Pep Guardiola - 2024/25

[Blu1]

That would be a failing of the club from top to bottom. Either that, or we'd appointed Tony Pulis. Which I suppose is the same thing.

I think the club have failed allowing pep to not improve the squad last summer. Pep says he told the club he doesn’t need any new players. Sadly I think pep & the club have failed greatly this season & last summer.

We need so many new players & still need to move about 7 players in the summer with the pointless world club competition during this period when our boys need a rest

 

[Saddleworth2]

The problem is that hindsight is always 20/20. The number of times a line up drops and people have a hissy fit only for us to go on and comfortably win far outweighs the number of times that we lose. This season has been a massive outlier and yet people seem incapable of giving any context to the criticisms which follow Pep around.

When you talk about perspective, I think it needs to be much wider than just "oh I don't agree with that team selection therefore Guardiola is past it" or "if he'd brought on Marmoush we'd have won". Pep knows more about football than any of us, and so it follows that whilst criticism is normal in a season like this one, it needs to come with a bit of balance.

Of course it needs perspective and Pep has earned patience from all of us. My point was only that I think some of the criticism this season is perfectly understandable and comes from reasonable fans. Only the outliers call for his head.

 

[1961_vintage]

Like any creative and innovator, he needs the opportunity to identify solutions and to then try new ideas in practice which in turn introduces risk.

I feel for him in that unlike every other top league in Europe, ours is the one place where there is no such thing as an easy game or dead rubber where he can go out and experiment.

 

[daztrueblue91]

The problem is that hindsight is always 20/20. The number of times a line up drops and people have a hissy fit only for us to go on and comfortably win far outweighs the number of times that we lose. This season has been a massive outlier and yet people seem incapable of giving any context to the criticisms which follow Pep around.

When you talk about perspective, I think it needs to be much wider than just "oh I don't agree with that team selection therefore Guardiola is past it" or "if he'd brought on Marmoush we'd have won". Pep knows more about football than any of us, and so it follows that whilst criticism is normal in a season like this one, it needs to come with a bit of balance.

I think there’s a few ways of looking at this. It’s not even up for debate that Pep extracted every last ounce of effort for the core of this squad. KDB, Gundo, Bernardo, Ederson, Walker etc have nothing left to give. They were perfect for Pep’s system and Pep helped make them legends.

The worry for me is that there seems to be a bit of a disconnect between our recruitment and the way Pep wants to play. There’s not many players we’ve signed over the last 3 seasons who you can argue Pep is actually improving.

The likes of Haaland, Doku, Savinho and Marmoush are not your typical control and pass players. In fact, they’re more suited to the way Liverpool play under Klopp than Pep. Even the players like Nico, who should be tailored made for Pep’s system, cannot get a sniff at the moment.

For me, it’s not hard to envisage the return of Rodri, 2 proper full backs with pace and a top tier playmaker could see us return to the free flowing title winning sides of previous years.

That said, signing the likes of Gibbs-White and players of that calibre will just see a continuation of our current form. If that’s the case, I’d rather Pep left and a manager who thrives on the transitions brought in.

 

[Columbia]

I’d had a few pre match primers yesterday I admit but I was falling alseep standing up at some points.Sums up the season to me, the results aside, many games have just been flat out boring.

 

[pee dubya]

In past seasons when it gets to the crux he's pretty much settled on a team that goes out there and wins every match in the run in.

We kind of stumbled on a formula that worked, we were winning every game.

Why oh why did he change it so much.

Just stick with what was working, then change it if needed during the game.

No doubting Peps genius, but he royally fucked it yesterday.

 

[Blue2202]

The problem is that hindsight is always 20/20. The number of times a line up drops and people have a hissy fit only for us to go on and comfortably win far outweighs the number of times that we lose. This season has been a massive outlier and yet people seem incapable of giving any context to the criticisms which follow Pep around.

When you talk about perspective, I think it needs to be much wider than just "oh I don't agree with that team selection therefore Guardiola is past it" or "if he'd brought on Marmoush we'd have won". Pep knows more about football than any of us, and so it follows that whilst criticism is normal in a season like this one, it needs to come with a bit of balance.

Any side that Pep picked yesterday should have beaten that woeful, MANAGERLESS Southampton team. We shouldn't be having to discuss hindsight as to who he should or shouldn't have picked- there is no excuse for not winning that game.

The most worrying part is that not one of the starting 11 had any kind of urgency or looked to have the hunger to win the game. Half arsed, turgid performances all over the pitch but yet Pep was so slow AGAIN to react to the abject performance his team were producing.

Peps failure to react in games when it's just not working is becoming very costly and has cost us massively this season. Combined with him picking his favourites such as silva, lewis, KDB etc it could easily end up with us playing Thursday nights next season.

Can you imagine us not getting top 5 now because we failed to beat the second worst team in premier league history?

 

[Odd socks]

Still can't understand how Pep hasn't worked out how to beat the team's that just sit back and pack the box.
Either draw them out so the game is played closer to the halfway, no side will sit on the eighteen yard line if we are passing it around in our half or if they want to pack the box then make them tackle when they have their hands behind their backs.
I started to imagine us getting a penalty yesterday and go on and miss it they way it was going.

 

[Txiki Txiki Bang Bang]

Still can't understand how Pep hasn't worked out how to beat the team's that just sit back and pack the box.
Either draw them out so the game is played closer to the halfway, no side will sit on the eighteen yard line if we are passing it around in our half or if they want to pack the box then make them tackle when they have their hands behind their backs.
I started to imagine us getting a penalty yesterday and go on and miss it they way it was going.

He worked it out easily during the centurion season but his obsession with excessive ball possession made him revert back to his old philosophy, We sacrificed productivity in exchange for possession and control.

 

[eastmanc]

Had a sleep on it, this is not a go at past hero's but if we keep Gundo, Bernie, Kev, Pep will play them, it is not having them, that is the problem.
I have never enjoyed the way Pep plays with a striker and we have the worlds best, it is not the Spanish (Barca way, currently now have a German coach), I know we have won everything, but I've only enjoyed the glory and individuals, Dave, Kev, not the way we've played under Pep.
This is not yesterday's result I knew it would happen as soon as Erl was fit and again not a go at him, he has his weaknesses that don't help, pressing, just the change in system back to boring shite again, very successful boring shite, stick it up your arse, Pep out.

and while I'm venting fuck the Spanish CEO off with his fucking tourists with camera's, glad I didn't say what I really feel.

Did you not enjoy some of the great football in the treble season or the 100 point season , where we scored 106 goals, or the Domestic treble season? Or are you saying you have never enjoyed any of the football we've played under Pep.

 

[eastmanc]

Of course it needs perspective and Pep has earned patience from all of us. My point was only that I think some of the criticism this season is perfectly understandable and comes from reasonable fans. Only the outliers call for his head.

Patient from us all you say, not to read this thread. You'd have thought he'd been here 9 years and achieved the sum total of fuck off to read some of the posts on here.

 

[alexmcity]

It's fair to say Pep underestimated Southampton (2nd worst team in PL history) and thought that we could win with some of the (currently) average/worse players.

My only criticism is that he didn't bring Omar on much earlier. Why was he unwilling to do it? Guess he thought that if Omar scored and won the game for us, that would mess up with his plans for the final 3 games.

Sounds weird, but the reason is probably psychological. He didn't want to take the likes of Foden, KdB, Bernardo or Haaland off due to various psychological reasons. We won't understand why he did it. The group dynamics is sometimes hard to guess from the outside. He has his reasons, but ultimately he failed yesterday as much as the players.

 

[waspish]

Still can't understand how Pep hasn't worked out how to beat the team's that just sit back and pack the box.
Either draw them out so the game is played closer to the halfway, no side will sit on the eighteen yard line if we are passing it around in our half or if they want to pack the box then make them tackle when they have their hands behind their backs.
I started to imagine us getting a penalty yesterday and go on and miss it they way it was going.

Well pep said when he first came that he coaches his team to the last 1/3 then it's up to the players

 

[clarion]

It's fair to say Pep underestimated Southampton (2nd worst team in PL history) and thought that we could win with some of the (currently) average/worse players.

My only criticism is that he didn't bring Omar on much earlier. Why was he unwilling to do it? Guess he thought that if Omar scored and won the game for us, that would mess up with his plans for the final 3 games.

Sounds weird, but the reason is probably psychological. He didn't want to take the likes of Foden, KdB, Bernardo or Haaland off due to various psychological reasons. We won't understand why he did it. The group dynamics is sometimes hard to guess from the outside. He has his reasons, but ultimately he failed yesterday as much as the players.

You are right. For Pep there is much more than
Pick the best team and win.

He finds new motivation in overthinking farts and sticking to his beliefs. He has a lot of credit. This credit could be our downfall for the next 2 years. Everyone needs to find the way to accept it and live with it, if it happens.

 

[alexmcity]

You are right. For Pep there is much more than
Pick the best team and win.

He finds new motivation in overthinking farts and sticking to his beliefs. He has a lot of credit. This credit could be our downfall for the next 2 years. Everyone needs to find the way to accept it and live with it, if it happens.

Nobody comes close in terms of winning, so Pep must be good at picking the right team. Also, what's the best team for fans and what's the best team in reality are often very different things.

Some of our fans are constantly moaning about Gundogan and Nunes. Guess what, our best performances this season were with Gundo in the team. As Rodri says, he's the most underrated from our players. And Rodri knows a thing or two about being underrated by your own fan base.

Everything comes to an end. Pep's intensity might shorten his career, or his marriage problems. He has to prove himself again and again. Next season will show us where he stands. Ferguson had big problems in his United career, missing on the title several seasons in a row before hitting the top again.

Time will tell. The least Pep deserves is patience. Other teams with so many injury problems would be nowhere near the top 4 and a FA Cup final.

 

[eastmanc]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
There is nobody here that would think that the team that played yesterday would not beat Southampton.
I don't imagine that anyone would think that if we had 25 shots on goal, to one, that we would not win the game.
This happens. It wasn't working at half-time, so it was changed.
What is, IMO, much more ridiculous, is the response on here to ANY dropped points. We have no divine right to win any game, absolutely none.

We are now, seemingly, in a situation where almost any potential new signing is condemned before they arrive - too young, another project, or not proven, the players that are with us need ditching, and if any other club is in for new players, we have no chance. We have always been a bit fatalistic, but this is embarrassing. We are in the top three and the FA Cup final after what has been, for us, a really tough season plagued with injury and illness.

This

 

[chiswick blue]

Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
There is nobody here that would think that the team that played yesterday would not beat Southampton.
I don't imagine that anyone would think that if we had 25 shots on goal, to one, that we would not win the game.
This happens. It wasn't working at half-time, so it was changed.
What is, IMO, much more ridiculous, is the response on here to ANY dropped points. We have no divine right to win any game, absolutely none.

We are now, seemingly, in a situation where almost any potential new signing is condemned before they arrive - too young, another project, or not proven, the players that are with us need ditching, and if any other club is in for new players, we have no chance. We have always been a bit fatalistic, but this is embarrassing. We are in the top three and the FA Cup final after what has been, for us, a really tough season plagued with injury and illness.

I think even on our recent winning run we haven't played that well and could easily have drawn some of those games. Yesterday all the stars aligned for Southamption and they got a point, better finishing and they get nothing but this is just one area that needs to be improved

 

[oldius]

I think even on our recent winning run we haven't played that well and could easily have drawn some of those games. Yesterday all the stars aligned for Southamption and they got a point, better finishing and they get nothing but this is just one area that needs to be improved

I agree. We are not in good form.

 

[Columbia]

It’s been boring shit all season hasn’t it? I’ve been to 95% home and away and it’s joyless sideways shit. Yes Pep is a genius etc but at some point someone needs to see through the emperors new clothes…

 

[Damanino]

he needs to build a team that can come up vs current Barca, PSG etc an beat them. we were shit vs current version of Real which is significantly worse than any Real side we faced last few years.

lucky thing Barca and PSG was laughing stocks recently in CL and turned it around. we can turn it around but Pep need to change lot of things and recruitment need to be more hits than misses.