Pep Guardiola
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El Gato
Villarato!
Let them hype him. He may win here and there, but Klopp has more room for improvement and flexibility than City. Mourinho too probably, if Pogba and the lot click with him. Pep teaches a great system, but his teams only have one rigid setting. As OP as it may be at full speed, a few injuries here and there, a team tailor made to pierce through the backline and they won't dominate.
Cule For Life
Member
They dont have more improvement or flexibilty then Pep City 
El Gato
Villarato!
Like a mantra - Pep has no plan B to fall back on. Never had, didn't have it in the CL this year, won't have it next year. There's little he will change to their current state, because they're very well balanced on experience and shape he wanted the team to adopt. The only rough edges he will address are the CBs, for which he will try to integrate Laporte over time, and the LB hole. It was clear he blamed the 1/4s loss on the ref and didn't place it on the team who were absolutely bummed in the first leg. Watch it repeat if they meet Liverpool again next year. Might even happen against United too if their players change their minds about sacrificing some of their strengths for Mou's (rather underwhelming) collective approach.
Cule For Life
Member
Pep said to Neville in their recent interview, what is a plan b? It's small details to a game, you need to defend bring on a defender, you need to an equalizer bring on an attack, need to control the game bring on a midfielder, you need pace bring on a fast winger. I think it's wrong to assume he doesn't have a plan b, when he's won a lot of games by switching it up, he beat Spurs comfortably twice by conceding possession (they had 50% around in both games in the league against them).
Plan B has just as much of a chance on flopping matter of fact I've seen plan B fail more, Pep used it against Liverpool lol he played 4 ATB with 3 CB and a midfielder in the winger position in the first leg, which was his pragmatic approach and got punished for it.
In football their are 2 basic approach either you take initiative or you punish those who take initiative, Pep, Sarri, Tuchel are type who take initiative, while Klopp, Conte, Mou and the current RM don't take initiative. It's the reason why you lot all struggle in the league, when the team gives them the ball they don't know what to do with it.
Klopp record against Conte 1-2-1, against Mou 0-3-1 and against Pep 4-1-1.
Against Pep Klopp plays over to top to take advantage of his high line, he can't do that against Mou or Conte as they focus on defense, however neither Conte or Mou are good with the offensive side to their games, hence why they call cancel each other out at the end. Even in the CL Klopp faced more attacking oriented teams then defensive ones.
In terms of league as a long as a big screw up doesn't happen Pep should have that in the bag, as I see neither Mou/Klopp actually challenging him as they will be dealt with the smaller teams, as they have been these past 2-3 seasons, which their plan b has been nowhere to deal with them. Your right Pep issue will be teams like Klopp in CL at the end and he needs to find away around that if he wants to taste CL glory again, but he'll still have domestic glory at the end of the day or maybe he'll avoid those teams in the CL.
Plan B has just as much of a chance on flopping matter of fact I've seen plan B fail more, Pep used it against Liverpool lol he played 4 ATB with 3 CB and a midfielder in the winger position in the first leg, which was his pragmatic approach and got punished for it.
In football their are 2 basic approach either you take initiative or you punish those who take initiative, Pep, Sarri, Tuchel are type who take initiative, while Klopp, Conte, Mou and the current RM don't take initiative. It's the reason why you lot all struggle in the league, when the team gives them the ball they don't know what to do with it.
Klopp record against Conte 1-2-1, against Mou 0-3-1 and against Pep 4-1-1.
Against Pep Klopp plays over to top to take advantage of his high line, he can't do that against Mou or Conte as they focus on defense, however neither Conte or Mou are good with the offensive side to their games, hence why they call cancel each other out at the end. Even in the CL Klopp faced more attacking oriented teams then defensive ones.
In terms of league as a long as a big screw up doesn't happen Pep should have that in the bag, as I see neither Mou/Klopp actually challenging him as they will be dealt with the smaller teams, as they have been these past 2-3 seasons, which their plan b has been nowhere to deal with them. Your right Pep issue will be teams like Klopp in CL at the end and he needs to find away around that if he wants to taste CL glory again, but he'll still have domestic glory at the end of the day or maybe he'll avoid those teams in the CL.
Joan
Well-known member
But don't you think it's about him and not Klopp? You are right that Klopp will take advantage of his high line, but Pep will play the same way (with his highline) 10/10 times against Klopp. And not just Klopp, against everybody.
He has no plan b. If you need a goal, bring in an attacker. But that won't often work. If you bring Paco for Suarez, nothing will change. The opponent will block us the same way. We still won't be able to cross nor play from corners.
I agree about the league. Nobody's taking it from Pep.
DonAndres
Wild Man of Borneo
Pep would destroy Mou in the CL, Conte too. Klopp has the right players and the right system to counter Guardiola's (as he did at Dortmund too) but Mourinho's football will simply not work in the CL against a truly dominant offensive side. Klopp actually plays brave transition football which is what you need to beat Pep.
The notion of "defense wins championships" or "defense is the main key in KO tournaments" is just straight up BS and one of the stupidest myths I have ever heard. RM destroyed Juve and beat Atleti 2x in 3 CL finals (2014 they were actually vastly superior offensively to Atletico, 2016 they were not). Barca destroyed Juve in 14/15. Germany outclassed Argentina in the WC. etc. etc.
If a team is playing high octane offense and is able to create many good opportunities to get forward, 9/10 times they WILL dominate the defensive team in a KO leg. It only doesn't work if the better offensive team gets outpressed and plays stagnant, unable to get forward and actually create good looks around the opponent's final third (like Barca vs Atleti in 2014, vs Juve in 2017). And that is more telling of Barca's dysfunctional offensive flow than either opponent team's defensive prowess, as they were allowed to settle into the compressed shape they desired. Once those sides went up against a competent offense they were more or less destroyed. Atletico 2015/16 was actually a great offensive side and was able to go punch for punch offensively against Barca, Bayern, AND RM.
The only example otherwise is the biggest fluke win ever in Chelsea, who were insanely lucky to beat two sides (Barca and Bayern) that were thoroughly dominating them on the offensive end and barely failed to finish their chances. It took a 1 in a million type event for the defensive side to win.
The notion of "defense wins championships" or "defense is the main key in KO tournaments" is just straight up BS and one of the stupidest myths I have ever heard. RM destroyed Juve and beat Atleti 2x in 3 CL finals (2014 they were actually vastly superior offensively to Atletico, 2016 they were not). Barca destroyed Juve in 14/15. Germany outclassed Argentina in the WC. etc. etc.
If a team is playing high octane offense and is able to create many good opportunities to get forward, 9/10 times they WILL dominate the defensive team in a KO leg. It only doesn't work if the better offensive team gets outpressed and plays stagnant, unable to get forward and actually create good looks around the opponent's final third (like Barca vs Atleti in 2014, vs Juve in 2017). And that is more telling of Barca's dysfunctional offensive flow than either opponent team's defensive prowess, as they were allowed to settle into the compressed shape they desired. Once those sides went up against a competent offense they were more or less destroyed. Atletico 2015/16 was actually a great offensive side and was able to go punch for punch offensively against Barca, Bayern, AND RM.
The only example otherwise is the biggest fluke win ever in Chelsea, who were insanely lucky to beat two sides (Barca and Bayern) that were thoroughly dominating them on the offensive end and barely failed to finish their chances. It took a 1 in a million type event for the defensive side to win.
jamrock
Senior Member
Pep doesn't have a plan B? The man is like the king of plan B's how many big games as he played & thrown something completely different at his opposition? Over his career too many to count.
If anything I would say he as too many plan B's and in certain games if he had just stuck to what he was always going it would have come out better, every big game he tries to throw a rinkle in the game plan.
But for some people a plan B is going defensive or playing a 8" giant up front to score a goal.
Things that he will never do.
Zidane wins a few CL, 1 lucky one 1 league title & all of a sudden pep as no plan B, the man who as won what 15 cups in his career because he should be winning The CL every other season?
His football is next to impossible to stop in the league & cup competitions is all about the details sometimes you get it wrong other times you get it right other times the ref comes in & bails you out, other times the opposition hands you a Victory with there fuck ups.
If anything I would say he as too many plan B's and in certain games if he had just stuck to what he was always going it would have come out better, every big game he tries to throw a rinkle in the game plan.
But for some people a plan B is going defensive or playing a 8" giant up front to score a goal.
Things that he will never do.
Zidane wins a few CL, 1 lucky one 1 league title & all of a sudden pep as no plan B, the man who as won what 15 cups in his career because he should be winning The CL every other season?
His football is next to impossible to stop in the league & cup competitions is all about the details sometimes you get it wrong other times you get it right other times the ref comes in & bails you out, other times the opposition hands you a Victory with there fuck ups.
Nothanks
New member
No manager ever says they want to replicate what wenger or SAF did
if anything i imagine those days are over for any big club.
Cule For Life
Member
He showed against Poch Spurs that he can overcome that as I don't see much difference between Poch and Klopp approach, both press and both have good attacks, however neither can play possession. Pep beat Poch Spurs twice this season had 53% @ home and 52% away. He conceded possession to them and tighten up the space for Spurs attackers not to have much space to operate in, which worked. I feel the same would've happen to Pool, but for some reason he didn't try it against them.
Could be worse you could pay Sanchez over 100m in 4 years
BarcaOG
Banned
the fact that liverpool beat city 3 times as well as united is clear indication that pep did not 'buy' the league because there are good, rival teams that can take him on. the whole buying the league thing is just a sad excuse to rob him of the credit he deserves as a master tactician and a phenomenal campaign coach. cup coaching is definitely his flaw
Stoichkov1
New member
Touré attacked Guardiola again today and claimed he's racist:
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...a-manchester-city-break-myth?CMP=share_btn_tw
https://twitter.com/mattspiro?ref_s...-pep-guardiola-does-not-like-african-players/
https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...a-manchester-city-break-myth?CMP=share_btn_tw
https://twitter.com/mattspiro?ref_s...-pep-guardiola-does-not-like-african-players/
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