There was no need to engineer a result against Spurs with wacky changes, but that has become part of Pep. He needs to change this trait. We need him to change this trait.Said all week should have played foden and mahrez v Brighton. Challenges them to play themselves in to contention for the big matches coming up whilst giving the other players such as the Silva’s and KDB a rest. Like that vital week last season he has got his rotation wrong. Needs to go full strength from hereon out.
It's very difficult for City fans in the aftermath of a defeat to criticise and assess the team they support when the media are taking great delight in sticking the boot in. The natural reaction is just to reject all criticism but Pep's record in domestic games is near flawless, but in the latter stages of European competition it is poor. Bad luck, or is there something more to it?
In normal competition he places great value in players holding their position in wide positions and staying true to his attacking philosophy and yet he abandons this in the Champions League away games. He should not do it. He did this last season at Anfield when Gundogan came in. He doesn't seem able to learn from mistakes, and in fact compounds them.
We'll be OK in the home leg as we'll be forced to play attacking football.
It's the difficult away games where Pep has lost it. This surprised City fans, including me. But if you look back he does this all the time, and hence the criticism of him in Europe is valid.
He's still the world's best coach but he has an achilles heel in the Champions League. It took its most extreme form yet away at Spurs where we rested de Bruyne in the absence of Bernardo, and played Mahrez instead of Sane.
Pep seems to have a chink in his armour when it comes to the Champions League. I think he has accrued a number of bad defeats in this competition at Manchester City and Bayern Munich and it has got into his head and he comes up with team selections and tactics in response when he would be better leaving well alone. This is now part of Pep.
I think he needs to stand back and consider what he is doing in these games as it is damaging him and his teams.
He is still a great coach, but every person has their traits. Micro-management is one of his, and it can sometimes be to our detriment.
I really think the late subs were a ridiculous decision on top of a controversial starting line up. I've thought about the game since Tue and we were a bit limp tbh. It seems the main objectives for this season are now on a knife edge.I agree and some of our fans need to realise that if people see what they perceive to be a flaw or a mistake and state it, it doesn't make them Pep haters, or a better coach than Pep, it is just an opinion, in my mind a valid one. We all love and support the club still. Mind you I got slated in the Pogba thread when we were in for signing him and I said I hadn't seen what all the fuss was about and didn't think he was worth all the plaudits or money. I think I may have got that one right.
I don’t know about everyone else but this result has hit me for 6. So frustrating.
The Barca’s and Madrid’s wouldn’t usually panic in this situation and would normally stroll through still. We need to step up to the plate and get rid of our inferiority complex in later stages of Chanps league, what better time than next week and imagine the boost it would give the whole club in the run in.
No one can know what would have happened but I feel De Bruyne and Sane should have started in a "routine" City side. The changes weakened and neutered City. I can see the thinking behind it. In a two-legged tie, reduce the first to a narrow game and blow them away at home but the elementary shit play was in my mind a consequence of Guardiola's tactical and selection changes. These are opinions. We can't prove them, but I would point to City's domestic success and also to Guardiola's record in Europe. This is not a bolt from the blue but a recurring theme of tinkering when it's not needed.We have half a squad not match fit & may have to win every single game from now on.
We could easily have still lost at Spurs, trying to attack them on their 'big' night & getting stuffed on the break, exactly as we did twice at Anflield last season, & we could also have lost all 3 competitions on the same night by playing players who are not quite right.
We have to beat Spurs TWICE next. Throwing everything at them in the first game, gives them the opportunity to work out how to prevent it. They have learned NOTHING from this wheras we have learned everything about them.
It was a shite goal, given away by shit play by Delph, Gundogan & Ederson, any of whom could have easily stopped it. Any of Brighton's defenders would have thrown themselves in front of the shot & stopped it, easily.
Aguero missed a penalty.
The plan worked, the players fucked it up with elementary shit play.
No he is Achilles, a great warrior with his heel. This is the coach we took from Bayern.Wow, suddenly Pep is a shit manager. What a load of bollocks.
I really think the late subs were a ridiculous decision on top of a controversial starting line up. I've thought about the game since Tue and we were a bit limp tbh. It seems the main objectives for this season are now on a knife edge.