I simply tried to explain myself fully, since we touched on different coaches, examples, etc. I answered a lot of questions in my post, but also asked a lot of questions…
4 of those are full backs, their main CB and 3 pretty important midfielders. No wonder he went out and bought a few full backs (with very mixed success so far, as I mentioned above). Also created a few by converting Delph and Zinchenko.
I don’t know which players didn’t improve under Pep after working with City’s ex-manager(s) through his style of play. He gave City a style of play, a footballing culture, made the team younger, improved the quality of signings with a clearer idea and the club’s money and in the same time made them arguably the most dominant PL side (probably the best overall since Wenger’s best Arsenal at the start of 00’s).
Yes, money is important, it’s almost impossible to win consistently today without it (though tons of money can be spent really badly), but for me, it’s his work and knowledge that prevails and the key ingredient in his and his clubs’ successes so far. I’m fine if you don’t agree with me.
Think you have been spot on this entire time about pep. We love to beat them up because of the money spent, but Pep is the best in the world at getting a team from 85% to 100%. This is the hardest part of the journey as he does it so well. Our beloved Klopp is one of the best at getting teams from 60%-90% and he has recently began to really build his resume for being one of the greats in the final stage, but still, recognize greatness when we see it. Pep is a great manager assisted by an endless bankroll. But you still have to coach and players still have to play.
Love to see how he’d do at a Brighton or a Burnley though. He’s NEVER had to manage a team on a tight budget, has he? The exact opposite in fact. And furthermore, each club he arrived at already had a very strong squad in place. Doesn’t really relish a challenge does he? Even Fat Sam would have picked up a trophy or two with the squads and resources which pep has had at his disposal. Well, okay…perhaps not the best example
The hardest thing to do as a coach is take a good team and turn it into a great team, not the other way around. I’ve never understood this side of the argument. He’s never managed a shit team so he’s never been challenged… Makes zero sense in my opinion.
Again, not a Pep fan here, just a fan of appreciating what I get to witness during my lifetime.
And yet he still relied on Kompany, Silva and Fernadinho.
Just to be clear. I think he is a great manager. As I said in the top 2.
But he needs a shed load of money to do it. I don’t know why this is hard to accept.
Really about Klopp at LFC? Do you not think he’s got a 100% out of that team considering the starting point and resources compared to Pep? Do you think Pep would have had the same success at LFC as Klopp if the positions were reversed? I honestly don’t think so. I think Klopp is better at using players at his disposal. Just my opinion.
Like I said, Pep doesn’t need to go and manage a Spurs, Seville etc. Why should he?
But he has not started a project with a rich/big club. He waits till it’s up and running. So he won’t even test himself in that regard. And that is for me is the tarnish on his managerial ability.
Nothing to do with being a Pep/Mourinho hater etc.
I might be interpreting things the wrong way here but in what way are Klopp and Guardiola similar? Please enlighten me because I see that as a massive slur on our manager.
Are you also saying John Henry is “more or less the same type” of person as Abramovic and the scum who bankroll City?
I do think it’s harder to manage a club at the top than a club like Burnley etc. Of course it is.
Pep did improve the signings because the grunt work had been done. Man City had to buy very good players at massive wages at the start because they were no where. No way was a Messi going there at the beginning. Then once the project was up and running the next stage was Pep’s. Buy World class players on massive wages.
That’s a lot easier to do than how Klopp had to do it. In my opinion of course.
Klopp is also a way more likeable person. But that’s a bonus for us.
Well done. Won the league at Man City and Bayern Munich. And the league and CL a long long time ago at Barcelona, with peak Messi and galacticos aplenty.
Obviously he’s good at harnessing elite talent. But so what. He has enjoyed a competitive advantage everywhere he’s been.
He might be good but it’s unseemly, to me at least, for Liverpool fans to fawn over him.
Alex Ferguson, best manager ever? No! A bully, with a bacon face and a penchant for pooping his pants on the hard shoulder.
He had to, yeah, but couldn’t really. Kompany was rarely fully fit, he already started playing less games one season before he came. That didn’t improve. Fernandinho became more important because of Pep, Silva managed to prolong his career.
My point was that half of this team was average/old/ageing (happens even to mighty City when you put a number of crap moves together in a short space of time) and needed replacing, which happened bit by bit. And a lot of those weren’t really some of the best players in their positions (some were, some were more talents, some were more up and coming but with still years ahead), when you look closely and go back in the context of time. It’s a combination of very good selection, money, but coaching and giving the club/team a style of play, culture and winning mentality. I see the first ingredients in many places, though not always, but I don’t see the other part which is mainly Pep.
What is hard to accept, why should I if I don’t agree? I think Pep Guardiola, the man and his work is more important than money (which they had before and will probably have after him, but no shit, he’ll probably leave the most trophies and influence on the place than all). The key ingredient. I said a few times that it’s okay if you don’t agree with me. I think I gave everyone else a pretty good explanation from posts from previous days/weeks, which you quoted and then I did the same, going into even more detail answering/asking new questions. We can do it again, but we can agree to disagree and move on. I’m only a fan, people shouldn’t be this bothered about my opinion of Pep. We can joke about his bald head and the fact he’s not the most likeable guy out there (to me he’s not that, I’m totally fine with him, but of course he’s not Klopp in that aspect) or whatever, but we can also talk seriously. People inside football know much more than me and for 13 years in a row and counting, it looks like they’re not wrong in this case.
I think that’s also pretty exaggerated. Plastic flags and acting like idiots in Paris doesn’t make them unaware of their history and it’s not like they don’t have one.
We don’t have to agree, I’m not forcing anyone to rate/like Pep. I can’t and don’t want to.
Since we have something that is called a City thread, I just leave City comments here from time to time that is something else sometimes other than just joking and taking the piss with them.
