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Pep Guardiola at City next?
- Thread starter .Rossi
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It's getting more and more obvious
The second Rummenige (I think) said he knows where Pep is going, but wants him to announce it, it's super obvious.
Our club people will either know we've signed him up, or 99% more likely, that we haven't, so doesn't make any sense to hang on until the summer on the off chance.
Giggs would be a "ooh sh!T" moment, Mourinho would be a wow, moment. Doubts about his conduct and meltdown, but a bit of a feeling of we finally got there, 2 1/2 years too late.
Imagine Mourinho picking that last Fergie side up, and making some improvements.
Wonder if he's watching this and thinking things over again...
Please.
Please.
He would be a good fit at Arsenal if Wenger wins the league and decides to retire on a high...
It's a done deal, they just don't want to announce it out of respect to pellegrini. Imagine him winning the league and CL now, would be pretty awkward come may.
I don't know what was so funny here.Uhm, what?
City are the most overrated team in Europe atm, all their flaws are overlooked with sweeping statements such as best side in England over last 2 years, world class squad etc.
There's as much work to get City to the elite level as it would take to get United there.
Can't score away from home and can't keep a clean sheet, they are nowhere near the dominating team they are made out to be
BTW guys, having Guardiola as your manager doesn't guarantee success in the PL.
City's squad is gonna need some ridiculous investment in midfield.
I hope he isn't bloody watching OUR games then!
I misinterpreted your post at first, thought you meant City were going to lose another 5/6 games before Christmas. City just can't defend without Kompany, that's the main problem. We get him back, keep him fit I'm confident we'll win the league. There's still a substantial gap between City and United in terms of quality if everyone is fit.
That's only a perception though, That's what happens when you sign one season wonders ( thus far) it gives a false sense of promise to players who are nowhere near that level.
Outside of a fit Aguero and a younger Silva I cant name any player that United would bite your hand off for. KDB maybe but thats due to stats padding and fair weather home games. Even now Aguero being a piece of glass atm.
If United offered you Shaw / Smalling / De Gea / Morgan / Bastian / Carrick and Martial I would bet what the answer would be.
I have no idea why City have such a free ride without proving a thing over the last few years. Just because United are under achieving this year doesn't make City any better. They have just as many flaws as we do
Outside of a fit Aguero and a younger Silva I cant name any player that United would bite your hand off for. KDB maybe but thats due to stats padding and fair weather home games. Even now Aguero being a piece of glass atm.
If United offered you Shaw / Smalling / De Gea / Morgan / Bastian / Carrick and Martial I would bet what the answer would be.
I have no idea why City have such a free ride without proving a thing over the last few years. Just because United are under achieving this year doesn't make City any better. They have just as many flaws as we do
True but it's just 1 player needed imo - if they can get someone like Pogba then that's all the investment needed.
No thanks. Schneiderlin and Shaw wouldn't be starting either.
Thats just ridiculous.
Keep conceding those goals down your left side and have the opposition having free runs at your back 4, the mighty Man City.
@cyberman is so right. Honestly, the way City get rated in this league you would think they are 10 points clear.
To put it in to perspective, we have been utter shiet and are only 4 points behind them. Id hazard a guess our points total in the last 6 or so games is similar.
To put it in to perspective, we have been utter shiet and are only 4 points behind them. Id hazard a guess our points total in the last 6 or so games is similar.
I'd take Toure and Fernandinho over any United CM's, that's my opinion. Kolarov's been very good this season, he's better than Shaw as far as I'm concerned. The mighty Man City that's finished above your team for the the past two seasons and has some nice Champions League games to look forward to in February, yeah.
Ill just quote myself..
I have no idea why City have such a free ride without proving a thing over the last few years. Just because United are under achieving this year doesn't make City any better. They have just as many flaws as we do
My point is you're hardly in a position to be making condescending comments such as "the mighty Man City" just because I do not think a couple of midfielders with a combined age of 65 and on high wages are the answer to City's problems. And by not proving a thing over the last few years are you deliberately just omitting the 13/14 season from your memory where we won the league and the league cup or have you just subconsciously repressed it for obvious reasons?
Why not go one season further back then? Why stop at 13/14? AKA the most uninspired title win in history, a season when Liverpool quite clearly threw it away.
For me that season will be remembered by the City v Sunderland game. A half empty Etihad with a late keeper error to keep you in the title race that was greeted with apathy. That's what I remember. Hardly what I would classify as any sort of excellence or proof of lasting quality.
It's like you with the Mangala defence last season, it's why you have the excuse for not having Carrick and Bastian in your side due to their age yet argue Koralov > Shaw...You're a fan and we get it but it seems United fans are more open to criticism of our team than most City fans are.
City get away with a stupid amount on here, they suddenly have a great youth system without bringing anybody through. They spend their time going through our youth ranks offering ridiculous money for our brightest prospects yet its our system that isnt producing.
They struggle badly to dominate a weak league yet are put forward as this future super power who are quite clearly far ahead of us despite not proving anything to the point. Its all the same excuses, buy 80m worth of centrebacks yet complain that it still needs an aging injury prone defender who came off a nightmare season. If only they can keep Aguero and Silva fit despite everybody and their granny knowing thats terrible forward planning and giving excuses to a pair of 50m talent because they play well 1 out of 2 games (never away)
It's all too much. Enough of buying one season wonders and assuming they're great until proven otherwise. Thats the complete opposite of how it should be.
Yes he scored a great goal and he had success with Pep before but, I do not see Pep having much use of Yaya if he comes to City. He needs to rebuild that midfield to play the way he wants. Plus, he will probably trust Sagna at CB before someone like Mangala.
I didn't go a season further back because Ferguson has left United and Mancini has left City. You know, forgive me if I'm wrong, but I thought it might a bit irrelevant. You can choose what you want to remember, history only cares for the winners and it's City's name on the trophy for that year, everything else is extraneous. Although the Moyes campaign was fecking hilarious.
There's a difference between been past it and being in your prime. Kolarov is in his prime and thus should be better than Shaw currently is. Carrick is 34 and Schweinsteiger is 31 yet has suffered with injury problems over the past year. Kolarov is not world class by any stretch of the imagination, considering him better than Shaw is hardly ludicrous though.
Evidence for City offering ridiculous amounts for your best youth products? City have a very good academy right now and are placing a huge emphasis on developing youth talents right now, Iheanacho is being given a chance this year and more will follow. I fully expect Maffeo and Angelino to be coming into the equation in the near future given the age of our fullbacks.
As for Kompany's importance to the team, no one is making that out to be a good thing. The whole point is that our centre backs are horribly under-performing but a fit and in-form Kompany has proven he can sort that out. That is an issue that obviously needs addressing, I don't see why you are making it out to be an excuse used by City fans, it's just the unfortunate reality we find ourselves in at the minute, it's hardly a good thing.
Guardiola at City with a blank cheque is a scary thought. It might take him some time, he might struggle at first but once he starts to get the players he wants.. i think he will reach a level that Pellegrini was never able to.
Among Fernando, Fernandinho and Toure, who do you see with comparable technical and passing abilties to players like Toni Kroos, Xavi, Thiago Alcantara, Xabi Alonso, Busquets & Co.?
In my view none of the three are ideal Guardiola players and neither is Paul Pogba. Pep is all about quick passing circulation. Even a player like Bastian Schweinsteiger was not technically good enough to shine in his system. He threw out Toure as well.
In my view City needs at least two new central midfielders, but the market for players with the needed abilities is extremely small.
They would also need good cover because the likes of Delph and Fernando aren't good enough. Yaya Toure is on the decline too.
It's between us & arsenal. City would be a pure 'work for the money' job. Alot of managers want to get recognition and history imprinted in their name & that will more likely come from us or arsenal rather than city or chelsea.
Just seeing here, you know he's going to kill it when he comes.
Peps team also had very good fullbacks, which City do not have.
Their centre backs haven't shone without Kompany. Otamendi and Mangala aren't very good with the ball at their feet.
Bein are shite to be fair
Such a shame it seems we're going to miss out him, seems like he could improve on what LVG has implemented.
Because they have an excellent squad. They are absolute masters at lacking a heart, and failing to play up to potential, though. They've been really poor of late. I suppose Pep is the perfect man for this situation.
City do not have an excellent squad. What they have is a good (in relative terms) Premier League squad, albeit one that is a mixture between - a bunch of ageing and declining players, a few world class/ or a notch below world class players that are injured with increasing frequency, a handful of mediocre players, about 3 top shelf young talents, and some emerging talents. Really, look at it:
Bacary Sagna - 32 years old.
Aleksandar Kolarov - 30+.
Eliaquim Mangala - Raw.
Fabian Delph - Mediocre.
Jesús Navas - 30+.
Gaël Clichy - Almost 31.
Yaya Touré - Declining drama queen and almost 33.
Vincent Kompany - Can be injury prone and almost 30.
Pablo Zabaleta - Almost 31 and in the midst of a decline.
Fernandinho - Almost 31.
Sergio Agüero - Can he play a full season?
Martín Demichelis - Just turned 34.
Fernando - Is he good enough for Pep?
Samir Nasri - Mentalist gobshite.
Wilfried Bony - Not a top striker.
The squad will need surgery in multiple areas for Pep to take them to an elite level. Is their squad better than United's? Yes. Can Pep rebuild the squad? Probably. If you want to be pedantic about it, then yes, no squad is bulletproof from point A to point Z, and every team has imperfections in their overall makeup. But they are lightyears behind some of his historical squads, and taking them to that level will require major work (without the benefit of La Masia or Bayern's domestic hegemony), not just in terms of personnel, but getting them to understand Pep's - shall we call it setup instead of using the dreaded P word.
Bacary Sagna - 32 years old.
Aleksandar Kolarov - 30+.
Eliaquim Mangala - Raw.
Fabian Delph - Mediocre.
Jesús Navas - 30+.
Gaël Clichy - Almost 31.
Yaya Touré - Declining drama queen and almost 33.
Vincent Kompany - Can be injury prone and almost 30.
Pablo Zabaleta - Almost 31 and in the midst of a decline.
Fernandinho - Almost 31.
Sergio Agüero - Can he play a full season?
Martín Demichelis - Just turned 34.
Fernando - Is he good enough for Pep?
Samir Nasri - Mentalist gobshite.
Wilfried Bony - Not a top striker.
The squad will need surgery in multiple areas for Pep to take them to an elite level. Is their squad better than United's? Yes. Can Pep rebuild the squad? Probably. If you want to be pedantic about it, then yes, no squad is bulletproof from point A to point Z, and every team has imperfections in their overall makeup. But they are lightyears behind some of his historical squads, and taking them to that level will require major work (without the benefit of La Masia or Bayern's domestic hegemony), not just in terms of personnel, but getting them to understand Pep's - shall we call it setup instead of using the dreaded P word.
City have one of the oldest squad in PL. Their best opportunity to win big (that is CL or 1-2 titles consecutive plus maybe a domestic cup in between) is in next couple of years. After that they will need rebuild, either through buying or academy. It will be interesting to see if Pep joining delivers them immediate success based on current talent pool in next 1-2 years (plus some additions) or he sets tone for next person while winning something. He won't stay there for more than 3-4 years and I am guessing that City, apart from his immediate impact, might be putting hope in Pep setting tone and structure for later too.
Judging from last night, City job won't be the cakewalk some are making out
To add to what's already been said about city's squad, they're also hanging by a thread with regards to the homegrown rule I think. It's not all rosy.
Didn't he said the reason he's leaving Bayern is that he wants "a new challenge"? How is going to the most financially doped team in England exactly a challenge? The balance is already tipped overwhelmingly in their favour, let alone if they get him. We can forget about any intentions of winning a title while he's there. A "challenge" would be going to Arsenal, United or Sp*rs and usurping the new status quo. If he goes to City, he's full of shit.
Assuming Guardiola sticks to wingers and having a 9 of some kind, I'd say his City will look something like this:
Sterling-----Aguero---------RW
------KDB/Silva-----Yaya-------
-----------Fernandinho---------
LB----Otamendi-Kompany-RB
--------------Hart---------------
or when he wants 3 at the back:
Sterling-----Aguero---------RW
------------KDB/Silva-----------
--Delph---------Fernandinho--
------------Yaya----------------
--LB---Otamendi---Kompany-
--------------Hart---------------
With Yaya as the Alonso playmaker type.
So, they could maybe make it work but they'll need to buy lots of wide speed this summer. Homegrown stuff will be an issue, but maybe a summer of something like: Mahrez/Berardi, Ricardo Rodriguez/Gaya and Carvajal/Coleman would otherwise be the goal. Patrick Roberts probably gets promoted to give homegrown depth out wide on the right and maybe some more homegrown players who suit Guardiola are signed in the form of a Creswell, Wilshere or Maitland-Niles.
Sterling-----Aguero---------RW
------KDB/Silva-----Yaya-------
-----------Fernandinho---------
LB----Otamendi-Kompany-RB
--------------Hart---------------
or when he wants 3 at the back:
Sterling-----Aguero---------RW
------------KDB/Silva-----------
--Delph---------Fernandinho--
------------Yaya----------------
--LB---Otamendi---Kompany-
--------------Hart---------------
With Yaya as the Alonso playmaker type.
So, they could maybe make it work but they'll need to buy lots of wide speed this summer. Homegrown stuff will be an issue, but maybe a summer of something like: Mahrez/Berardi, Ricardo Rodriguez/Gaya and Carvajal/Coleman would otherwise be the goal. Patrick Roberts probably gets promoted to give homegrown depth out wide on the right and maybe some more homegrown players who suit Guardiola are signed in the form of a Creswell, Wilshere or Maitland-Niles.
Depends on your definition of challenge. Given that basically every previous coach from the continent failed at implementing a successful and dominating possession style, it's certainly a challenging task for Guardiola. Furthermore the EPL is unlike the Spanish and German leagues in terms of intensity and competiteveness. Prevailing here would certainly further improve his reputation. Then there's also the matter to be the coach who re-establishes an English club as a major force among the football giants from the continent.
Sounds challenging enough.
In premier league terms it's definitely excellent. It's better than Arsenal's, United's and Chelsea's squads.
You've basically given an overly negative take on every element of their squad. It's an ageing team in midfield and defence, but you speak as if footballers' legs fall off at 30 or something.
On paper, their attack is comfortably the best in the league.
On paper, they have a quality first choice centre back pairing of Kompany and Otamendi, and adequate backups in Mangala and Demechilis.
On paper, their fulllbacks aren't anything special but still adequate.
On paper, their keeper is among the best in the PL.
On paper, their midfield is decent and needs improving as Toure is not exactly a pure central midfielder.
Compare that with Arsenal and I can only see possibly right back and central (playmaking) midfield where Arsenal are stronger. Maybe Walcott as a second choice striker too? Otherwise City's attack is comfortably better, they have a better set of centre backs and are there or thereabouts in other departments.
Problem with City is that they far too often seem to be "off their game". Of course they need to improve their central midfield with maybe one new player, and their defence needs some younger legs, but it's still better than what the rest of the league has to offer, yet you can never say they are the best "team" in England.
This what happens when you spend so much money on players on the basis of primarily one season, they are given ridiculous amounts of leeway that isnt afforded to rival teams.
Sterling / KDB /Mangala / Otamendi..Thats a ridiculous amount of money spent on players that have had 1, maybe 2, individually stand out seasons. The credibility isn't there where we can dismiss a bad run of form as just that. Is it a bad run of form or is it their actual level? This is what happens when you sign these sort of one season players. We watched Youtube clips of Otamendi shutting down Messi and Ronaldo but there were no clips of him getting caught woefully out of position or clumsily fouling and kicking out at players beyond the halfway line because he got a nose bleed.
Kompany / Aguero / Silva are aging and injury plagued stars. The fact they are still brought up as "on paper if they can stay fit" heading towards 2016 baffles me. It allows a skewed slant to be brought up as their theoretical first 11 are in peoples minds instead of the practical 11 they put out each week. Sure Toure in a midfield 2 to fit in all the attacking talent playing behind a firing Aguero and a scheming Silva is a fantastic FM side but in the real world how often do CIty get overrun in midfield and how often are everybody in match rhythm due to injuries?
This team has proved nothing as a side in the Premier League. They shouldn't be judged as a great side until they prove otherwise, they should be judged on what they actually do and judge them on their performances.
Edit from the 28th of October they have only won 3 league games and v Norwich and Swansea were extremely fortunate they walked away with anything at all. They are routinely overrun by the opposition and they don't seem to have an answer for it.
I said at the start of the season they do not have enough consistent goal scorers. They have games when everybody fills their boots but who are the players they can turn to and rely on breaking down sides week in, week out?
Silva and KDB are 1 in 3 players, Sterling is woeful with his finishing. Aguero never plays.
Bony? That man has done nothing since his move. They're back to relying on old man Toure and even his rate has fallen dramatically.
Sterling / KDB /Mangala / Otamendi..Thats a ridiculous amount of money spent on players that have had 1, maybe 2, individually stand out seasons. The credibility isn't there where we can dismiss a bad run of form as just that. Is it a bad run of form or is it their actual level? This is what happens when you sign these sort of one season players. We watched Youtube clips of Otamendi shutting down Messi and Ronaldo but there were no clips of him getting caught woefully out of position or clumsily fouling and kicking out at players beyond the halfway line because he got a nose bleed.
Kompany / Aguero / Silva are aging and injury plagued stars. The fact they are still brought up as "on paper if they can stay fit" heading towards 2016 baffles me. It allows a skewed slant to be brought up as their theoretical first 11 are in peoples minds instead of the practical 11 they put out each week. Sure Toure in a midfield 2 to fit in all the attacking talent playing behind a firing Aguero and a scheming Silva is a fantastic FM side but in the real world how often do CIty get overrun in midfield and how often are everybody in match rhythm due to injuries?
This team has proved nothing as a side in the Premier League. They shouldn't be judged as a great side until they prove otherwise, they should be judged on what they actually do and judge them on their performances.
Edit from the 28th of October they have only won 3 league games and v Norwich and Swansea were extremely fortunate they walked away with anything at all. They are routinely overrun by the opposition and they don't seem to have an answer for it.
I said at the start of the season they do not have enough consistent goal scorers. They have games when everybody fills their boots but who are the players they can turn to and rely on breaking down sides week in, week out?
Silva and KDB are 1 in 3 players, Sterling is woeful with his finishing. Aguero never plays.
Bony? That man has done nothing since his move. They're back to relying on old man Toure and even his rate has fallen dramatically.
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