs) with two upfront and wide FB/Wingers who own the touchline. That allows the AMs to come wide to stifle the opposition attacks, while the FB retreats, while also allowing the AMs to get into the channels when the FB/Wingers get down the line.
As we know, Pep likes his triangles and overloads in the wide areas, rather than just an out and out winger who takes people on and gets a cross in…esp if Haaland isn’t playing. That means a wide player getting forward, a player supporting inside, but behind (to recycle), and another inside (attacking position) to give the player options. It’s only when those options aren’t available (player out of position if lanes blocked off, which an increasingly frequent opposition tactic) that things break down and we play “hopeful” balls. This is why we play so many quick recycle passes, because the triangle hasn’t formed and the system isn’t in place yet.
As I have said repeatedly, Pep needs to add size, speed and strength to the team. The days of having 3, 4, of 5 players in the 5’6” - 5’9” range is over! You can have one, maybe two, but size coupled with athleticism and technique is where football is at, or going.
5’10” and bigger, with a 120 minute engine and the speed to get up and back IS FOOTBALL in the PL today. Or, as Hockey players like to say, it’s where the puck is going!
Pep requires a certain level of technical control and ability, as a foundation, so I hope Viana is on it, because Pep has two years to rebuild City for the rest of the decade and beyond. If we do it right, we will have a team that, once again, can beat all comers and, with 1 or 2 “refresher” players every season, can dominate for the foreseeable future.
Depending on the opposition, either a back 3 with one FB going forward, with a wide player on the other flank OR a back 4, with both FBs going long and the DM dropping in as needed and the second CM playing a more complementary role by not getting too far forward until we are solidly in possession. This allows an attacking 4, with a CM and both FBs joining the attack, for a smothering 7, with 3 “defenders” inside the opposition half.
Recently, we have been playing a 4-4-2/4-2-4/3-3-4, depending on who has the ball and where we are on the field. With NOR and Nunes being freed to get up the line, Bernardo has been given the free role in midfield to fill the gap, pick up the ball from the two CBs and then play with Kova in CM, allowing him to occasionally make that burst to break the press. That resulted in our first goal in the FA Cup SF.
I think 3-4-3 is the way forward, with the two wide midfielders having both offensive and defensive responsibilities. Conversely, we can stay with a more traditional midfield 3 (a DM and two AMs) with two upfront and wide FB/Wingers who own the touchline. That allows the AMs to come wide to stifle the opposition attacks, while the FB retreats, while also allowing the AMs to get into the channels when the FB/Wingers get down the line.
As we know, Pep likes his triangles and overloads in the wide areas, rather than just an out and out winger who takes people on and gets a cross in…esp if Haaland isn’t playing. That means a wide player getting forward, a player supporting inside, but behind (to recycle), and another inside (attacking position) to give the player options. It’s only when those options aren’t available (player out of position if lanes blocked off, which an increasingly frequent opposition tactic) that things break down and we play “hopeful” balls. This is why we play so many quick recycle passes, because the triangle hasn’t formed and the system isn’t in place yet.
As I have said repeatedly, Pep needs to add size, speed and strength to the team. The days of having 3, 4, of 5 players in the 5’6” - 5’9” range is over! You can have one, maybe two, but size coupled with athleticism and technique is where football is at, or going.
5’10” and bigger, with a 120 minute engine and the speed to get up and back IS FOOTBALL in the PL today. Or, as Hockey players like to say, it’s where the puck is going!
Pep requires a certain level of technical control and ability, as a foundation, so I hope Viana is on it, because Pep has two years to rebuild City for the rest of the decade and beyond. If we do it right, we will have a team that, once again, can beat all comers and, with 1 or 2 “refresher” players every season, can dominate for the foreseeable future.
ChicagoBlue
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Watch and see.
bluetonium
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Could it be that this season was a very unfortunate series of unlikely events that aligned perfectly to derail our season?
We're finishing potentially as high as second with an fa cup, and we've not actually used the new blood signings from January all that much.
We've had a significant number of injuries and continual fatigue, following on from a season of record numbers of matches being played, and at a very high level of intensity and expectation. Pep has had personal issues, as have other players, and I am starting to be of the mind that in any other season, we would have handled quite a few of these and still been in a real title race. But not all these issues together. Not taking our best player, our best striker, our heartbeat, and our brain, be it for 9 months or 9 days. It's too unbalancing. Not when we too had the challenges of maintaining motivation and fitness after winning the league for a fourth time in a row.
Maybe we should be careful about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Did we look old, slow and devoid of ideas because of he personnel, when those same players and coaches are now performing as we're the leagues in form team?
Change is absolutely a good thing for us. Freshen it up, add motivation and competition. But, underneath it all, we did have a team capable of the near impossible, led by a guy who is still regarded as the best in the world. We did get complacent with he squad a little, and we didn't realize how fragile perfection was. We should be very careful that we maintain that and build on it, and don't follow the united way of complaining about every little thing without realizing what we do have in front of us.
I feel a lot of this analysis and self reflection can apply to Pep directly too, as well as the team.
We're finishing potentially as high as second with an fa cup, and we've not actually used the new blood signings from January all that much.
We've had a significant number of injuries and continual fatigue, following on from a season of record numbers of matches being played, and at a very high level of intensity and expectation. Pep has had personal issues, as have other players, and I am starting to be of the mind that in any other season, we would have handled quite a few of these and still been in a real title race. But not all these issues together. Not taking our best player, our best striker, our heartbeat, and our brain, be it for 9 months or 9 days. It's too unbalancing. Not when we too had the challenges of maintaining motivation and fitness after winning the league for a fourth time in a row.
Maybe we should be careful about throwing out the baby with the bathwater. Did we look old, slow and devoid of ideas because of he personnel, when those same players and coaches are now performing as we're the leagues in form team?
Change is absolutely a good thing for us. Freshen it up, add motivation and competition. But, underneath it all, we did have a team capable of the near impossible, led by a guy who is still regarded as the best in the world. We did get complacent with he squad a little, and we didn't realize how fragile perfection was. We should be very careful that we maintain that and build on it, and don't follow the united way of complaining about every little thing without realizing what we do have in front of us.
I feel a lot of this analysis and self reflection can apply to Pep directly too, as well as the team.
1961_vintage
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I agree that Inter are a fantastic side but to me it just looks like a 5-3-2 system. Can you explain more about why you think that "this is an exceptional system and way of playing football"?This is an exceptional system and way of playing football, I would like City to try something similar in the future, I think we would be ruthless in both defense and attack; Because we have better personnel than Inter, with our players it would be even better
DiMarco ( Kerkez,Cambiasso?)
Bastoni (Gvardiol)
Acerbi( Dias)
Bisseck ( Khusanov)
Dumfries ( Frimpong?)
Calhanoglu ( Rodri)
Mkhitaryan ( Gibbs White?)
Barella ( Foden ,Echeverii, name it)
Haaland ( Thuram)
Marmoush (L.Martinez)
We played something similar at the start of the 2017/18 season until Mendy got injured and it looked phenomenal.
this is basically the same system that Atletico uses and they are both defensive first teams and City definetly isnt. Definetly Barca is the more similar team to us
southamptonblue
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Read the last 3 pages.....thought I was in the comedy thread, absolutely hilarious!
Just watching the last of the champions league semis and the one thing PSG, Barca and Arsenal have in common is the injection of youth.
Nobody can argue with the success Pep has achieved at City but he absolutely will always pick experience over youth and I feel that we will continue to lose some top top players if this doesn’t change.
We have potentially brilliant prospects with Bobb, Echeverri, Khusanov, O’Reilly, Reis and maybe one or two of the youth team players but I fear that we will lose some of them when they see other clubs giving youth more of a chance and also in big games like the Champions League Semi finals.
I get that he has had to bring a bit of pragmatism into the team….packing the midfield etc to get us out of the awful run of form of a couple of a couple of months ago, but this won’t win us the league or progress in Europe…. Should we get there.
Nobody can argue with the success Pep has achieved at City but he absolutely will always pick experience over youth and I feel that we will continue to lose some top top players if this doesn’t change.
We have potentially brilliant prospects with Bobb, Echeverri, Khusanov, O’Reilly, Reis and maybe one or two of the youth team players but I fear that we will lose some of them when they see other clubs giving youth more of a chance and also in big games like the Champions League Semi finals.
I get that he has had to bring a bit of pragmatism into the team….packing the midfield etc to get us out of the awful run of form of a couple of a couple of months ago, but this won’t win us the league or progress in Europe…. Should we get there.
2 of the teams you have mentioned have both crashed out . One of the teams who have made the final did so with 7 players above the age of 30 respectfully what on earth are you taking about
2 teams usually do go out in the semis !
Aguuuerroooooo
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When are we finally going to start that discussion?
Fresh blood and new ideas are definitely needed — it’s long overdue.
Fresh blood and new ideas are definitely needed — it’s long overdue.
kippaxchris
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His refusal to play with width & wingers is just pathetic now, his stubbornness is killing us.
Mazzarelli's Swiss Cheese
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Get your CV in mate. Two years time the job is yours.
kippaxchris
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That was really original, made me & everybody else on the forum laugh.
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