So this Pep doesn’t focus on tackling nonsense

[taleofbluehalves]

Quite a few pundits laughed about the fact that we don’t focus on tacking in training. The fact is our ability to win the ball back is the best in the league and amongst the best I’ve ever seen. Our positioning and anticipation to win the ball back is superb. Why can’t ex pros get this?

 

[kaz7]

None of them understand even now,that's not the way we play good old british football,they would rather watch a big fat sam game of defending

 

[Trevor Morley's Tache]

Most pundits are stuck in an era where it was still acceptable to kick the f**k out of a player to win the ball back. I remember pundits laughing about how Scholes can't tackle.

Pep has a different ethos, and they just don't like it.

 

[prestonibbo_mcfc]

We need to realise that our stadium has seats beyond Row Z.

 

[Dave Ewing's Back 'eader]

Quite a few pundits laughed about the fact that we don’t focus on tacking in training. The fact is our ability to win the ball back is the best in the league and amongst the best I’ve ever seen. Our positioning and anticipation to win the ball back is superb. Why can’t ex pros get this?

Because it's MCFC! They have to denigrate anything that comes to mouth, often without passing over a brain cell or two, regardless of any facts or evidence to the contrary!

 

[Bodicoteblue]

This idea sits right alongside the ‘£50 million for a full back’ nonsense.
They are still living in an era where a full back is expected to do not much more than put his opponent over the adverts and into the crowd.
It seems that they haven’t watched the way Walker (being the player in question) is actually used in the modern system that pep employs.
If they did watch, they would also understand that you don’t need old fashioned tackling when you win the ball back at the speed and positions that we do.
The dinosaur is still alive and well one the football media.

 

[CityInWashingtonState]

From an American perspective - I watch NBC's coverage of the P/L and generally Fox Sports coverage of the UCL (if I'm lucky they'll simply relay the original English commentary) - the pundits on American television are very aware of and highly complementary of Pep's defensive tactics. As good as we are going forward, pretty much all the pundits on American TV equally credit our ability to win the ball back quickly on defense.

Also, Ederson is getting huge plaudits - nary a game goes by where commentators fail to praise Ederson's ability on the ball - essentially transforming our squad into 11 versus 10.

 

[Blue Til Death]

As the OP correctly stated, no team tackles better than City, the way we win the ball in the oppositions half, with great tackling is awesome and fantastic to watch .... They all see it but they need something, anything to denegrate our team...!

 

[kaz7]

It sure is different to the danny murphy just hack them down,the odd serious injury won't matter
He said the first bit i think he must have been thinking the last bit

 

[HarrytheBlue]

If I may be childish for a moment, the hardest player in football, certainly in my 57 years, has to be Duncan Ferguson. While burgling a nice house the two thugs/thieves see a huge figure emerge from the darkness. It's Mr F. Mr F hospitalises one of 'em and the other guy runs away. The police praise Mr F for acting bravely and responsibly. He was a pretty decent player - plagued by injuries though.