Pep Guardiola

[Altomonte]

Why did Pep play without a defensive midfielder, did he explain? Was it because he had lost 2 times in a row against Chelsea and tried to do something different?

 

[Altomonte]

As to Gundogan, he got a yellow card in the first half and may have been less effective because of it. If he had played a more offensive role from the beginning, he probably had avoided the yellow.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Position for position, wouldn't take a single player from the City side yesterday ahead of our CL winning XI in 08-09 and 10-11.

And Pep should know this before anyone else

Not even peak Kdb could play in our midfield, busi/iniesta/Xavi were on another level, it was a cheat to have them on the same time in midfield

 

[Bobo32]

Here is a decent analysis, trying to explain why Pep did overthink: https://betweentheposts.net/champions-league-final-tactics-pep-overthink/

I agree with some points, but could see the buildup pic from min.4 being given as a positive example, had City won the game: "Bernardo continually was found free in the halfspace and he in turn could find KDB, Mahrez and Foden all game long". Honestly should be very easy for Stones, Gundo and Walker to give the ball nicely to Bernardo in this case. That position in chess would say "with an advantage" or even "winning"

Same with the passmap - problem lied in transition from wingbacks+gundo to the best players: Foden, KDB and Bernardo. Sterling was a bit of a threat with his runs sometimes, and he did at the same time have a clear role of pinning two players in buildup. Switch Sterling for Rodri and I don't think anything improves tbh.

 

[Franscar]

I think Pep asks too much from his DM, he wants them to read danger, resist press and play progressive passes all while being solid vs counters?

Only really possible with Busquets, Xavi and Iniesta level control.

 

[BBZ8800]

Here is a decent analysis, trying to explain why Pep did overthink: https://betweentheposts.net/champions-league-final-tactics-pep-overthink/

And not a single word about a mental strength, hunger, passion, leaders, clutch players or a factor x.

Lately I have been trying to find "a formula" which majority of winning teams (in KO matches and tournaments have) and imo, it is something like:
1. technique & quality, obviously
2. in recent years: physique
3. mental strength, leaders, passion, hunger
4. mix of young and experienced players
5. superstar player, something like Ronaldinho, Messi, Cr7, Lewa, Haaland. A player which can break all the rules and turn 50:50 matches into 1:0 wins with unexpected genius moves and solutions, like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fygu4KrxJqc

When you look at Barca from 2006:
We had technique, we had physique, we had passion/leaders/mix of young & older players and we had superstars.
When you look at Barca during Pep:
They had insane technique, they had some passion and hunger due to not winning too much till then, they had leaders (Puyol, Valdes, Masch) and they had a superstar factor in Messi/Henry/Etoo and even Villa.
Barca from 2015?
Again: technique, pace in attack, some athleticism. Some leaders in Masche. And a superstar element of MSN.

Now, what I don't like about Pep, he often kills too many factors only to get overpowered in one area.
His team (midfield and attack) doesn't have a particular physique, but they have a lot of technique.
Mental strength? Very weak.
Leaders? Lol, who?
But they even lack a superstar-player element, due to Pep hating superstars (except Messi).

I mean, yes, Pep could win even this way, but it is extremely hard.
A few years ago, I have read the similar article how the scientists tried to break down: what makes a good song (which made it on top lists).
And they mentioned a few ingerdients and how all most famous songs of all time have all the same ingedients.
Of course, a song here and there is weird and doesn't follow the rules, but if you want to play it safe, stick to the basics.
The same is with movies, all movies who earned a lot have some similarities in terms of story, production, superstar actors and similar.

Pep is like a genius with some psychologial problems who gets focused only on one area and tries to exploit it till death, like playing without a CF and similar.
But then again, a valid question is: can Pep play any other way at all and is it too late for him to try something new in this age?

Pep is guilty.
He has built a team:
1. without No9
2. without a plan B
3. without physique
4. without leaders
5. without mental strength
6. without a superstar factor

They had 0 shots on target, iirc...

 

[Birdy]

Pep is guilty.
He has built a team:
1. without No9
2. without a plan B
3. without physique
4. without leaders
5. without mental strength
6. without a superstar factor

They had 0 shots on target, iirc...

Many of the above you list are non-problems in modern football

1. has been working the last 10 years in many different teams
2. is false. What you saw in the final was a plan B, the original plan A was city of the 4 knock-out games vs Dortmund and PSG
3. is questionable. They ran as much as Chelsea. and they had players who win physical duels like Dias, Walker, De Bruyne
4. De Bryune is a leader, Fernandino and Dias are also leaders.
6. De Bryune is a superstar factor.

The only one that is a potential problem is 5, but i didn't see it this season in the knock-outs against Dortmund and PSG. they came back from games that were not going their way.

The problem was more straight-forward: Pep lost the tactical battle big time by Tuchel

 

[Mateka]

No plan B.
When City play within the first 10-15 minutes you get the feeling if it is going to be their day. Seeing how their opponents have set up. Pep then has no credible plan B.

Chelsea were the better team on the night. Chelsea deserved the win. A good goal - not deflected , own goal, dubious penalty - and they defended well.

 

[hardyboy]

I don't think City lost due to not playing Fernandinho. I felt Chelsea showed more desire. They wanted it more than city.

 

[Bobo32]

And not a single word about a mental strength, hunger, passion, leaders, clutch players or a factor x.

These things are all so easy talked about after the fact, but let's hear you say which players have hunger, passion, leaders, clutch players or a factor x to win the euros? Then we can return to this afterwards...
Make a list of the players beforehand and let's see how accurate you are.
You can list how many players/teams you like without looking silly. Of course, if you list teams and players that go out in the group stage, it can look a bit silly...

Is Eder a clutch player while Mahrez is not? Or is it the case that some shots happen to go in while others don't?

 

[mc_lovin]

I don't think his "no superstar" approach is by design. They are just incredibly rare, and you either have them or you don't. Transfers are usually nigh impossible. And I do think he deserves some credit for how good his team looked vs PSG, best team performance this season in my opinion. With a dysfunctional forward line to top if off. Same applies to Chelsea though.

This whole hero or zero mentality in football is kind of annoying. Were Man United in 2009 mentally weak? I am still damn happy that City lost though.

 

[MagIX]

Yesterdays game could have easily gone the other way with the first goal from City

I totally agree...if Starling had stopped the ball better... probably he would had scored. R?diger 0.3 Seconds later on the Foden shot, it would have been another goal. And we would be talking about Pep the genius and the big loser Teuchel...
Sometime is a matter of luck or centimetres or fractions of seconds... that make you a "genius" or a" loser".

Said that, congrats to Teuchel and his team.
And also congrats to Pep and his team, super season even though they lost the final.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Rodri or Fernandinho should have started and Sterling should have been better on the bench. Well, i also wonder why Kdb and bernardo silva played so bad, maybe all of them were nervous as fuck?

 

[mc_lovin]

Pretty sure Rodri or Fernandinho wouldn't have made a difference, but we will never know. One thing is for sure though, I would be annoyed to no end if our manager decided not to start our best 11 (or the established one) in a final.

 

[Rory]

Sterling’s first touch has never been good, always been one of his shortcomings, so when he mis controls the ball in a dangerous area then that is also on the manager for selecting a player who is known to have a bad touch. Remember how it was all EVs fault for selecting Rakitic and Vidal at Anfield? Two players who aren’t press resistant. Pep hasn’t not won the ucl for the last decade because he’s been unlucky, he’s made mistakes and been outclassed on several occasions. Doesn’t mean he’s not the best in the world.