Pep's contract situation | 2 year extension confirmed! (pg1817)

[Nelinho]

When Pep arrived in July 2016 he inherited not only one of the oldest squads in the PL but one which was singularly ill equipped to play the kind of football he wanted. City had won two PL titles and had some truly great players but it was clear that it could not go on forever and some of those greats and legends would have to be replaced before long. It is an unbelievable achievement to have rebuilt the squad almost completely (a real "period of transition"!) while winning three PL titles, 4 Carabao cups and an FA cup and seeing the club into its first CL final. The squad is one of, if not the, best in Europe, but the point that we forget is that this squad is for the first time very nearly a Guardiola squad, a squad of his own creation to play his football. Very nearly, but not quite. To build the squad completely in his image I think Pep wants a genuine number 9 and hopefully he'll get one this summer. I hope that when he has a squad which is completely his own he'll want to stay in Manchester, at City, to enjoy the success it will bring.

Good post, reminding some people that they take too much for granted...

One comment though. I would definitely replace the word "squad" with the word "team" in your post -which refers to a different thing. City's success is not necessarily related to the quality of its squad. You look around, you will notice numerous top clubs out there with great players, highly expensive stars and great squad depth. Even more clubs which, given their personel, should have achieved much much more than they did this season. The clubs we left behind in the knock out stages of the current CL campaign (especially the ones in the last two rounds) are a good example of this...

There is no other team at this level that would have competed successfully in all fronts for years with people such as Delph and Zinchenko in the LB position. And there is no club that would have achieved what City have this season without the goals of a regular striker. That reality makes sense and exists only in Guardiola's head, otherwise it's sureal...

Which means that the decisive factor here is the manager himself, it's the quality of his work that made this possible. Forcing historians to write new chapters about effective strikerless formations, for example. If they could only realise that all the guy did is, one identify problems, and two work out solutions. He had to design a game which would deal with all limitations City have been facing since the beginning of the season, in terms of fitness, in terms of personel, and so on. Which he did -and now the world is witnessing the outcome of this process...

A final comment: Numerous coleagues of his have been talking about the "special circumstances" of the current season, some of them still do. I am telling you, Guardiola is the one who can make the strongest argument of them all, yet he chooses to remain silent. Had he "failed" he would have never made a case of these "special circumstances", even though he would have every right to do so. That's the kind of manager City have, and that's the kind of mentality he transmits to his team...

 

[Shaelumstash]

Pep’s the best coach in the world, possibly ever, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.

I thought he was over his obsessive over-thinking in the CL, but I spoke too soon.

And anyone who doesn’t think he overthought it tonight, or against Lyon last season, or Monaco, or against Liverpool and Tottenham away in the CL, doesn’t really understand what they’re watching.

To play Sterling when he’s woefully out of form was just odd. To play Foden in the middle in a CL final when he’s barely played there all season was weird. To play Gundogan as a 6 when he’s had the best season of his career as an 8 was just ridiculous.

There may well have been logic in Pep’s mind for every decision. But it obviously didn’t work because too many players, and in turn the team, weren’t comfortable.

There’s a famous story in the book the documents Pep’s first season at Bayern. The team begged Pep to play the familiar 442 they were used to against Real Madrid in the CL semi.

Pep granted their wish, and they got dicked. Pep never forgave himself and vowed never to do that again.

It’s time Pep looked at his last 7 CL exits and had a think about whether they were all justified based on that one defeat by Real Madrid.

 

[bitterfuse]

Pep’s the best coach in the world, possibly ever, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.

I thought he was over his obsessive over-thinking in the CL, but I spoke too soon.

And anyone who doesn’t think he overthought it tonight, or against Lyon last season, or Monaco, or against Liverpool and Tottenham away in the CL, doesn’t really understand what they’re watching.

To play Sterling when he’s woefully out of form was just odd. To play Foden in the middle in a CL final when he’s barely played there all season was weird. To play Gundogan as a 6 when he’s had the best season of his career as an 8 was just ridiculous.

There may well have been logic in Pep’s mind for every decision. But it obviously didn’t work because too many players, and in turn the team, weren’t comfortable.

There’s a famous story in the book the documents Pep’s first season at Bayern. The team begged Pep to play the familiar 442 they were used to against Real Madrid in the CL semi.

Pep granted their wish, and they got dicked. Pep never forgave himself and vowed never to do that again.

It’s time Pep looked at his last 7 CL exits and had a think about whether they were all justified based on that one defeat by Real Madrid.

Best post I've read on here tonight

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Best post I've read on here tonight

I thought it was rubbish

 

[Luke The Blue]

Pep’s the best coach in the world, possibly ever, I wouldn’t swap him for anyone.

I thought he was over his obsessive over-thinking in the CL, but I spoke too soon.

And anyone who doesn’t think he overthought it tonight, or against Lyon last season, or Monaco, or against Liverpool and Tottenham away in the CL, doesn’t really understand what they’re watching.

To play Sterling when he’s woefully out of form was just odd. To play Foden in the middle in a CL final when he’s barely played there all season was weird. To play Gundogan as a 6 when he’s had the best season of his career as an 8 was just ridiculous.

There may well have been logic in Pep’s mind for every decision. But it obviously didn’t work because too many players, and in turn the team, weren’t comfortable.

There’s a famous story in the book the documents Pep’s first season at Bayern. The team begged Pep to play the familiar 442 they were used to against Real Madrid in the CL semi.

Pep granted their wish, and they got dicked. Pep never forgave himself and vowed never to do that again.

It’s time Pep looked at his last 7 CL exits and had a think about whether they were all justified based on that one defeat by Real Madrid.

You are correct its not nice to read but it's the truth, to drop Fernandinho and play an out of form Sterling is crazy. Like I've said earlier it's also fucked the positions of players up and made them look like they didn't have a clue what was going on.

 

[KingRuben]

Love you Pep, you’ve created a fucking legacy at this club where people are fuming to be be CL runners up. IMO he made a mistake tonight with the line up but I’m sure he will make up for it.

 

[bitterfuse]

I thought it was rubbish

Pick it up then ;)

 

[brian the blue]

Suppose the 1 benefit of tonight is that if he really wants to win the CL with us.. it’ll mean he needs to extend his contract even further.

 

[Xhavenjoe]

Pick it up then

I think its a lot of guff going back 7 years to a Real Madrid match.

 

[Bluefen]

You are correct its not nice to read but it's the truth, to drop Fernandinho and play an out of form Sterling is crazy. Like I've said earlier it's also fucked the positions of players up and made them look like they didn't have a clue what was going on.

By playing out-of-form sterling he disrupted the positions of Foden and Gundog - Christ knows what Rodri/Fern were thinking at being dropped... it was a folly of a decision as Sterling did nothing to warrant that decision (I’m not a sterling hater but it painfully obvious his form has been way off this Christmas)

A real chance missed tonight