United (A) - Sat 14th Jan, 12:30 | Pre-Match Thread

[paulchapo]

Very strange disconnect going on for me in recent weeks?

Pep outing Phillips was a bizarre one from him and then we have Gundo giving an insight in to the vibe in the dressing room.

I don't recall us sharing too much in public like that during Pep's tenure?

An overriding sense the players want to see something change?

Yes something's not quite right a few players don't look happy on and off the field. We are also dealing with the loss of players used to our way of doing things and trying to bed new ones in. The world cup and injuries have hindered that. A couple of wins and everything could be rosy in the garden again, here's hoping.

 

[waspish]

He's got one from Mahrez of late, but he outed him for a lack of fitness earlier in the season, did the same with Sergio?

Pep has also said he saw something wrong in Foden's body language after the World Cup, and stuck the knife in to Phillips?

It's perhaps the first time we haven't had a galvanising personality like Vinny, Dave or Fern to be on hand.

He seeing something in training and maybe he want to shake it up with what he is saying about them to see if he gets a reaction! I said the pep thread I feel he could go end of the season if he doesn’t get the reaction he wants to the end the season?! Win nought he will think heavily about it unless we get a massive refresh with big players leaving and at least 3 top players coming in! For me we need a left back a midfielder and a winger but top class ones!

 

[tolmie's hairdoo]

Yes something's not quite right a few players don't look happy on and off the field. We are also dealing with the loss of players used to our way of doing things and trying to bed new ones in. The world cup and injuries have hindered that. A couple of wins and everything could be rosy in the garden again, here's hoping.

Exactly. We are the best team in the world on our day, our players have gone to the well before and come up with the goods.

Nothing a good derby win and next week against Spurs won't fix. Could be top by next weekend!!

 

[Mariosfireworks]

That was no experiment that night it's a system he had played with great success I think in 18/19 season wen fernandinho got injured.

But we played the same system throughout the whole tournament to great success, and then to change it for the final was ludicrous and the result proved it

 

[Mariosfireworks]

so many ifs and maybes, obviously puts at once in extremal situation.
I would say very easily, that he is one who proofs over a decade at the very highest level, that when he wants to experiment, You allow him blindly, shut the fuck up and wait for results, because so far they have always been there.

In the league maybe, bar the league Cup, our record in knock out competitions is pretty poor

 

[EdersonsSmiley]

But we played the same system throughout the whole tournament to great success, and then to change it for the final was ludicrous and the result proved it

That's so reductive. We played Chelsea twice before that season with 'normal tactics' and lost both games. Rodri wasn't in the best form and we lacked penetration in the first two games so Sterling was the only option on that front.

We lost a tight defensive game, 1-0. It's not the end of the world and I wish people could get over it.

 

[Bellamy's Caddy]

Exactly. We are the best team in the world on our day, our players have gone to the well before and come up with the goods.

Nothing a good derby win and next week against Spurs won't fix. Could be top by next weekend!!

Derby games are always hard to predict. We've beaten strong united sides before when we've been massive underdogs. But what is giving me confidence for this one is that we usually turn up for the big games.

This is a weird season for everyone with the World Cup break disrupting everything. We haven't been at our best for quite a while, even pre WC, but there were signs against Chelsea in the Cup that we're getting back at it.

There does seem to be a bit of a strange vibe around the squad and Pep at the moment. But this is a perfect opportunity to put that behind us and give us some momentum going in to a key run of games.

 

[brazilians hurt]

He's got one from Mahrez of late, but he outed him for a lack of fitness earlier in the season, did the same with Sergio?

Pep has also said he saw something wrong in Foden's body language after the World Cup, and stuck the knife in to Phillips?

It's perhaps the first time we haven't had a galvanising personality like Vinny, Dave or Fern to be on hand.

In my opinion we are definitely missing a leader on the pitch. I also think some players may have had their noses put out with the the focus and attention the 2 poster boys are getting and has resulted in other established players giving interviews to the press that are not particularly helpful to City’s or their national team’s interests.
Current players will also be aware of our interest in other high profile players they may even know if it more than an interest and as such be questioning where that leaves them.
Coupled with Pep having digs at named and unnamed players which I don’t believe is helpful you could understand why the environment around the first team could a little more toxic than previous years.
A good win tomorrow would certainly help both team and supporters but I am not sure it will fix everything

 

[Manc123]

That's so reductive. We played Chelsea twice before that season with 'normal tactics' and lost both games. Rodri wasn't in the best form and we lacked penetration in the first two games so Sterling was the only option on that front.

We lost a tight defensive game, 1-0. It's not the end of the world and I wish people could get over it.

I think some forget the losses previously with rodri. I also think some automatically assume of we put rodri in there we win when that's not true neither. It happened most teams lose their first champions league final appearance just need is to get there again

 

[IronsideKozuch]

No it doesn't. Obviously tactics change but some of Peps of late have been ludicrous and cost us or almost cost us games. He is guilty of overthinking at times and confusing the players in the process. Our best first eleven should beat most teams in the world eight out of ten times. Playing players out of their normal position is leveling up the game for the opposition. It's hard enough dealing with shit biased officials without making our job harder ourselves.

I've supported this club for over fifty years, over half of that we were pretty average to poor so I'm no Johnny come lately only here because we are successful.

Pep is a very successful coach, one of the best in world football but he isn't God and he makes mistakes. Right now he seems on a mission to experiment, whether it's boredom or not who knows?.Some of our performances have suffered as a direct result of his tinkering. Now all this tinkering may stumble on a formation that moves us onto another level and he'll be hailed a genius again. Time will tell.

absolutely unacceptable my friend and Sir:D

i am done with this discussion in a moment, when You say Pep is "one of the best" in world football. You can feel free to come back with this discussion, when You gather facts about winning ratio in football history in this game called football for about 15 years now, then You should realise, that anybody is even close to Guardiola. You would be probably also very amazed, that within UCL competition hes winning ratio is incredible.

Your arrogance is that high, that I understand You know when hes making mistakes? You are around a training pitch day in day out and so on to notice mistakes in a selection?

Zero perspective other than last few months, absolutely incredible.

Great You supported club over fifty years, I really like this part as I am not grown enough to register such record, but Your current statements shows then rather about Your typical line of thinking, which is probably characterised by impatience, eagerness to criticise, making judgments without proper factual base. It often results in an inproper judgments. Actually about anything, not only football.