I think the overthinking criticism is pretty justified when you look at the pattern of his CL exits since leaving Barca instead of just taking this one night in isolation. He fucked it up against Lyon last season with a change in system, he tried something wild with Gundogan against us at Anfield a few years before. At Bayern he lost a home leg to Madrid 4-0 and lost a game to Barcelona when again he changed to an unfamiliar system with personnel who hadn’t played in those positions together before.
To me it just seemed an absolute crazy decision to play a wildly out of form Sterling ahead of a holding midfielder. City had started at least one of Rodri or Fernandinho in 59 of the 60 matches they’d played before the final. Gundogan has had a fantastic season playing higher up the pitch. Why would you change the formula at the last hurdle that has seen you walk the league and walk through the knockout stages?
I think his problem is he gets too consumed with thinking about the other manager and the other teams star players. His entire thought process becomes how to outthink the opposition coach and how to stop a certain player instead of backing his own, usually far superior players to be able to execute the plan that sees them win most games with ease. I would say the Rafa comparison is also a bit unfair as both of those Milan teams were far better than us, Rafa was trying to set up teams from what was very much an underdog position to punch up, Pep and City should be punching down on pretty much every other side in Europe.
I agree it’s not his best position (I also wasn’t a great fan of Stevie on the right or long term as a single #10, playing back to goal a lot), but that’s them for almost all season, so it was part of getting them to the final in the first place.
I feel more sorry for Tuchel. Today all I’m reading is how Pep lost the final by making weird team selections. Not so much about Chelsea who put on a well organised, putting bodies on the line, counter-attacking performance that Rafa would have been proud of.
I don’t hate Pep either but it’s hard to feel sorry for someone who has it so easy compared to his peers. If JK wants to buy player A, he will be told by FSG that he has to sell or loan player B and he won’t be able to buy player C. If Pep wants player A, he can buy him, keep player B, buy player C and, if he really fancies taking the piss, buy players D, E and F.
Eventually he will win the CL with City. There is a dull inevitability about it. It’s what is so depressing about the whole City ‘project’. Ultimately all it will prove is that if you throw enough money about you will get what you want in the end.
Nothing is certain in football. There was an article a couple of days ago that Laporta’s first priority is to bring back Guardiola.
Of course, as you say, chances are that not only he’ll stay but that he will eventually win it but it is not inevitable. Especially if Klopp has something to say about it.
I see them responding next season pretty well, as we’ll do also. I mean, they don’t have to “respond” domestically and in Europe it’s basically impossible to “plan to win”. I’d say they remain the league’s favourites. Probably up to us, Chelsea and/or United to try and bully their plans of another successive title.
In a sea of decisions the biggest one this season has no defense. It wasnt bad, it was idiotic. He had opportunity to change (5 subs) and he left it too late.
Its The Emperors New Clothes…“Pep is great”… fact is he really isnt that great.
The difference between Rafa and Pep is that Rafa had to be clever because of the players at his disposal.
Guardiola has the deepest squad in football. He keeps losing to lesser teams in big European games. Rafa was masterful at bettering more talented teams.
Yeah but you can be clever in a good and bad way. Rafa was a master, but not at all times. Rafa’s reasoning for Istanbul (on MNF with Carra) is pretty weird to me to this day (very confusing in fact, I was not impressed), considering his principles. That was too risky and basically lost us the game in the first half except that one time in a hundred. And in Athens against a weaker Milan (although Kaka in his absolute prime or still in his prime) that time, dear me, we had Pennant and Zenden off the sides with Kuyt alone up top (we went twice against Barca and Chelsea with a more offensive line up than that). I’d say our Istanbul was even more risky than City’s choice last night, exactly because they’re a better side and they play with much more cohesion and together anyway (hence they proved they can win in different ways, structures, partnerships, etc.). Don’t get me wrong I was also surprised by the choice, but could understand it. I was also surprised (even more so) by their performance with what they had on the pitch.
Yeah, nah. Your continuous defence of Pep is a little laboured and overly in depth IMHO. I get you have yours and by all means continue, nobody wants an echo chamber. I just believe your opinion of Pep is more than a little conciliatory and more defensive than it need be. At the end of the say he has had more at his disposal than any other manager over the past 13 years and that includes players and finances. Comparing him to Rafa in an attempt to give him a reasonably plausible excuse for continously fucking up on the bigger stages is facetious at best. IMO.
I agree that he f*cked up with that decision in the end last night, just like Rafa did twice (at least, we were behind at HT in all finals under him, not only Milan, but against the likes of West Ham and CSKA as well) and once we managed a great escape. He switched our CB’s against West Ham. When did that happen? Never. My point is that it’s not only Pep who f**cks up from time to time. Happens more often than we like to present now.
Pep keeping Fernandinho on the bench reminds me of Rafa not starting with Hamann. To his credit, Rafa rectified his mistake at the earliest. Was it a forced change? I seem to vaguely remember Kewell or someone getting injured. Playing De Bruyne as an attacker was like playing Fabinho as CB, only worse. No matter how good he did in the adopted position, it weakened the team overall.
Much as I loved Rafa, I never considered him in the greatest managers bracket.
He made mistakes, but he won a CL with Djimi Traore in the side. Pep wouldn’t have.
Pep cannot be considered in the greatest bracket whilst he makes elementary mistakes. Mistakes that are borne out of his inflated ego.
He lost the match last night. Their defeat in the biggest match in their history is on Pep.
Much as you defend him surely that is reason to pour cold water on the myth?
As you see in the quoted post, I did criticize his decision, but I don’t think it’s something that was so shocking or the only thing that decided the match/outcome.
Maybe better for yous all that I stay away from this thread for a while.
Certainly not playing Pep’s advocate, but I don’t think the game last night changed much about his quality/reputation as a coach. Could be completely wrong, I’m just a fan with an opinion. Sorry for this.
