I would disagree with these 2 points. I thought we were good first half, but second half we didn't play well. After the second goal they just gave up. They didn't look like they thought they could get back in the game. The lack of effort second half should be questioned IMO.
OK, let's be more precise.
After the second goal, as you say, but not immediately after. The team kept fighting to get back in the game, but the goal did not come. "Progressive disappointmet" within a group of people, behind in the scoreline from minute 5, dominating the game ever since, experiencing a fine goal being disallowed for ridiculous reasons in the meantime...
A group of people already living a reality they're not familiar with, by the way. With a gap from the teams leading the table. With a will to deliver to which their organisms, bodies and legs, fail to respond as they used to. And with the clock ticking, their energy gradually dropping more and more, after entering the opposition's box again and again, watching teammate after teammate undecisive to make the crucial final move, taking half a second longer to make that final pass or shot (needless to say, that same teammate would then need to get back to position and find his composure again, while dealing with the guilt for letting the down...), witnessing shot after shot being blocked in a sea of legs, header after header going straight to Lloris's arms, experiencing numerous promising situations being wasted, and so on, and so on, yes, perhaps in the final stages of the match they began to accept that this would be "one of those bitter days"...
I was watching it in the comfort of my livingroom and, as was told afterwards, nobody dared to enter the room nevermind even talk to me during the match. My swearing was totally uncontrolled, they said, and well heard outside the apparment -not for the first time, may I add. That was the reaction of a guy (and thousands of City fans I assume) watching the match thousands of miles away from London. These people were living it live, having all the responsibility to make things right. Which they definitely deserved -and, I'm sorry, I'm not going to get into stats to support this, I know what I saw...
They're only humans, my friend, that's what I'm trying to say, I guess. I see people focusing on their wages. Yes, they're paid money, good money, very good money indeed. But that's the fucking rule of demand and supply, furthermore that's the reality of the world we live in. I would prefer our society to appreciate and pay more for the services of teachers and doctors, but unfortunately that's not the case, is it? And it would be ridiculous to blame a certain Kevin de Bruyne for this, for example, it's not his fault. Yes, they are paid much money, yet they're still humans. Ordinary boys, athletes, not intellectuals, making a living through football. But lack of effort? I'm sorry, I disagree...
A word about City's transfer strategy
Given the opportunity, let me highlight another point some sensible voices have already mentioned in the forum. I myself have serious questions regarding the priorities and certain aspects of City's transfer strategy. But people forget some basic principles that strategy fulfills, in a consistent manner. City basically invests in youth, in talent, while at the same time chases all existing trophies. Not exactly the norm, is it? Extremely difficult and complicated. For decades Madrid, for example, had adopted the galacticos concept, buying complete, expensive players year after year. I don't know how many of them were actually destroyed during that process, with a crowd educated to ask for new faces, new "meat in the arena" every single season. We have chosen the hardest path, fighting in every existing front while developing people like Phil, Leroy and Gabby, improving others like Raheem, even the senior ones...
Feran (and Rodri) was the weak link vs Liverpool, in terms of his impact in the match. Three week later, he was better last night, still far away from the level we expect though. Joao is still unestablished, his cautiousness, hesitation and insecurity have been obvious in his performance. But he kept being trusted regardless of the consequences in terms of results, and is gradually starting to express himself, revealing the reasons he was brought in the squad. I could go on and on, so many players in the squad -while different, unique cases- are still young (or relatively young), not yet the finished article. Still learning, still adapting. It's a process (which is not linear, by the way, I want to be clear about that), it will take time, it's deterministic. Us fans need to support this process long term, us fans need to be patient...
A word about Josep Guardiola
A final comment I've been trying to avoid for ages (I think people reading my posts can understand why). It's relatively easy to make comparisons between the human resources available to this manager and his predecessors. Not long ago this squad had like 4 complete, experienced, tested strikers, for example. I will never forget that, in his first season, Guardiola had an injury prone Sergio (who also missed matches due to that fucking red card...) and a kid who was simply not good enough for City. I have nothing against him, he's a fine guy, just that his quality was not up to the standard needed. Guardiola did not complain. City visited Old Trafford and won with that kid, with the manager saying afterwards that the team selection was a clear message to his players: we would still play with 3 upfront, we would still play with a striker (even without Sergio) because our objective was to win. The plan was to wait for Gabby in January who seemed ready from his first minutes on the pitch. That is certainly not the norm though, is it? Especially for a youngster. You will have to assume that the boy will need time...
It's impossible for me to fathom decisions such as the above, for a club like City. Guardiola inherited a gradually ageing squad (that goes even for players with a key role during his tenure, world class players at their peak for his predecessors). Corrective actions implemented the following season could -and should- have been made during the summer of 2016. It's a pity the media and people in this forum record that 2016-17 season as a failure, simply because it was trophyless. You won't find an argument more ridiculous and unfair than that. Exactly because it was the period during which the foundations were built. An extremely important period, what followed was relatively easier, based on the quality of work (and the above mentioned corrective actions) delivered before...
Guardiola started vs Liverpool with Feran, a kid, and young Gabby, having just returned from long injury (Sergio still injured), while other players had been playing every 3 days non stop. Gabby did deliver, it was fantastic, but it was also a fucking risk. Not even Pep or his staff could possibly predict how the boy would respond, the uncertainty was inevitable. He had no other choice though, he had to take that risk. Personally I was crossing my fingers, and I was absolutely delighted with his performance...
Let's just ask ourselves, for a momment, if the above mentioned reality could ever be possible for a club with ámbitions similar to the ones of City. Of course Pep will never use such an argument, he's too decent for that, it's me who's saying it. He will never complain about anything, on the contrary he will keep praising the club and supporting his players, the right and decent thing to do...
A word about Pep's mistakes (or "mistakes")
Has he made mistakes? Absolutely. Could some of these mistakes have been avoided? 4 years ago, in my first ever post in this forum, I made it pretty clear that I will support his vision to death. That's where I still stand today, even more fanatically. But I've also tried to make people understand that, by hiring Guardiola, you get the whole "package", it's inevitable. A man obsessed with his dream. I even went on saying that his judgement will not always be right, exactly because of who he is...
What we've experienced in the meantime is beyond imagination. Totally inconceivable without his presence, he's the architect, the mind behind all this. But football is not a "one man show". Pep has given everything for City, his very soul. No other manager in the history of football has delivered / will ever deliver so much in such a small period of time, with that level of quality. His mistakes? Under different circumstances I feel there would be room for a fruitful discussion regarding tactical elements / patterns City could add to their game, defensively as well as offensively, so as to be more competitive. As long as there is respect for the man and what he has achived, of course. For others (of his mistakes), the source is his pure voluntarism. Which made that 2018-19 run possible, un unbelievable achievement through sacrifice, while missing key players etc. Simply inconceivable without Pep's inspiration, those men nearly died out there on the pitch. Some of them still suffer the consequences... The kind of will that made possible that 0-1 turning into 3-1 vs Barca (clearly ahead of City in all aspects at that moment) in 2016. The same will that kept him blind 3 days later, in that bitter 1-1 vs Boro at home (which could easily have been avoided)...
And of course there are others, like the Lyon game. Haven''t talked about it and I'm not going to. Or that fucking second half vs Wolves away, another historic low, you cannot recognise Guardiola at City's bench in that match, it's definitely not him making those decisions. Explanation? The guy lives with us like 4 fucking years in a row, is it so difficult to understand how he operates? The passion, the intensity with which he lives his job? The desire to deliver, make everything perfect, move the club forward? The pressure is unfathomable, and let's not forget that Guardiola was not used to working in hostile environments. Barcelona and Bayern represent the elite, entities well protected. At City he faced war from day 1. Whatever he had been told perhaps, however well he might have been prepared, I don't think he ever expected that experience vs Conte's Chelsea at home in 2016, for example. Which must have been a major shock for him (as it was for myself)...
There will always occur those sensitive, critical moments where everything is on the line. All of us share similar experiences. The thing is, when you're mentally tired and stressed, how unusual is it to start having doubts about yourself, your plan, the people who will apply it? The moment doubt or fear penetrates your heart, rationalism gets out of the window, you're fucked, as simple as that...
That is why in that very first post of mine I asked for the club to support the man, all the way. Identifying, at the same time, the nature of the problem. I'm not going to get into that again, it will probably end to an unpopular discussion. I was as clear and aggressive as I can be describing it, plus it doesn't matter anyway. Which means I'm not optimistic it will be solved in the near future. We are talking about specific structural limitations, let me put it this way, which influence the quality and correctness of serious decisions...
I have noticed people mentioning Guardiola needs to be challenged. Interesting. Very interesting indeed. Question: Who's going to do it? Who the fuck is able to do it? And what would be the prerequisite for that? Good connections in the football industry? An expertise (???, just saying) in the field of negotiations? Or in the area of management (???, just saying) in general? Well, this stuff is helpful, but definitely not enough. You need fucking good knowledge, genuine KNOWLEDGE and understanding of the sport in all aspects of its complexity in the modern era. Provided you do possess that knowledge (1) and, at the same time, the right position in the hierarchy (2), then, yes, you can indeed make / contribute to serious decisions, assuming the relevant responsibility, of course...
The kind of decisions regarding the suitability of City's scouting team. Which needs to be evaluated continuously. Or regarding the efficiency of the staff responsible for fitness. An area extremely demanding under Pep's regime. Or, in terms of transfer strategy, regarding the incorporation of a certain particular player with certain particular attributes. Now, not later, because of a specific reason. In the framework of a transfer plan periodically reassessed and updated. Or regarding the people assigned to assist the manager. From whom we seek added value, given the specific knowledge and personality they would be expected to possess. And so on, and so on, and so on...
It's not that simple, you see. You need knowledge and people with knowledge that will help you identify problems and work towards their solutions. You need methodologies, tools, sets of indicators and criteria etc etc etc, to assess performances and make corrective actions. While, at the same time, following developments in the market regarding opportunities in terms of personnel...
Am I asking for not respecting Pep's opinion regarding these matters? Absolutely not, categorically not, I don't even believe in such a model. But you cannot expect from the man to be an expert in every fucking field, or to be able to objectively evaluate people he loves and trusts, or to possess all possible information about a subject in a given moment. For example, it would be logical for Pep -and I'm just guessing here- to ask for some time in order to evaluate the capabilities of Kelechi and the 4 fullbacks he inherited when he arrived at the club. Somebody with knowledge and authority, a person whose professional opinion Guardiola would respect, should have been able to convince him that this would only result in a waste of time. In such a scenario, these men would have been replaced a year earlier. We now know that, had this decision been made, its impact to the team's performance, progress and goals would have been positive...
As I said, I'm not optimistic these limitations will disappear in the near future. Until then, it will keep being a "one man show", even if it's not supposed to be that way. And personally I will keep trusting in the manager, hoping that eventually he will get everything right. He's an extremely intelligent man, his history speaks for himself and his perfectionism is well known anyway, I mean football is like torture for him. Furthermore, I am grateful to the people running the club for convincing him to renew. I can only assume they share the same position with me: Under Guardiola, City is "more than a club". Under Guardiola, City represents an idea (and an ideal) of a certain way of -approaching and- playing football...
That is why I talked about a "strategic priority" in a previous post. Which was not introduced with Guardiola, some people have mentioned this in the forum -and I agree. It began with Manuel, a man I will always respect, having followed his work since his Villareal days, later with Malaga etc. Pep, younger than Manuel, represents a significant upgrade on the latter. For people understanding this -strategic- concept, I need to say no more...
PS. Just reading it before posting. If mods feel certain sections are off topic, they are free to use its content as they wish.
