Varchester City 18/19 discussion

[mdvmia]

I get the logic in prioritizing the league over the champions league in their situation but how do you justify starting De Bruyne against Brighton in the fa cup and then leaving him out of a CL quarterfinal?

Leaving Sane out is also bizarre considering he rested in their last match and they don't play again for five days

 

[adexkola]

Good job ignoring the essential part. Is this deliberate?

1. City aren't out yet.

2. I'm not sure how highlighting the ridiculousness of "away knockout wins" is a deflection

3. Its a failure to not make the semi-finals 3 years in a row because that means you don't win the trophy 3 years in a row, not because making the semi-finals is some achievement in and of itself. After all, he did make the SFs with Bayern 3 years in a row and gets flack for it. So let's reframe your question as, "not winning the CL for 3 years would be considered a failure wouldn't it"? To answer that question, sure. That just sets Zidane, Luis Enrique, Heynekes and Do Matteo as successes. I'm not interested in a yardstick that relegates 99% of managers to the failure category.

 

[BridgeBanter]

Going out to underdogs before the SF three years in a row would not be a failure? He has problems in away knockout games, clear as day.

That’s an absurd primary metric to use. Conventional wisdom would suggest, looking at his record that he’s had tremendous success in the CL

 

[Oscar.Z.Acosta]

That’s an absurd primary metric to use. Conventional wisdom would suggest, looking at his record that he’s had tremendous success in the CL

It’s the nature of modern existence, sadly - winning is all. It’s why people actually laud Real Madrid being a better team than Barcelona over the last 10 years or believe Ronaldo is as good a player as Messi. It’s a strange cognitive dissonance that I believe is a symptom of the capitalist ideal of winning at all costs (see all business models since the late 60s), but I don’t want to turn this into a socio/economic lecture so will shut up now!

 

[Oscar.Z.Acosta]

Possession football has been in free fall for years now, but still English clubs were mesmerized by it last season like troglodites before a lump of fire.

Lovely imagery there. I see Carlton Palmer and Vinny Jones in situ...

 

[Infra-red]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:

"They are so good in the movements, the runs in behind... the buildup, the switch of plays, they can play in the middle and play outside. It's an incredible team, I said this maybe a thousand times since I came here to England."

He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:

"It's a team who doesn't play too much. It's more the transition. More the long balls, because they are tall and their physicality is strong."

"They play long balls, second balls, and after, attack."

On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

"They have alternatives - Llorente is always dangerous in the long balls..."

 

[Bergman]

Spurs are going to knock them out I think.

 

[RochaRoja]

A horrible night for City really. Liverpool having a routine away game at Porto on the same night City will have another high intensity match against Spurs where they’ll be required to go all out for a two goal + win is a massive advantage to the former in the league.

I still think they’ll win at Spurs in the league and qualify for the semis though.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Spurs are going to knock them out I think.

Get that feeling as well. They can win the tie but a 1-0 lead is a great lead to take to the away leg. Spurs know that one goal puts them firmly in control.

 

[Varun]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

 

[roonster09]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

 

[Rhyme Animal]

Hopefully losing in the CL makes Citeh realize the importance of that fecking PL.

Meanwhile, Liverpool stay in the CL until the semis (no further please scousers) and get all giddy about a double before losing both.

That's the correct outcome - let it be so.

 

[Sarni]

A horrible night for City really. Liverpool having a routine away game at Porto on the same night City will have another high intensity match against Spurs where they’ll be required to go all out for a two goal + win is a massive advantage to the former in the league.

I still think they’ll win at Spurs in the league and qualify for the semis though.

They will be playing Spurs at home in the league.

All Pep teams have struggled away from home in CL. Barca, Bayern and now City. It’s much harder to dominate good teams on big European nights at their own ground with the atmosphere surrounding these games and I feel like home advantage is way bigger in international games anyway.

 

[MrEleson]

They will be playing Spurs at home in the league.

All Pep teams have struggled away from home in CL. Barca, Bayern and now City. It’s much harder to dominate good teams on big European nights at their own ground with the atmosphere surrounding these games and I feel like home advantage is way bigger in international games anyway.

Pep's Bayern got KO'd home and away by Madrid in 2014. In fact, their home game was an emphatic 0-4 loss after only losing 1-0 away from home.

 

[Eddy_JukeZ]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

That's embarrassing from Pep

 

[Prometheus]

They need a holistic approach to the second leg if they want to get something from it.

 

[SER19]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

A little insight to why guardiola will always be a level below the absolute best managers. All the top guys have ups and downs and spells where detractors could call weaknesses or mourinho for example has clearly tailed off. Guardiola though just does not have the stomach for real challenge. All the best did. It's not that he's a sore loser, all the best managers are most of the time, it's that he just can't cope with tough times or more intense stress. He left Barcelona a bubbling idiot, took the cushiest jobs going and damn near had a meltdown in his first year until he went billionaire crazy with money. They're having a great season and will still win the tie comfortably. They've had the easiest cup draws you've ever seen and now even kane is out for the second leg but he still can't keep it together after a defeat. He's lucky he has an unlimited budget. Don't think he'd last 18 months without it

 

[Santi_Mesut_Alexis_87]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

Typical Pep. He always praises his opponents when he is sure to beat them just to give them sticks if they beat him.

 

[Sarni]

He is realistically not going to stay with City beyond 2021 so I wonder what comes for him after. It has to be Juventus, PSG or international football, I can’t see him managing a team that is not guaranteed to compete for the title.

I kind of like the rumors about him wanting to manage Brazil or Qatar. Would be interesting to see what he can do in international football. I also wouldn’t be surprised to see a country like China or US spend a ton of money to have him come and change football there.

 

[kouroux]

They need a holistic approach to the second leg if they want to get something from it.

They need to avoid starting Gundogan and Mahrez and they should be fine.

 

[amolbhatia50k]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

That's just so weird.

A little insight to why guardiola will always be a level below the absolute best managers. All the top guys have ups and downs and spells where detractors could call weaknesses or mourinho for example has clearly tailed off. Guardiola though just does not have the stomach for real challenge. All the best did. It's not that he's a sore loser, all the best managers are most of the time, it's that he just can't cope with tough times or more intense stress. He left Barcelona a bubbling idiot, took the cushiest jobs going and damn near had a meltdown in his first year until he went billionaire crazy with money. They're having a great season and will still win the tie comfortably. They've had the easiest cup draws you've ever seen and now even kane is out for the second leg but he still can't keep it together after a defeat. He's lucky he has an unlimited budget. Don't think he'd last 18 months without it

If the absolute best is essentially SAF and a handful others then I agree. Pep can never match him IMO.

But Pep is not below Mourinho for example or many other great managers of the game. He is among that elite list now.

He has weaknesses of course like every manager does, and his biggest one is definitely that he has a set way of playing which A) relies on players of immense technical quality B) that his team's sometimes tend to lack that bloody grit.

But the above is nitpicking to an extent. His record is incredible.

 

[Josh 76]

I get the logic in prioritizing the league over the champions league in their situation but how do you justify starting De Bruyne against Brighton in the fa cup and then leaving him out of a CL quarterfinal?

Leaving Sane out is also bizarre considering he rested in their last match and they don't play again for five days

Managers don't look at leaving players out as the same as fans look at it. Fergie was the master of planning 3 or 4 games ahead of busy schedules. Pep is looking at the bigger picture. He probably knows his first 11 that he will play against Spurs and Utd in the league and managing them so they are all fresh and ready for those big games.
The only game he could afford to lose was the one last night. He gambled and it's not totally back fired as over turning a 1-0 defeat is not impossible.

 

[Treble]

I get that Guardiola had to rotate but I can't get the reasoning behind subbing in KDB and Sane with 5-6 minutes to go. Doesn't make much sense. His treatment of Sane is poor.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

A little insight to why guardiola will always be a level below the absolute best managers. All the top guys have ups and downs and spells where detractors could call weaknesses or mourinho for example has clearly tailed off. Guardiola though just does not have the stomach for real challenge. All the best did. It's not that he's a sore loser, all the best managers are most of the time, it's that he just can't cope with tough times or more intense stress. He left Barcelona a bubbling idiot, took the cushiest jobs going and damn near had a meltdown in his first year until he went billionaire crazy with money. They're having a great season and will still win the tie comfortably. They've had the easiest cup draws you've ever seen and now even kane is out for the second leg but he still can't keep it together after a defeat. He's lucky he has an unlimited budget. Don't think he'd last 18 months without it

He's a man of profound vanity and faux humility. All he is interested in is perpetuating his own legend as a peerless genius in the eyes of his many acolytes.

 

[.Rossi]

He's a man of profound vanity and faux humility. All he is interested in is perpetuating his own legend as a peerless genius in the eyes of his many acolytes.

No idea why but, I kept thinking "bald" whilst reading this post

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

Check out this classic from Bluemoon:

This reminds me so much of last year, every key moment went against us. The pen decision doesn’t count because we missed it.

Makes sense.

 

[Red00012]

I get that Guardiola had to rotate but I can't get the reasoning behind subbing in KDB and Sane with 5-6 minutes to go. Doesn't make much sense. His treatment of Sane is poor.

It wasn’t even 5-6 mins it was approaching the 89th minute.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

No idea why but, I kept thinking "bald" whilst reading this post

The bald truth rossi.

 

[Jack - City Fan]

Unfortunate result from us, but not one that's impossible to come back from. Just have to hope the fatigue of the multiple games against them affects them more than us.

 

[Josh 76]

It wasn’t even 5-6 mins it was approaching the 89th minute.

Plus the 5 mins injury time

 

[cyberman]

Pep has never really done it away in Europe even in his Barca days so even the 2011 stat is being generous to him.

 

[SER19]

Unfortunate result from us, but not one that's impossible to come back from. Just have to hope the fatigue of the multiple games against them affects them more than us.

It will. You have spent way more money on a way bigger squad where most of your subs would start at Tottenham. Fatigue will absolutely affect them more.

 

[Trizy]

He's a man of profound vanity and faux humility. All he is interested in is perpetuating his own legend as a peerless genius in the eyes of his many acolytes.

Bloody hell.. ok then Stephen King.

 

[Trizy]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

What the feck is he on about the long ball? City defended the long ball very well. Their goal and chances came from just very good play and pressing their socks off.

 

[RochaRoja]

No idea why he gives Sane such a hard time. He has to start over Mahrez. The difference between the two is not even close, Sane is so much better in this City side. I can count on one hand the number of times Mahrez has aggressively attacked a defender with the ball at this feet this season. The only advantage Mahrez has on anyone else is crossing but it's not much use when we have very few aerial threats in the box anyway. de Bruyne had to come on around 70th minute mark too. Delph at LB is a nightmare but I concede Pep's options were limited, in hindsight I'd have gone with Laporte and put Kompany or Stones in the middle.

He’s rotating his squad. What’s the issue?

 

[RochaRoja]

They will be playing Spurs at home in the league.

My mistake. Should be a relatively straightforward win then.

 

[Black Adder]

Pep really likes to overthink himself- same was last season when they went to Anfield with him tinkering midfield which lost them match in the end.

 

[golden_blunder]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

Considering the CBs they have, long balls shouldn’t be a problem to them

 

[cyberman]

He’s rotating his squad. What’s the issue?

They've lost their biggest game of the season 1-0 in a competition that he was meant to being City up a level in.
You rotate around this game, City have had a piss easy fixture list for a month now for feck sake.

 

[Ban]

Guardiola was all sweetness and light before the game, praising Pochettino and Spurs:




He painted a rather different picture after the defeat, though:






On Kane's injury and likely absence from the return leg:

He should have ended that with I'm happy, happy new year to make it complete.

Anyway it was Pep In CL knockout away game. Not sticking to his way of playing but just making sure not to lose. His away form in CL knockouts is miserable cause he always mixes something and plays too conservative.