Manchester City

[JamDav1982]

They spent over 200m in players and had likes of MATS, Aruajo, Balde, Pedri, Gavi, Fati, FDJ, Dembele etc at the club.

Lets not pretend it is impossible to be doing a lot better than have done.

Amazing the excuses used now for Barca that were not there when in a far worse place than now.

Usual though.

No one is claiming Barca should have a squad like City now with a 400m wage budget either. That is talked about being a possibilty in future but used as some strawman argument to try and make out Xavi and Barca are having unfair expectations now.

 

[FinBarcelonafan]

I wouldn't trust those numbers anyway. Who knows what sort of ambassador deals they have and so on. Same with PSG. I doubt reported 100mil a season for Mbappe is even everything..

At least count me in as a skeptical

 

[serghei]

You put down some kids and some flops like Dembele as if this is supposed to mean anything. Carry on, not gonna bite on your usual nonsense.

We need another 200-300m invested in the team over the next 2-3 years. 4-5 high quality starters.

 

[Luftstalag14]

City are much better run than we are and have one of the best managers of all time. A huge amount of their success is tied to Guardiola. Easier to keep a high profile squad when you have the manager everyone wants to work with. Besides, the same squad they have would not be nearly as dominant with a different manager. Not even close.

I don't think City are a good measuring stick for us currently. They have everything we don't at the moment, the only thing we have over them is brand name, but that counts for jack shit if you don't have a team to match that name.

You guys think we'll undo everything Barto and Rosell did for nearly 10 years in one season?

Sporting-wise, we won't match City any time soon, that is a given. Also since they have a limit-less pocket/sugar daddy (CFG) which has a purchasing power that only a few can match, I wouldn't even dream of going there. I was talking about how they manage to keep the wage bill relatively low and reasonable, something we should totally be able to do. Certainly not in one season, but after the senior players are gone, there is absolutely no reason why we can't do that.

 

[serghei]

Sporting-wise, we won't match City any time soon, that is a given. Also since they have a limit-less pocket/sugar daddy (CFG) which has a purchasing power that only a few can match, I wouldn't even dream of going there. I was talking about how they manage to keep the wage bill relatively low and reasonable, something we should totally be able to do. Certainly not in one season, but after the senior players are gone, there is absolutely no reason why we can't do that.

They keep wage bill lower because they have Guardiola. Players won't leave the club as long as he is there, because they just enjoy playing the game under his brand of football and toying with the Premier League.

When you are elite, you can leverage that into getting better wages for the club. It's funny but that is how it works, when you are desperate to go back on top, that's when you're most likely to overpay to attract big names. When you are the best, managed by the best, everyone wants in and the leverage is with the club.

 

[Luftstalag14]

I wouldn't trust those numbers anyway. Who knows what sort of ambassador deals they have and so on. Same with PSG. I doubt reported 100mil a season for Mbappe is even everything..

At least count me in as a skeptical

I share the sentiment, in general. Clubs like City and PSG can draw up fictitious sponsorship deals probably much more easily than others, without being caught. That said, at least with City, I think, as their sporting success is on the rise and with the help of star players like Haaland, it is definitely not unthinkable to have legitimate businesses who want to be associated with the City brand and sponsor them. All they need is a CL trophy and I hope they get it soon.

 

[Luftstalag14]

They keep wage bill lower because they have Guardiola. Players won't leave the club as long as he is there, because they just enjoy playing the game under his brand of football and toying with the Premier League.

I seriously doubt it. While Pep is definitely a magnet in terms of attracting players, I don't think or believe for a second that City is paying their players lower than other clubs just because of Pep, or players are willing to take a lower salary just to play for Pep.

 

[ajnotkeith]

You put down some kids and some flops like Dembele as if this is supposed to mean anything. Carry on, not gonna bite on your usual nonsense.

We need another 200-300m invested in the team over the next 2-3 years. 4-5 high quality starters.

Dembele has been great so far this season so I don't know how he is a flop or not a high quality starter.

A flop perhaps in the sense of injury proneness but that means nothing as Xavi has had him available his whole time here.

 

[serghei]

I seriously doubt it. While Pep is definitely a magnet in terms of attracting players, I don't think or believe for a second that City is paying their players lower than other clubs just because of Pep, or players are willing to take a lower salary just to play for Pep.

I don't mean they pay their players low wages. They pay good wages, like Bayern, but most other teams especially clownish teams like PSG or United, or our own Barca for nearly 10 years pay absurd wages in comparison.

 

[serghei]

Dembele has been great so far this season so I don't know how he is a flop or not a high quality starter.

A flop perhaps in the sense of injury proneness but that means nothing as Xavi has had him available his whole time here.

Should have no problems starting for France at the World Cup I guess. Watch him rub the bench.

Were you on some island during the summer when no team wanted him and he came back to us for lower wages? He was a free agent. Nobody wanted him even for free. What more proof do you want?

Dembele is a good squad player for any team aspiring for CL. No more than that.

We need, at least a top class fullback, a new DM or CM (possibly both if De Jong is sold), a new 9 very soon since Lewa will be like 35 or something, plus a new LW since Ansu and Ferran are bench material.

3-4 top quality players, plus some for rotation, around 200-300m like I said, since any good player these days is 40m or up.

 

[Luftstalag14]

I don't mean they pay their players low wages. They pay good wages, like Bayern, but most other teams especially clownish teams like PSG or United, or our own Barca for nearly 10 years pay absurd wages in comparison.

Certainly, but I don't think Pep or the manager is the main factor, the club management is.

Ferran Soriano is a gem, runs a tight ship and deserves huge credit. Too bad he and Laporta hate each other. Perhaps he will be back under a Pique presidency?

 

[serghei]

Certainly, but I don't think Pep or the manager is the main factor, the club management is.

Ferran Soriano is a gem, runs a tight ship and deserves huge credit. Too bad he and Laporta hate each other. Perhaps he will be back under a Pique presidency?

Nah, it's Pep for me. You'll see how much they will struggle to keep players on good wages after he goes.

City's dependency on Pep is huge, and as a result, their dependency on players is lower. Of course they are also well run at management level, but Guardiola is the joker that gives the club a massive leverage in relation to the players.

At Barca the decision was to cut Pep, and what do you know, the dependency on players and the wages skyrocketed soon after. From Pep Barca, everyone started to name the club after the players, Messi Barca, MSN Barca. When you give power to players, wages go up by a lot. When you make it clear that anyone is free to leave, players lose their leverage, and the club is more stable as a result. This is why City made it clear that even a key payer like Bernardo can leave if he wants to and the club receives a good offer.

 

[Luftstalag14]

Nah, it's Pep for me. You'll see how much they will struggle to keep players on good wages after he goes.

City's dependency on Pep is huge, and as a result, their dependency on players is lower. Of course they are also well run at management level, but Guardiola is the joker that gives the club a massive leverage in relation to the players.

Like you mentioned, other clubs such as Bayern, also I'd add Madrid have been able to keep their wages reasonable despite having different managers.

Pep will be gone from City one day, I don't think their wage bill will just skyrocket afterwards and they lose control. If the management does things right like City, Bayern, Madrid and practically everybody else except us, United and PSG (aka the three loonies), it can happen.

 

[JamDav1982]

Pep undoubtedly makes a difference to players going there.

Most top coaches will have players wanting to play for them as part of a draw.

If Pep was at Barca more players would be itching to play for him than currently want to play under likes of Xavi and many others.

It is up to Xavi to make playing under him more appealing.. as it stands now a lot of them dont seem to love it.

 

[JamDav1982]

You put down some kids and some flops like Dembele as if this is supposed to mean anything. Carry on, not gonna bite on your usual nonsense.

We need another 200-300m invested in the team over the next 2-3 years. 4-5 high quality starters.

Same old nonsense from you.

The Barca squad has had 200m+ spent on it on players you claimed were your dream signings and Barca could compete while had some very good players there already who were maturing in th team.

You make out it is a poor squad now as its Xavi and he has been dunted in Europe when in summer you said likes of Raphinha and Kounde were your dream signings and if got likes of those and Lewa should be competing for league and latter stages of CL.

Usual Serghie mental gymnastics....now squad need another 400m... Poor Xavi.

Xavi must wish he had the players like Puig and Mingueza you used to show the type of squad other coaches had at their disposal with such 'talents'.

Moan about Dembele all you like but you are also moaning about one of few players that is suiting Xavis shitty tactics.

Go tell us again how Barca cant take points off of 'elite' Real and Bayern when other teams with poorer squads have this season..