Pep Guardiola

[Messigician]

Yip and Aguero played majority of games as did Sterling and Sane before started wanting to leave.

Didnt move away from anything.

They tried to sign Kane last summer to replace Aguero and most likely about to sign Haaland.

Going from fast wingers and a proper 9

to Graelish Jesus Silva

certainly is a marked departure

slowish midfielders used as wingers

 

[JamDav1982]

Going from fast wingers and a proper 9

to Graelish Jesus Silva

certainly is a marked departure

slowish midfielders used as wingers

You dont have clue what you are on about as usual.

Im oot.

 

[Birdy]

About Pep and Haaland, you can't have it both ways.
A huge part of Pep's football is a domination due to a false 9.
If you remove false 9, you lose a lot of possession and interchanging positions.
With a Fc, he'll get a lethal finisher but his whole team will be weaker.
So a catch 22.

The only part I agree with.
Pep is gonna lose big time with Haaland.
He is poor on the ball
-> will pad his stats against the Burnlies and the Bournemouths of this world, receiving all the service from City's creative players
BUT against the big boys where total domination of md is needed, Haaland will be his demise...

 

[JamDav1982]

As well as Haaland City should be looking for a back up RB with pace, more legs in CM and another pacey winger.

Could see them selling Jesus, Sterling, Gundogan this summer.

FDJ would be a good signing for them although see they are now being linked with Rice so maybe not.

 

[vegitot]

I am writing the same post for 5-6 years in a row, let's do it again.

Pep's style is the best style in the world for league matches.
Remember, in a league, you don't play against equals but against weaker teams.
In La Liga, the champion is not the one who wins in El Classico but the one who wins more consistently against Elche, Getafe and Levante.
And Pep is master of that. He found a system, players, smart players, tactics = perfect for winning 100 points in each season.

But against weaker league teams:
1. you don't need mental strength
2. you don't need leaders
3. awesome tactics, smart players and high technique are usually more than enough

On the other hand, in CL semis and quarters and semis, you don't play with Wolves and Elche but with equal teams.
These teams maybe don't have as much technique as City, but they are more aggressive, more combative, braver, have leaders.

Since Barca, Pep always hated players with strong personalities and clashed with Etoo, Zlatan, Yaya, Mandzukic.
He likes yes-men, not strong individuals.
Also, he likes smart players who will understand his tactics and movements.

In short, Pep's type of players are:
1. extremely technically gifted
2. usually very smart
3. usually Betas and submissive

The point no3 is not a problem in league matches.
But it always hunts him down in key moments of CL knockout matches.

Also, there is an element of winning, which RM has since they are winning all the time.
While Pep and City are now under pressure like Messi for Argentina.

About City, I'll write again: who is their leader? Good guy Kevin?
Lol. A good one.
It will be a miracle if a team ever wins something big with that type of a leader.
Their only combative players are Walker and Zynchenko.
All other players are a textbook example of players whom we would buy and who would lose 0:4 at Anfield every season.

People write for years how Pep is unlucky.
You can't be unlucky for 10 years in a row.
He chosed and bought those players.
Or: players with those technical and MENTAL traits.

On the other hand, how many times have RM made a CL miracle in the last 10 minutes?
It can't be luck.

On the other hand, Barca made those miracles twice in the last 20 years: 2008 and against Psg.

Now compare how Barca and City are often losing CL ties in away games or in the last 10 minutes, while RM is doing the opposite.
And draw a comparison between Barca DNA and Pep's teams and you'll find the answer.

His style with that (personality wise) type of players is good only for league tournaments.
He can win a CL only with out of this world talent like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, inspite of them not being too mentally strong.

About Pep and Haaland, you can't have it both ways.
A huge part of Pep's football is a domination due to a false 9.
If you remove false 9, you lose a lot of possession and interchanging positions.
With a Fc, he'll get a lethal finisher but his whole team will be weaker.
So a catch 22.

A lot of our fans will never like posts like this one because Pep is the core of Barca, Barca DNA players are our heart and soul.
My theory is a slap in the face to a lot of Barca's ideas. And as we can see, Xavi is heavily still living in that world. A lot of fans will live in that world as long as they live.

There are two options:
1. this football is awesome and Barca and City just need better players
2. or this system is flawed. It works in a league but in a CL works only if everything is perfectly aligned.

The sad thing is, Barca's football is lagging 15 years behind Pep's City.
Barca lacks everything.
Pep has physicality, unlike Barca.
But he lacks leaders, mental strength and more aggressive/combative players and a no9+true wingers instead of 6 attacking midfielders in midfield+forward line.

Right. Though Xavi talks about DNa but the way he plays his team now is not Barca DNA.

 

[DsLR]

How can the best coach ever not win the most prestigious club trophy in football for 11 years

Klopp is so clear

 

[MTL_Barca]

City was like 1 minute away from being in the CL final, where was that superior Real Madrid side with their leaders and personalities up until that point? Seems a bit too much, but i guess never waste an opportunity to re-post an old essay.

 

[Morten]

As for strikers, it will be interesting how City looks like with Haaland, and it may indeed not be a straight-up win for them, Haalands hold-up play honestly isn't that great, though could always improve.

Little doubt he will score a good amount of goals though, when fit.

 

[Horatio]

Should grow hair. Maybe will win a CL then.

 

[Raketa10]

I am writing the same post for 5-6 years in a row, let's do it again.

Pep's style is the best style in the world for league matches.
Remember, in a league, you don't play against equals but against weaker teams.
In La Liga, the champion is not the one who wins in El Classico but the one who wins more consistently against Elche, Getafe and Levante.
And Pep is master of that. He found a system, players, smart players, tactics = perfect for winning 100 points in each season.

But against weaker league teams:
1. you don't need mental strength
2. you don't need leaders
3. awesome tactics, smart players and high technique are usually more than enough

On the other hand, in CL semis and quarters and semis, you don't play with Wolves and Elche but with equal teams.
These teams maybe don't have as much technique as City, but they are more aggressive, more combative, braver, have leaders.

Since Barca, Pep always hated players with strong personalities and clashed with Etoo, Zlatan, Yaya, Mandzukic.
He likes yes-men, not strong individuals.
Also, he likes smart players who will understand his tactics and movements.

In short, Pep's type of players are:
1. extremely technically gifted
2. usually very smart
3. usually Betas and submissive

The point no3 is not a problem in league matches.
But it always hunts him down in key moments of CL knockout matches.

Also, there is an element of winning, which RM has since they are winning all the time.
While Pep and City are now under pressure like Messi for Argentina.

About City, I'll write again: who is their leader? Good guy Kevin?
Lol. A good one.
It will be a miracle if a team ever wins something big with that type of a leader.
Their only combative players are Walker and Zynchenko.
All other players are a textbook example of players whom we would buy and who would lose 0:4 at Anfield every season.

People write for years how Pep is unlucky.
You can't be unlucky for 10 years in a row.
He chosed and bought those players.
Or: players with those technical and MENTAL traits.

On the other hand, how many times have RM made a CL miracle in the last 10 minutes?
It can't be luck.

On the other hand, Barca made those miracles twice in the last 20 years: 2008 and against Psg.

Now compare how Barca and City are often losing CL ties in away games or in the last 10 minutes, while RM is doing the opposite.
And draw a comparison between Barca DNA and Pep's teams and you'll find the answer.

His style with that (personality wise) type of players is good only for league tournaments.
He can win a CL only with out of this world talent like Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, inspite of them not being too mentally strong.

About Pep and Haaland, you can't have it both ways.
A huge part of Pep's football is a domination due to a false 9.
If you remove false 9, you lose a lot of possession and interchanging positions.
With a Fc, he'll get a lethal finisher but his whole team will be weaker.
So a catch 22.

A lot of our fans will never like posts like this one because Pep is the core of Barca, Barca DNA players are our heart and soul.
My theory is a slap in the face to a lot of Barca's ideas. And as we can see, Xavi is heavily still living in that world. A lot of fans will live in that world as long as they live.

There are two options:
1. this football is awesome and Barca and City just need better players
2. or this system is flawed. It works in a league but in a CL works only if everything is perfectly aligned.

The sad thing is, Barca's football is lagging 15 years behind Pep's City.
Barca lacks everything.
Pep has physicality, unlike Barca.
But he lacks leaders, mental strength and more aggressive/combative players and a no9+true wingers instead of 6 attacking midfielders in midfield+forward line.

I don't know which games were you watching but Xavi's style so far is far from old Barca DNA.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

Pls be nicer to BBZ, he took time to come back to football threads and we need to respect that.

 

[Messigician]

Pep Guardiola will never return to Barcelona, mainly because of what he considers the 'toxic ecosystem' in the Spanish press.

? @sport

 

[Messigician]

I don't know which games were you watching but Xavi's style so far is far from old Barca DNA.

He wasn't watching lol

 

[Raketa10]

Truth be told, Pep's legacy is seriously damaged by his teams poor performance in CL. After he left Barca he has failed too many times and every time in a similar way. This just can't be coincidence. He looked completely lost after Real scored their first goal.

 

[Fati_Future_BallonDor]

I think most teams would look lost after conceding the goal, city players looked nervous while madrid players were confident. City would have been probably as bad against Liverpool as against Chelsea last season, can't say it's Pep's fault, players have not the mentality fot these big games. But maybe Pep scares them too much with his thousand instructions.