pep guardiola

[aguero93:20]

I see what you're saying definitely but in that case I don't think we can ever truly compare teams from different eras and must simply accept those were great and dominant teams in their own eras. Personally though, I think it's ok to accept that things naturally progress. My latest mobile phone shits all over the phone I got ten years ago. It's progress.

True. However my point originally was that there's no such thing as 'the biggest bestest team of all time' and even if there was it wouldn't be awarded for beating a manure team with a midfield that's basically sjoke-light twice in 3 years, while coming up short against any decent and disciplined side with a game-plan. So no such thing as best of all time, just best in an era and Barca haven't even achieved that yet for me, especially after what Bayern did to them last year and Inter in the San Siro in Pep's 2nd season.

 

[TCIB]

I think peps Barca would beat the lot of em tbh.

 

[aguero93:20]

I think peps Barca would beat the lot of em tbh.

Under Modern day conditions (eg pitches refs)?
Or under their conditions?
It's a bit like home advantage isn't it?

 

[TCIB]

I think peps Barca would beat the lot of em tbh.

Under Modern day conditions (eg pitches refs)?
Or under their conditions?
It's a bit like home advantage isn't it?

In my head it would be modern conditions, super perfect pitch and the refs etc yeah.

 

[johnson28392]

For all Bayern's passing and good possession last night - all too often it ended with a "lump into the box" and Mandzukic being marked by two or three defenders - and no chance of getting on the end of it. Personally I love watching Pep's sides but I can't culturally see this style sitting well with the 'old guard' at Bayern. Comments from the Kaiser and others suggest they may be looking elsewhere if they don't make it through this semi. I guess Joachim Low will be available after the World Cup. Pep I can see back at Barca - which will destroy any hopes we had of getting Messi.

He'd get our squad to play like that if he was hired last year. Lots of possession but no penetration.

 

[TFC]

For all Bayern's passing and good possession last night - all too often it ended with a "lump into the box" and Mandzukic being marked by two or three defenders - and no chance of getting on the end of it. Personally I love watching Pep's sides but I can't culturally see this style sitting well with the 'old guard' at Bayern. Comments from the Kaiser and others suggest they may be looking elsewhere if they don't make it through this semi. I guess Joachim Low will be available after the World Cup. Pep I can see back at Barca - which will destroy any hopes we had of getting Messi.

He'd get our squad to play like that if he was hired last year. Lots of possession but no penetration.

Story of my sex life that.

 

[Skashion]

True. However my point originally was that there's no such thing as 'the biggest bestest team of all time' and even if there was it wouldn't be awarded for beating a manure team with a midfield that's basically sjoke-light twice in 3 years, while coming up short against any decent and disciplined side with a game-plan. So no such thing as best of all time, just best in an era and Barca haven't even achieved that yet for me, especially after what Bayern did to them last year and Inter in the San Siro in Pep's 2nd season.

If that's your point, fair enough, I won't argue. I think Barcelona's era is already over. I consider the three years of 2009 to 2012 under Pep as their great years. I don't take it back to 2005 and 2006 under Rijkaard. These periods never last long. I don't think a period of greatness has ever lasted more than five years. I think a period of greatness has to fulfill basically these criteria:

• Be substantially the same team with only a couple of minor changes and perhaps one major one - key player or manager.
• Win at least two European Cups/Champions League in quick succession - not more than four years.
• Dominate domestically during that period winning a majority of available league titles and cups.

 

[OB1]

I think peps Barca would beat the lot of em tbh.

Don't know and don't really care. In well over 40 years of watching football, the only side I have seen that I could rate as highly as Pep's Barca is the Brazil team that won the World Cup in 1970; comparing club and international sides is somewhat futile anyway. Also, I saw that Brazil side a handful of times many years ago so I mostly just remember being absolutely thrilled by watching them. Pep's side I watched frequently and was equally thrilled by; that's why I want his next port of call after Munich to be Manchester and I do mean Manchester.

 

[Santiago Street]

I'm not as far up Pep's arse as the Barca/Txiki fanboys on here but to use one of Jamie's favourite words I was gobsmacked by the overpromoted Carragher's hatchet job on Bayern and Pep after the game. They were clearly the better team and some nights things just don't drop for you. For me they're still favourites to win the CL. Pep's not the God that some think he is but he didn't warrant such a slating from a recently retired half decent centre back

The guy who argued that Pep's Barca at their peak were overeulogized in the media had it right. Tiki taka isn't a magical pathway to success for a club ready to devote themselves holistically to it's implementation. Messi was the magic ingredient in that great Barca team, take him out and they're slightly better than Arsenal post Henry. But the easily influenced on here (and in our boardroom) can't or won't see that, all they want is tiki taka. And for some of them, their slavish devotion to it is pure football snobbery. It's almost become vulgar these days to soak up pressure and strike on the break or to use wingers who go on the outside and cross the ball or to shoot from distance. The fashion right now is for pretty triangles and one touch passing. Vinny's comment about it not being enough to win anymore, now we have to win "the right way" is proof that this mindset is, sadly, endemic at City.

"There are many ways to fuck a pig and the pig is fucked best if a combination of these ways is used"

 

[Esteban de la Sexface]

I'm not as far up Pep's arse as the Barca/Txiki fanboys on here but to use one of Jamie's favourite words I was gobsmacked by the overpromoted Carragher's hatchet job on Bayern and Pep after the game. They were clearly the better team and some nights things just don't drop for you. For me they're still favourites to win the CL. Pep's not the God that some think he is but he didn't warrant such a slating from a recently retired half decent centre back

The guy who argued that Pep's Barca at their peak were overeulogized in the media had it right. Tiki taka isn't a magical pathway to success for a club ready to devote themselves holistically to it's implementation. Messi was the magic ingredient in that great Barca team, take him out and they're slightly better than Arsenal post Henry. But the easily influenced on here (and in our boardroom) can't or won't see that, all they want is tiki taka. And for some of them, their slavish devotion to it is pure football snobbery. It's almost become vulgar these days to soak up pressure and strike on the break or to use wingers who go on the outside and cross the ball or to shoot from distance. The fashion right now is for pretty triangles and one touch passing. Vinny's comment about it not being enough to win anymore, now we have to win "the right way" is proof that this mindset is, sadly, endemic at City.

"There are many ways to fuck a pig and the pig is fucked best if a combination of these ways is used"

I prefer a team that keeps the ball and tries to influence the game on the front foot. Pep's philosophy is sound. He is judged against the very highest standard, they have won the Bundesliga in record breaking fashion, are 1-0 down in a champions league semi final after having > 60% possession at the Bernebau and missing a great chance to go back to Germany at 1-1 (Goetze), and he is battered from pillar to post in the media.

You don't always need a plan B when Plan A is good enough.