Even when we where too if the league we where only just getting by mate . We are all happy we got champions league as if would have been a disaster but make no mistake we’ve been poor and just look at haaland who is the most potent striker in the world and we nullify him with our slow football . Pep needs to build the team to suit him or another year if this and he will be gone . Where would you rank this season squad in all of pep’s years ?
Pep Guardiola - 2024/25
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I hope you are right but imo we had plenty in the squad to produce football that was a lot more effective.
He lost my confidence. I expected a lot more from Pep in terms of changing a game. And I expected a lot more in terms of finding a best 11.
Obviously I hope for the best.
Gabriel
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50 games after Rodri’s injury, what is the solution were we to face Liverpool/Arsenal/Barcelona/Paris Saint.Germain tomorrow?
Can Haaland and Gvardiol be rested, or do we think they can play indefinitely?
Can we use 5 substitutes more often and rotate earlier in games, thus conserving energy and giving more experience to youngsters?
The fact that those questions were just as pertinent last summer as this summer is a concern.
Can Haaland and Gvardiol be rested, or do we think they can play indefinitely?
Can we use 5 substitutes more often and rotate earlier in games, thus conserving energy and giving more experience to youngsters?
The fact that those questions were just as pertinent last summer as this summer is a concern.
We didn't have enough defenders or midfielders at various points. That's why Gundo was starting 3 games a week at one point and why we had to play midfielders at FB.
Where is this stubborn illusion that we had "plenty in the squad" coming from?
Had Van Dyke missed as many games as Rodri, Liverpool would have been around 70 pts at best. And we had many other injuries plus Foden's form falling off a cliff.
If Liverpool or Arsenal had so many problems, chances are they'd have finished outside top 5.
This place loves name calling such as ‘uncle gang’ about players who have won every trophy possible .
TFC
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Interesting to see how things are going forward, you would expect some wholesale changes, tweaks in how we play, but not sure we are going to see much of either. I would love to see some faith put in the youngsters, but not sure we'll see much of that either. I have a feeling the big man will be gone next summer (just a hunch) so he's going to go all out for the title to end his reign on a high.
Think Pep's next team might be the most physical of his teams ever: physically strong or very quick players across the board. It will be his best in terms of intensity and pressing.
Gundo, KDB and Bernie weren't special in terms of physical strength, David too. Rodri, Gonzalez and Reijnders are powerhouses in comparison, MGW is a top athlete too.
Add to that the pace of Doku, Marmoush and Savinho, plus Haaland up front.
Be interesting how we'll play. My guess is we are likely to be a bit more direct than usual.
Gundo, KDB and Bernie weren't special in terms of physical strength, David too. Rodri, Gonzalez and Reijnders are powerhouses in comparison, MGW is a top athlete too.
Add to that the pace of Doku, Marmoush and Savinho, plus Haaland up front.
Be interesting how we'll play. My guess is we are likely to be a bit more direct than usual.
TFC
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I'd agree we need wholesale changes and really have to start working more of these academy kids in and around the first team. Some real talent in the ranks, hopefully the next manager is urged to make the most of them.
BillyShears
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I can't imagine how awful the situation would be if Guardiola hadn't signed a new long term deal in the season just gone. Imagine, from this starting point, having to hire a new manager and rebuild the squad. I reckon the signing of the summer was us getting Pep committed for two more years back in November.
We were down lot of players but I think we could have done better in that bad spell.
The addition of Marmoush and Gonzales in January were much needed.
On the other side, the defenders missing like Walker, Ake , Akanji and Stones were also missing for the bulk of our recent games when we have gained a lot of points. Haaland has been missing recently too and Rodri and Bobb have been absent for almost the full season
The introduction of O Reilly, Nunes at RB, Gvardiol to CB role are all things that have improved the team and I can only assume that Pep wasn't aware or was afraid to experiment with these players in these positions, as all were available during our bad period.
I think confidence as much as anything was a determining factor.
Goals conceded against Madrid and the rags were schoolboy errors. The CL match performances were terrible and we looked like conceding any time a team took a shot.
The players look way more confident now with similar personnel.
That's credit to Pep: that with so many changes and non-standard solutions we won more points than the other teams in the league after the bad period in November and December.
You seem to use that as an argument against Pep: that he could have done those changes much earlier.
That's true, but you can't know a priori what's going to work. One of Pep's biggest strengths is that he experiments a lot till finding what works.
Perhaps his biggest error this season is relying a bit too much on Rico in the 1st part of the season when he could have gone with Nunes instead. Also, Foden was mostly poor, so he could have used more McAtee or other options.
Not starting Marmoush in the home game vs. Real and replacing Akanji with Rico were arguably clear mistakes.
He can if he learns his mistakes and stops trying ton invent the wheel .
hilts
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The upcoming CWC is not your typical glorified pre season tournament anymore fyi.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025™: record prize money and unprecedented solidarity to benefit club football
FIFA Club World Cup™ winners to earn up to 125 USD million. USD 1 billion prize money to 32 participating clubs. Target of USD 250 million in solidarity for club football across the world. All revenue to be distributed to club footballinside.fifa.com
We might see Pep and club management actually treats the tournament as legitimate competition.
Please god no
hilts
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Liverpool came 3rd last year. Didn't add to the team much but changed the manager and low and behold.
This year we came 3rd and it seems we're going to throw upwards of 200million on improving the squad having already spent nearly 200 million in January.
This year we came 3rd and it seems we're going to throw upwards of 200million on improving the squad having already spent nearly 200 million in January.
To have the most points in 2025, having played a game less than Liverpool and Arsenal, when we’ve had the injury record below, should be commended.
Rodri has missed 36 PL games
Bobb 36
Aké 29
Stones 29
Grealish 18
Foden 14
Ederson 13
Akanji 12
Dias 11
DeBruyne 10
Doku 9
Haaland 7
And our captain, Walker, fucked off midseason and missed 23 games.
Pep has made us more solid in the second half of the season and got the most out of squad players and us having to rely a lot on older players, younger players and players out of form.
At times we had Ederson Walker Stones Aké Akanji Dias Rodri Foden and De Bruyne out or playing with injuries, illness, just coming back from injury or just being out of form at the same time.
A campaign to forget but a campaign that has showed good character to come through the worst run of results we’ve had for decades.
Rodri has missed 36 PL games
Bobb 36
Aké 29
Stones 29
Grealish 18
Foden 14
Ederson 13
Akanji 12
Dias 11
DeBruyne 10
Doku 9
Haaland 7
And our captain, Walker, fucked off midseason and missed 23 games.
Pep has made us more solid in the second half of the season and got the most out of squad players and us having to rely a lot on older players, younger players and players out of form.
At times we had Ederson Walker Stones Aké Akanji Dias Rodri Foden and De Bruyne out or playing with injuries, illness, just coming back from injury or just being out of form at the same time.
A campaign to forget but a campaign that has showed good character to come through the worst run of results we’ve had for decades.
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Bobb and Rodri had season long injuries but the standout there is Ake and Stones.
Bobb and Rodri will hopefully recover fully but the other two will never play the guts of a season.
thegoatsthegoat
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Scraping third on the last game of the season, a week after losing a cup final to a team that finished 12th is your evidence he isn't past it? Haha fucking hell, when is our parade for top in 25?
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