Pep Guardiola

Daisymorr

Active member
Over thought this tie with his line up and it came back to bite him.

Always tries to throw a spanner in the works to confuse his opposition but in reality all he did was confuse his own team.

Why change to a formation you team haven't played all season in the biggest match left of the season.

I would imagine plenty of his players a pissed at him
 
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Fati_Future_BallonDor

Well-known member
Over thought this tie with his line up and it came back to bite him.

Always tries to throw a spanner in the works to confuse his opposition but in reality all he did was confuse his own team.

Why change to a formation you team haven't played all season in the biggest match left of the season.

I would imagine plenty of his players a pissed at him

Pep has always brainded ideas before some important matches. Why playing with such a high line ?
 

MTL_Barca

Well-known member
Not the first time Pep tries so hard to outsmart the opposing coach that he just ends up beating himself.

He'd probably be better off to just keep it simple, his teams already usually have the edge when it comes to individual quality and execution of their gameplan so no need for weird formations trying to adapt to the weaker side.

It may make sense in theory but players aren't robots and are usually better when of they know their role by heart.
 

Fati_Future_BallonDor

Well-known member
Pep over thinks too much. So many tactical changes before a CL Knockout match isnt thr right option. Having Rodri and Gundogan on the midfield together and KDB as a RW was a disaster waiting to happen. Pep has developed a complex about the CL, there's no way he'd use those tactics/team selection against domestic opposition.
Also I think the players feel/see his tension before the Cl matches which make them also tense. Look at Zidane he is a cool guy and you often saw how easy Real played especially away.
 

Raketa10

Senior Member
Pep is seriously destroying his legacy. One horrible decision after another in CL and all because he want's to prove how smart he is.
 

BBZ8800

Senior Member
About changing his formation and lineup, he played vs Lyon in group stage in 2018/19.

Man City:Lyon 1:2, 2:2

His regular formation didn't work against Lyon, so he probably tried something new.
In the end, in 270 minutes against Lyon, he conceded 7 goals.

He managed to get KOd by 2 farmers clubs in 4 years.
Unlimited oil money & supposedly the best coach in the world < random farmers league clubs

I am reading City's forum.
Apparently, Pep is trying a new formation almost every time before a big match.
He is trying to surprise the opponents, yet he is confusing his own players.

Also, apparently some players are angry at him.
And are confused because he is trying too many new things in every match.
After some time, players are overthinking and they don't know what are they supposed to do on the field and they start to suck in basic things due to that.
His methods are both physically and mentally wearing players down after 3 years.

Further, even some City fans say what I have said yesterday: Jesus and Sterling offer a lot of movement and creativity, they get into a lot of chances but their conversion rate is very poor.

So, it is expected that City will dominate majority of matches, but often they will struggle to score.

Yesterday he fielded 5 midfield+attacking players out of only 1 is a good finisher (Kdb vs Jesus, Sterling, Gundogan, Rodri).
That's like fielding Busi, Arthur, Frenkie, Griezmann, Puig and wondering: wow, we dominated, had possession, created chances but failed to score.
What a shock.
He is not trying to score goals from quality finishes but from a huge amount of chances when even crappy finishers will eventually get simple tap ins or walk with a ball into a net.
But too often in Europe, that Shity approach (pun intended) doesn't work, as seen yesterday.

And then our fans are deceived and fall into a trap=but they are dominating.

Well, because he traded everything for fluidity and movement.
He gets tons of those but loses lethalness for example.

About defending, Pep is always trying to mask his flaws with keeping possession for 90% of time.
But if he can't keep possession all the time and/or if the opponents have figured him out, then his defending is quite shit and below average for a top club.

In 12 KO matches with City, he managed to keep a clean sheet in only 2 matches (Basel and Schalke).
He never kept a clean sheet against any bigger team.

For example, Real kept 5 clean sheets in 2016 in 7 matches.
And conceded 3 goals in 7 matches.
Rijkaard's Barca in 2006 conceded 3 goals in 7 matches, zero goals conceded from an open play in 630 minutes.

City and Pep's high line can't survive without conceding for 30 minutes.

Pep is closer and closer to reaching Mou's faith.
Once the best coach in the world, who got stuck in time, football moved on and his results became more and more average over time.

Pep is a slave of too much mobility and movement.
He is sacrifying a lot of things to achieve that and it is biting him both in attack and in defending.

As I have wrote a few days ago, it seems clearer and clearer that his style can win in Europe ONLY in perfect circumstances, like having prime Messi-Xavi-Iniesta-Alves and when the opponents haven't figured his style yet.

After that era, his European results are as tragical as Ev's and Setien's.
Without prime Messi-Xavi, his style is quite shit in Europe.
3 quarterfinals and one round of 16 exits, lol.
That's Roma's and Arsenal's level.

My most intriguing personal question is: for how many more years will our fans still stick to: if executed properly, his style is still the best, lol.

My bet is: at least for 5-10 more years.
Givenchy, KingLeo and some have given up from Pep.

Serghei will stick with him until 2080, my rough estimation 😉
 
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henias

New member
Pep over thinks too much. So many tactical changes before a CL Knockout match isnt thr right option. Having Rodri and Gundogan on the midfield together and KDB as a RW was a disaster waiting to happen. Pep has developed a complex about the CL, there's no way he'd use those tactics/team selection against domestic opposition.
Also I think the players feel/see his tension before the Cl matches which make them also tense. Look at Zidane he is a cool guy and you often saw how easy Real played especially away.

Yeah he got really paranoid and overthinks way too much. the players arent too acustomed to the sudden change in formation and he suddenly went with only 2 attackers when City is clearly a more offensive side; this puts pressure on Sterling who has been quite poor in form and in front of goal. Foden should have just started the match and if he wants to make changes he can always do it at half time. Im not sure if i want Pep back i prefer managers who have a solid plan A especially in the champions league.

Its a vicious cycle, more CL exits is gonna send his mind into chaos and he wouldnt know what to do anymore.
 
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Fati_Future_BallonDor

Well-known member
Yeah he got really paranoid and overthinks way too much. the players arent too acustomed to the sudden change in formation and he suddenly went with only 2 attackers when City is clearly a more offensive side; this puts pressure on Sterling who has been quite poor in form and in front of goal. Foden should have just started the match and if he wants to make changes he can always do it at half time. Im not sure if i want Pep back i prefer managers who have a solid plan A especially in the champions league.

Its a vicious cycle, more CL exits is gonna send his mind into chaos and he wouldnt know what to do anymore.

Yeah he played with 3 DM WTF. Thats 'only' fucking Lyon. Play your normal attacking football and you will win this match. Foden on the bench has to be one of his worst decision. Gundogan and Rodri were invisible the whole match. Kevin De bruyne plays much better if he has Bernardo, Foden, Silva, mahrez next to him instead of useless Gundogan and Rodri. Especially Foden has been awesome this season but Pep reduced him to cheerleading.
 

Fati_Future_BallonDor

Well-known member
Pep is looking for total control of central defence, to do his changing tactical bidding & play like a midfield, rather than noticing City need (preferably big) fast fuckers who know how to defend & can rescue us when our attacking play gets caught out, then pass it to the better players. His fixation with midfielder defenders is actually fucking up his whole attack, who have to compensate for it & are made nervous by the extra responsibility that they have to score at least twice. City actually dropped attackers, & played extra midfield plodders, in order to pick passing defenders.
 

DonAK

President of FC Barcelona
Tiki Taka is dead for so long now. Pep is overrated he is Valverde tier type of manager

This is the most ridiculous thing I've read today. Where do these people come from?

He's fucked up in the CL in recent times by overthinking, but a Valverde tier manager LMAO. He's still in the upper echelon as far as managers are concerned.
 

Givenchy

Senior Member
Pep is a level below Klopp only. still a top manager but CL fails are a big question mark especially with the amount of money hes been able to blow through at City. I'd of liked to see him take on a challenge like Klopp at Liverpool - United after Sir Alex would of been alot more respectable
 

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