Pep Guardiola - 2025/26

[ChicagoBlue]

Savinho on that second goal was so fucking lazy it's unconscionable for me how he wasn't taken off straight away.

My thoughts exactly, and when Nico told him, he just turned and walked away.

The kid is young and he’s never won a damned thing, so he has no clue what this means to us and the club.

He needs a good seat at the side of the field for awhile to watch Doku run himself senseless, both attacking and defending, before crossing the white line again. And, Oscar can sit next to him!

 

[BlueMonkey79]

I cannot believe the XI he started the game with. Utter disbelief when I saw it. The lack of respect for Leverkusen from him is fucking disgraceful.

He's held his hands up and admitted he got it wrong.

What amazes me is that it looks like not one of his close coaching staff advised him it may be a bad idea going with that starting 11.

We all knew what was coming as soon as we all saw the line up. And we are just humble minions. He gets paid a kings ransom and still gets it massively wrong.

 

[Rammy Blue]

When the time comes, the only one I want is Vinnie. Having sen him in action, I honestly think he might be the only one capable of sorting this lot out and holding them accountable. Can you imagine the roasting after last nights tripe?

Anyway, its a pipe dream, the German rags aren't going to let him go easily...

Luis Enrique for me, then Vince.

 

[JewelZee]

What would have been the problem with

vs Leverkusen


and vs Leeds


If he absolutely had to play fucking Savinho in one of these games.

The mind boggles.

No Savinho. Please...pull out my finger nails, waterboard me, but please I'm begging no more Savinho...

 

[eastmanc]

Pep had a shocker last night but getting rid!!
Look what happened across town when their most successful manager left.

It would be absolute madness to get rid of Pep in the middle of this rebuild. He gets it right more times than he gets it wrong. Last night he had a bit of a mare but he should have plenty of credit in the bank although not with some Blues.

 

[daztrueblue91]

He fucked up last night, acknowledged it and we move on. The bigger issue for me is the poor coaching of this side.

Last season every attacking player aside from Haaland underperformed. We’re almost in December and our second highest PL scorer is ‘own goals’. It’s embarrassing when you consider the forward options we have.

We also look a much better side the less we have the ball. When we go direct we look dangerous but just when you think Pep cracks it, he reverts to that shitty keep the ball at all costs and create nothing style from last night.

 

[Mcfc1.9.8.0]

Pep had a shocker last night but getting rid!!
Look what happened across town when their most successful manager left.

That was poor by their board because they didn’t plan well. Look what happened Arsenal when Wenger stayed too long is set Arsenal back years

 

[Gumzy97]

I think after Pep it’ll be Fabregas. Reports earlier in the summer that our board are keeping an eye on what he’s doing.

He’s got Como nearly in champions league spots. He keeps improving as well schooled Juve earlier this season, all goalscorer at the weekend against Torino were under the age of 22. He's gone from youth coach to getting Como competing against the best in Italy. He continues to improve as a manager

 

[WesthoughtonJohn]

I can understand changing players to keep them fresh, but not like that.

6 or 7 changes at most.

Least he's come out and said its on him

He doesn't TEND to throw players under the bus - a couple of notable exceptions aside - but if he tried to blame the players he'd be roundly (and rightly) ridiculed
Of course it was on him

 

[JewelZee]

Too many players in this squad who are inconsistent or below the level required for a title fighting team. That’s what’s showing more and more.

Whenever one of the first eleven come off, the level drops. When we’ve won games this season when the subs happen you see the level drops, the quality of the squad is poor.

That’s not on Pep but recruitment. Pep can be stubborn and do ridiculous things but he has to make do with the players he’s given and a few are not at the level required and some are just inconsistent.

He can start by pinning Savinho to the bench.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

It would be absolute madness to get rid of Pep in the middle of this rebuild. He gets it right more times than he gets it wrong. Last night he had a bit of a mare but he should have plenty of credit in the bank although not with some Blues.

At the very top level of any endeavor, it’s “What have you done for me lately!”

While I’m certainly not Pep, if I had as bad a day of decision-making as he had yesterday, there’d be a smoking hole somewhere and people would be asking themselves how it happened, because I’ve beaten the odds every single time before then?!

Yes, he is the best manager of his generation, but he doesn’t get a free pass for an absolute nightmare any more than I’d get a free pass for bringing home Sydney Sweeney after 40 years of spotless marriage!!

It is all well and good him KNOWING nothing is going to happen to him, so he can hold his hand up and say “My bad!” but what about the tens of thousands who spent their hard earned money, and what little free time they have during the work week to come and watch his “My bad!”??? And, it’s not the first time!

Lastly, and I mean this in all seriousness, what other manager, in the history of top European managers, would have put his entire reserve team out in a Champions League game, at home, against the #3 team in Germany, when a win could put you top of the League, ensure qualification, and put you 3 points shy of the Final Top 8 with 3 games to go? NO-ONE!!

I swear he’s not all there at times!

 

[emperornorton]

Bizarre. Baffling. Hung his team out to dry, and for what?

 

[ChicagoBlue]

I can understand changing players to keep them fresh, but not like that.

6 or 7 changes at most.

No, you make 3 or 4 changes at most, then get your nose in front and start putting the subs on around the 60 minute mark. As long as you’re winning, you can END UP with 8 or 9 of the reserves on the field by the final whistle, but not 10 at kick off!

 

[Man_City_Loyal]

No, you make 3 or 4 changes at most, then get your nose in front and start putting the subs on around the 60 minute mark. As long as you’re winning, you can END UP with 8 or 9 of the reserves on the field by the final whistle, but not 10 at kick off!

Spot on.

 

[Prestwich_Blue]

He doesn't TEND to throw players under the bus - a couple of notable exceptions aside - but if he tried to blame the players he'd be roundly (and rightly) ridiculed
Of course it was on him

He does though. As some have said, he used to be ruthless. If someone looked at him funny in training or wasn't up to scratch generally, they'd be out for a while or even forever. Remember Caicedo, Kolarov, Hart, Sané, Phillips, Grealish, etc.

Even some of our best players, like Aguero, got the Pep 'must do better' lecture. He's talked about players publicly occasionally.

 

[WesthoughtonJohn]

He does though. As some have said, he used to be ruthless. If someone looked at him funny in training or wasn't up to scratch generally, they'd be out for a while or even forever. Remember Caicedo, Kolarov, Hart, Sané, Phillips, Grealish, etc.

Even some of our best players, like Aguero, got the Pep 'must do better' lecture. He's talked about players publicly occasionally.

Sorry Prestwich - it was the last sentence I was referring to, quite correct in he "deals" with problem players. In pressers he tends to lead with "It's my fault"

 

[Zabbasbeard]

Pep's gross negligence and complaincy in his team selection and sheer disrespect for the fans who fought through bad traffic and shelled out for expensive tickets and Leverkusen should be questioned within the club. Nobody is above scrutiny or criticism, not even Pep. That was an absolute disgrace.

 

[Fiftyyearsandcounting]

A sports journalist (D.Express?) suggested that last nights players were limited in their desire to be more adventurous and more concerned of making any costly mistakes. Thereby ruining any chance of more regular selection.

 

[dave_blue12]

For me the problem is with recruitment.

Pep is tasked with making a silk purse out of a sows ear.

The squad is not good enough.

 

[JewelZee]

Pep is moving like a manager who is untouchable. And that's not a good thing under any circumstances. What other manager in the world would dare do what he did last night without concern for the outcome? He had to know there was a big chance it might backfire yet he didn't blink an eye. At the end of the day he works for the club. No "employee" no matter how powerful they are or how successful they have been should ever be in the position of basically being unaccountable to no one but themselves.
I don't care what anyone says. Pep can make mistakes like any other person and as a supporter I'm never shy about my opinions regarding his decisions, but last night was different.
I felt betrayed, insulted, disregarded, disillusioned and subsequently angered by what Pep chose to do. He basically said I could give fuck all what anyone else thinks, it's my team and I can do whatever I want. Well. yes and no. You were in position to do whatever you wanted, but it's not just your team. It's our team too. That was essentially a slap in the face to MCFC. No one needs to remind me of all he's done, but he would be far from the first to have done many great things and then lose the plot...