Pep Guardiola - 2025/26

Really don’t think that’s an accusation that you can level at the club tbh, given the influx of players in the last year.

I get there isn't an instant fix to our situation and we'll likely have a transition season or two but.. I'd like to shut the door on some players who peaked at the treble/ 4 in a row and move them on..

Players like Kovacic, Gundogan, Stones, Ake, etc.

Would have loved Vitor Reis to be given a go today along with Khusanov because we need to bed in a new core.. since we're a team full of project players.

The funny part about that is I'm not even exaggerating..

Literally everyone's a project except Rodri and Haaland!

Doku - hope he gets better
Savinho - hope he gets better
Bobb - hope he gets better
Reijnders - hope he gets better
Cherki - hope he gets better
Foden - hope he gets better
Ait-Nouri - hope he gets better
Nunes - hope he gets better
Rico - hope he gets better

And today even Erling's scoring should have been better and put the game to bed.

Anyways I don't get how holding onto players of the past or playing them is helping us in the long run.

Pep of 25/26 needs to do what Pep 16/17 did.. trim the fat off the club and make people say what Joe Hart said, "He wasn't there to give me a good career, he was there to win!"
 
Yeah, that’s fair enough. We’re miles off it at the moment, but it’d be daft to write him off at this stage (especially with virtually no pre-season behind us).
Agree. He was rightly given the rebuild, irrespective of any doubts (including my own). We need more than 3 games to assess progress. Things should become clearer by Xmas. Whichever way it works out, I’d be surprised if this isn’t his last season in Mcr.
 
Last edited:
Presumably Ederson also gets in then, and also Gvardiol too. Obviously that team is stronger than what we have now, but the team now is a fair bit younger so wouldn’t be writing these players off just yet.
Apart from Haaland, who is obviously a peculiar one as he’s not a great footballer but amazing goal scorer. We’ve not signed a truly great player in a long time but spent a fortune.

Players like Marmoush aren’t suddenly going to develop a good first touch at almost 27. Alt Nouri isn’t suddenly going to turn into a good defender either. The list goes on of players signed who aren’t at the level of previously. Doku seems to be regressing rather than improving. We signed Nico who’s nearly as slow as Bernado for an ageing midfield that needed legs.

Whilst we keep signing these type of players. Liverpool are about to finally get a world class striker and added the most sought after play maker in Europe. We’re so far off it is ridiculous for how many signings we’ve made the last 2 years.
 
Drop Bernardo, add extra CB.

-----------------------Trafford------------------------
----------Khusa----Stones-----Gvardiol-------
Nunes-------------------------------------------Ait-Nouri
-----------------Rodri-----------Reijnders----------
---------------------------Foden--------------------------
---------------Marmoush-----Haaland------------


- Stones can step into midfield in possession allowing Reijnders to support front 3.
- Wingbacks provide the width and have less defensive responsibilities. Whilst actually getting caught out less because they're not inverted.
- Could switch to 2 10s, 1 striker depending on who you want to use.
- You get an instant better version of about half these starters
 
Last edited:
Our walking football I thought was all we could manage while the old guard were being phased out but it looks as though it's trained into the team.
When we were at our best the opposition went in at half time fucked and looked as though they didn't fancy coming back out, now they look like they have been doing defensive drills on the training ground.
Pep has always looked like giving a corner away would lose him sleep but now I don't quite see it.
Come on Pep sort it out.
 
We signed players no one else wanted! Couple that with a manager who won’t change, it’s not hard to understand why will struggle this season. The board can be happy about the savings and the new hotel.
 
I get there isn't an instant fix to our situation and we'll likely have a transition season or two but.. I'd like to shut the door on some players who peaked at the treble/ 4 in a row and move them on..

Players like Kovacic, Gundogan, Stones, Ake, etc.

Would have loved Vitor Reis to be given a go today along with Khusanov because we need to bed in a new core.. since we're a team full of project players.

The funny part about that is I'm not even exaggerating..

Literally everyone's a project except Rodri and Haaland!

Doku - hope he gets better
Savinho - hope he gets better
Bobb - hope he gets better
Reijnders - hope he gets better
Cherki - hope he gets better
Foden - hope he gets better
Ait-Nouri - hope he gets better
Nunes - hope he gets better
Rico - hope he gets better

And today even Erling's scoring should have been better and put the game to bed.

Anyways I don't get how holding onto players of the past or playing them is helping us in the long run.

Pep of 25/26 needs to do what Pep 16/17 did.. trim the fat off the club and make people say what Joe Hart said, "He wasn't there to give me a good career, he was there to win!"
Agree. Clean slate. Would have been nice to start afresh and have Echeverri, Reis and Nypan as well as the above and say goodbye to our legends.
 
It’s pretty simple from my perspective. Pep has a job for life. It’s up to him to walk away when he’s ready and you know what if he stays two, three more seasons and we don’t win anything he will still be our most successful manager ever. He will still be one of the most successful managers in world football. And he will still have most of football’s respect. And he should absolutely have ours!

It also doesn’t mean you can’t bemoan his subs or his odd tactical choices. It doesn’t mean you can’t criticise his signings. It could mean he might be finished as a top level manager... Football changes, cycles end and people fade. But still, it’s on him to decide when he’s done. Not us. He should have our unwavering support regardless for everything he’s achieved for our club. We won a treble 36 months ago for fuck sake.
 
17/18 we lost 2 games all season. Few seasons with just 3 losses too. 9 last season after not losing until November.
Didn't know their was a death slide waiting for us after our climb to the top.
 
Been a while since we've seen a player improve isn't it? Like the switch that went off in Sterling's head? I don't know when the last one was?
 
No, I'm just not an ungrateful cry baby. He's the best manager to ever grace this league and our club. Show him some respect.
I agree that he should get a lot of respect. But I also think his time is up. And I’d rather him go gracefully than things getting nasty and messy.
 
I agree that he should get a lot of respect. But I also think his time is up. And I’d rather him go gracefully than things getting nasty and messy.
Fair point, but he deserves the fans showing him some faith and loyalty as well. We could win the next 20 games and everyone on here would be saying the exact opposite. Football can change so quickly.
 
We are making mistake after mistake for more than a year. It's likethe fall of Rome - a natural cycle when forward momentum gets stuck.

We need the energy and progression that comes with a new plan backed by the funds and talent to make it happen. Like the long journey from 2008.

But because of all those mistakes we are where we are (time for real action was the end of last season or before) so we now need to wait until the time is right again. But I hope the top decision makers aren't fooled by good results if they come. They will only paper over our inevitable slide (unless there truely is a long stint of solid performances).

We 100% need a revolution imo. Its just a matter of timing it. (Unless the investment isn't there in which case we are in limbo for a long while yet)
 
Drop Bernardo, add extra CB.

-----------------------Trafford------------------------
----------Khusa----Stones-----Gvardiol-------
Nunes-------------------------------------------Ait-Nouri
-----------------Rodri-----------Reijnders----------
---------------------------Foden--------------------------
---------------Marmoush-----Haaland------------


- Stones can step into midfield in possession allowing Reijnders to support front 3.
- Wingbacks provide the width and have less defensive responsibilities. Whilst actually getting caught out less because they're not inverted.
- Could switch to 2 10s, 1 striker depending on who you want to use.
- You get an instant better version of about half these starters
That team would get absolutely dicked against anyone who plays with 2 out and out wingers, and also create nothing outside allowing the opposition to double up on both sides while creating nothing
 
That team would get absolutely dicked against anyone who plays with 2 out and out wingers, and also create nothing outside allowing the opposition to double up on both sides while creating nothing

We get dicked now by anyone with 2 out and out wingers due to all the space left by inverted fullbacks. The team now creates nothing. 0 shots on target after 37mins

Interested how you think an extra defender means we get dicked by wingers and a fullback. When here you'd have say Nunes AND Khusa covering the right without leaving space in the middle.

We'll create nothing with 3/4 in the middle and wingbacks? as opposed to Haaland on his own and our wingers having to beat 2 people before getting a cross in because how isolated they are? Right.

Let's stick with constantly recycling possession until losing the ball and conceding at least a chance. If it ain't broke.
 

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

SIGN UP
Back
Top