Someone else already pointed out, but every top team (Liverpool, City, Bayern) at the moment plays some alteration of Pep's Barcelona or principles. But somehow it's outdated?
I will agree with BBZ if Xavi starts to play a front 6 of six AM's and it looks sterile as fuck (not a fan of City personally). But right now he seems to like wingers
I wouldn't have anything against playing a style which would be:
1. 50% of Pep's style in terms of tactics and ideas
2. paired with fast-goalscoring wingers, a true no9 (not Pep's shitty KDB/Foden/short Jesus no9) and some stamina, pace and strength in midfield
We lost 4:0 to Klopp's Liverpool with Henderson and Milner.
I don't see that much of a similarities behind Pep 2008-12 and Liverpool, btw.
Unless if pressing, attacking football and trying to dominate is invented by Pep?
Well it's still obviously working in the league where consistency is what matters. As for CL, too many factors are involved in a 2-match knockout or final where luck is one of them. With luck we'd have 3 CL's in a row, without luck Madrid would have max 2 CL's of the 4 they won.
In the end it's not the coach who's on the pitch.
I have explained it many times:
1. in league, you usually don't win leagues because you are winning against equals but because you are the most consistent in wins against minow teams.
So, Pep winning EPL doesn't say too much about his tactics except that it is the best against smaller teams.
Which makes sense. If you want to win against smaller teams, just keep possession, pass left and right for 90 minutes and eventually you will break their defense built of average players without world class concentration/experience.
2. another factor in a league is = there is no pressure, there is no danger of being KO'd/experiencing a sudden death.
And then, since Pep the dictator don't like strong personalities and superstars but an army of quiet choir boys who will blindly follow his orders, that type of players will work way better in safe surroundings of EPL/group stage of a CL, where you can make mistakes so the pressure is off.
So, his teams are filled with technically superior players against poorer/minow teams, and he is getting great results.
But when he comes to a CL KO matches against EQUAL teams and where you can get KOd in 90 minutes, his tactics usually turn into shit, he is easily neutralized, and his players are headless, they don't have a leader or fighting spirit players.
Also, at a bench they have a coach who is sticking to his style no matter what and there is never a plan B in his books.
Also, how there could be a plan B when his midfield-attacking/winger line consists of 6 players who are all offensive midfielders deep down in their DNA (with more or less the same set of skills) and he is just playing 6 attacking midfielders at all midfield/wing/Cf positions.
To some extent, a plan B is impossible with him when he has all players of the same type.
True, winning EPLs is awesome, but...
In a CL, at least several clubs had similar or better results than Pep in the last 9 years, yet our fans don't write poems about those coaches.
For example, since 2012: season:
4 finals: Real Madrid
2 finals: Juventus, Atletico, Liverpool, Bayern (without Pep)
1 final: Barca, Dortmund, Chelsea, Tottenham, Psg, City
Yet, somehow, for a lot of core Pepistas, Pep is still the best coach in the world and his style is still the way to go.
Yet, you could argue that all 5 teams who played more finals than Pep since 2012:
1. play more direct than him
2. cross more him
3. attack in various way and not only in possession way
4. have a No9 who can head the ball
5. have more physical players than Pep
6. have less money than City (except RM)
7. have more superstars in a team
8. have more fighting spirit/less choir boys
