What are your unpopular opinions on City that you believe 100%?

[Lankers]

Pellegrini's first season was more exciting than any of Pep's seasons. Not to say we played better football, just the football on display was more exciting.

 

[Brightwell Bros.]

It’s shite - a maudlin, depressing dirge which we stop singing before any note of positivity enters the lyrics.

It’s become part of our fabric, so it’s here to stay - but it has to be one of the least uplifting club anthems in English football.

Could be worse, could be singing about walking in on your wife shagging someone and murdering her like Stoke sing every game.

 

[Didsbury Dave]

We lost the CL final because most players weren't in top form in the final weeks of the season (the run of 21 wins from December to March took its toll on the team), and not because Pep played Gundogan at DM.

Our performance vs PSG at the Etihad last season wasn't great. I found it baffling that many thought the same team could win in Porto without many problems. PSG outplayed us in the first half back then even though they were without Mbappé, Dias had to put in a heroic performance to save our asses. We didn't play worse vs Chelsea in Porto, we were just less lucky than vs PSG.

Those who say Pep doesn't get the fans don't get Pep: they don't understand why he plays the way he plays, and they don't understand why he says the things he says. To put it bluntly, Pep is a bit too intelligent for them.

This City team is better than the Centurions, it has a higher potential than any other City team.

We are harder to beat when Jesus plays, he has to start the biggest games in the CL. His bottom level is definitely higher than the bottom level of the other forwards: that is, he is more reliable than them. Plus, he scores in big games: in both games vs Real, vs PSG this season, at Stamford Bridge this season...

I'd agree with all those points.

 

[Gorton_Tubster]

There is actually no cheating from refs in the PL. There's bias but not cheating for financial gain.

 

[BillyShears]

I’ve noticed this trend amongst some older members of our fanbase too, and I don’t really understand why they have such a dislike for him.

Why do you think they can’t get behind him?

My sense is it’s something to do with him not ‘getting us’ like Mancini did - which seems to boil down to his being complimentary about the Rags and their history in his press conferences rather than slagging them off all the time, and not prioritising the derbies as necessarily being any more important than any other game during the season.

A hang up from when the derby was the only game that mattered, which is their sweet spot as fans.

The reality is Pep isn’t a populist tub thumper, and this cerebral sense of distance from the blood and thunder of football rivalry doesn’t fit their idea of what a ‘proper’ City manager ought to look and sound like.

I think you've nailed it there. There's a bit of a hangover from hating Txiki/Ferran too because they're seen as the guys who got rid of Mancini to bring their own guy in. Pellegrini was dubbed a yes man and a stopgap and now they don't really like Pep for the same reasons.

 

[Bluewonder]

Pep is cool about us as fans because he's a consummate professional who knows that emotions cloud judgement.

However he loves the club almost as much as his boyhood Barcelona and a major part of that is the fans.

 

[Kamaro011]

There is actually no cheating from refs in the PL. There's bias but not cheating for financial gain.

No cheat and bias but pure incompentency.

 

[Cheeky Txiki]

If we finally win the UCL this season we should go back to the football we were playing in 17/18 next season with Foden on the left and Sterling on the Right and Haaland/Alvarez through the middle.

 

[Lauz9888]

Stones is our best centre-back and still improving. If he and the club can get his training/recovery/nutrition right to keep his injuries to a minimum, and if he can keep his personal life and head steady, he'll go down as one of our greats.

Not only is Grealish doing OK (not setting the world alight, but consistently doing what's asked of him, which is more than many players manage this early into their City careers) and will come good on the pitch, but also on balance (while acknowledging his tendency for the occasional fuck-up) I think he's a positive presence off the pitch as well.

We have a growing vulnerability to counter-attacks that's going to become a bigger problem as Walker ages and potentially our undoing when he leaves. We need to either replace him (directly or elsewhere in the back 4) with a player with similar speed and defensive attributes, or potentially evolve the formation to solidify the midfield. Great as Rodri is, he can't hold back the tide.

Barring any disasters, Delap has a great career ahead of him - but probably not with us.

Sterling has been immense for us and if he leaves any time soon will be a big miss.

If Nasri had stayed he would have thrived under Pep.

 

[Champions Again Ole Ole]

Kyle walker is terrible. He can't cross or even pass. If he didn't have pace he'd be nowhere near this team