Let's All Laugh At... Lets all laugh at Man City

[Danners9]

They are so sloppiy in midfield and playing out from the back.

Here's Guardiola going full Mourinho with a hand gesture.

MSN

You know, Pep. Liverpool have 19 in their history. All those City titles are tainted in the eyes of fans everywhere because of the charges. It's not the flex you think it is.

Forest and Palace next. Then Juventus and Man Utd.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Wonder if Pep has lost the squad

 

[rossdapep]

I agree that charging Pep would be frivolous and inappropriate. I guess having seen the consequences of people seriously harming themselves I’m just sensitive to the likes of Pep making light of it.

But let’s get back to football and enjoy some serious schadenfreude at City’s expense.

I totally get where you are coming from (a very good place) and you would 99% of the time be right and I'd agree with you. If a player just randomly came out with a comment like that, I think it would be very insensitive.

I just think Pep is under severe pressure and probably isn't in a good place mentally to do that.

But yeah hopefully we get back to the football ⚽️

 

[Cochise]

I don't think he's ever had to deal with this sort of thing. In Spain he only had to worry about Real, the quality at Barca was such that they could dominate most opponents. In Germany it was a similar story with Bayern, only Klopp's Dortmund ever held a candle to them and as per the usual cycle Bayern were able to take the best players in the league each year to strengthen.

This is the first year where City have seemingly stood still in the market and much like us they've found that standing still is essentially going backwards. It wouldn't normally matter for them but add in the injuries to their forward line, Rodri being out and players perhaps being a year older and you've got a giant creaking at the knee's.

Then you've got this league being what it is. Every club is going to fancy having a go against them now, this could hopefully go really badly for them.

 

[GMI]

Jose getting another punch in on City:

 

[NickHSpurs]

1 win in 10 now and 7 losses during that run.

 

[UncleBuck]

Wheels have completely fallen off the ‘Rodri Team’ haven’t they?
Amazing to think this has all stemmed from Rodri getting injured, how many cracks was he papering over?
They went two down on 75 mins and still left Foden on the bench, he only made two changes all game.
Looking at their bench though it’s just as bad as ours at the moment.
They’ve conceded 21 goals in 8 games whilst scoring only 11, at this rate I’ll be really surprised if Pep doesn’t walk at the end of the season.

 

[Pochemon94]

Wheels have completely fallen off the ‘Rodri Team’ haven’t they?
Amazing to think this has all stemmed from Rodri getting injured, how many cracks was he papering over?
They went two down on 75 mins and still left Foden on the bench, he only made two changes all game.
Looking at their bench though it’s just as bad as ours at the moment.
They’ve conceded 21 goals in 8 games whilst scoring only 11, at this rate I’ll be really surprised if Pep doesn’t walk at the end of the season.

he just signed an extension during this run, i don't see him walking. If anything he will just tell them he needs to completely rehaul the squad and get another billion. They won't care about breaching anything because at the end of the day we know no concequences will hit em. Same thing as chelsea.

 

[joshua_snodgras]

Not a statement more a thought for comment:
Pep has been a trail blazer of the high press, he has impacted modern football from senior through to grass route levels with his successful high press and pass out from the back football, so much that many teams now attempt to adopt this approach.
Does this system only really work if you have the absolute best players at your disposal and squad to support? With the best, year after year top club after top club, Pep has won everything, Man city now seem to have dropped a ball, they didnt strengthen as well as they could at the times they should have, and now with some key injuries and potentially players just past their peaks, this style of football appears to have lost its success with the players he has available.
He wont change his beliefs as the team are far too drilled and its a philosophy. Are we just an inverted mirror of man city, i.e our issue is largely players pre-peak so without the in game savvy to also win games with this relatively similar style? If so, does it point to the fact that, yes, this is the ultimate style of football, but will only work with the ultimate players? Its the golden formulae for the top tier teams with saudi pockets, but futile for imitators?
Or is it the fact that now this system of play out from the back and high press has been around for a while, teams are successfully adapting and learning ways defeat this style of play more successfully? Im sure for Man City like for Spurs problems there are combinations of issues at play, but i hope their terrible from continues either way because im really enjoying it

 

[kmk]

 

[allatsea]

If they have any sort of intention of staying within FFP if I were them I would sell Haarland and use the money to begin the rebuild. The should sell Haarland because he doesn't fit their style of play despite being an excellent goal scorer. He offers nothing if he isn't scoring goals. Look at what say Kane offers in addition to his goals.

 

[UncleBuck]

I still think they were mental to let Alvarez go

 

[CanadaSpurs]

Finally, FINALLY, this thread title works.

 

[southlondonyiddo]

Maybe the FFP stuff is finally coming home to roost

Their business in the last few windows has been very odd

Watching Gund and Silva in CM reminds me of some of our immobile/soft pairings of the past

Walker is nowhere near it atm and the brilliant Bernardo Silva I watched at Wembley all those years ago, is long gone

They need some legs in January or they won’t finish top 5 this season

 

[rossdapep]

I still think they were mental to let Alvarez go

Was about to say this.

His movement made space for Haaland and also Foden to run into.

The fact they overlooked not getting a replacement is odd.

He wasn't perfect but Alvarez pulled defenders all over the place. Now it's easier to stop Haaland

 

[rossdapep]

If they have any sort of intention of staying within FFP if I were them I would sell Haarland and use the money to begin the rebuild. The should sell Haarland because he doesn't fit their style of play despite being an excellent goal scorer. He offers nothing if he isn't scoring goals. Look at what say Kane offers in addition to his goals.

Pep may do that.

He is always willing to sacrifice a player for the greater good.

The question is "Who is going to stump up for him?"

 

[muppetman]

I think I'll hold on a little while before having a party about the collapse of the City empire. It's a long season and they still might go on a mad run.

What's really amazing is that they kept the drive and hunger going for so long. The same players, listening to the same voice kept that intensity much longer than I thought was possible. Infinite money helps obviously, but it's still impressive.

 

[Frozen_Waffles]

Was about to say this.

His movement made space for Haaland and also Foden to run into.

The fact they overlooked not getting a replacement is odd.

He wasn't perfect but Alvarez pulled defenders all over the place. Now it's easier to stop Haaland

I think it was letting Phillips go and not getting a replacement in. Rodri is a miss not just because he's a great player, he's also the only defensive minded midfielder they have.

They have resorted to Lewis a RB in midfield, which is ok, but if you play him alongside Silva and Gundogan it's too weak.

Add to the fact that quite a few players are the wrong side of 30. Kyle Walker losing it a bit hasn't helped, he was a get out jail free card for the way city have played for the last few years. Not anymore.

Infact thinking on it, they are severely lacking in full backs and defensive midfield options.

I've always felt this way about Peps teams, if he has the right personnel he'll win everything but if he doesn't then it can go wrong very quickly.

Personally I don't think he has the players to fix this problem, which is incredible.

 

[allatsea]

Pep may do that.

He is always willing to sacrifice a player for the greater good.

The question is "Who is going to stump up for him?"

RM or PSG

 

[easley91]

The core of the squad are reaching the end of their powers. That squad needs a rebuild/refresh badly. The defence has been ropey for weeks now making mistake after mistake. They're not as formidable as they used to be for sure.