Funny that, mine is “All those lads you see going to the factory in Trafford Park, they come to watch you on Saturday. They have boring jobs, so you have to give them something they will enjoy.”
Do you find Man City (and other Pep teams) boring?
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
Pep’s teams are incredibly boring to watch because they dominate games, and barely give the opposition a chance. If I was a City fan I’m sure it must be wonderful but as a neutral I’d rather watch Liverpool because they both score and leak goals. I’ll be glad when Pep goes back to Barcelona because he’s made the Premier League boring. The league being won by December each year makes it pointless to watch half the season.
No is my answer.Don’t like them but I don’t find them boring.I find teams who can’t play football boring though.
What irks me is these no-mark pundits saying Pep has shown its possible to play great football in England. It wasn't all hoof ball in the past. 
The 08/09 Barca side with Eto'o, Messi and Henry as the front three was exciting.
The 08/09 Barca side with Eto'o, Messi and Henry as the front three was exciting.
How can you compare Iron Mike to City? The man destroyed everybody in his prime in the first round or two with no need to be strategic or win a bout on points. United during the 90s or unfortunately the current Liverpool team are a much better analogy
If you take that Barca side out you'd see the records are not that good anymore. If my memory serves me right after Barca Pep hasn't made CL semi final until last year. Prime Barca was a couple levels above the rest so what I said doesn't apply. They're simply vastly superior than basically all of their opponents. And back then most teams had not figured out how to play against that style.
I'm not saying Pep won things with Barca merely because of their players. It's both Pep's genius and the players. They're simply made for each other that's why it worked so well. I watched them a lot back then.
One thing about Pep's football is it only works if he has a better midfield than his opponent. Only with a better midfield then he'd manage to control the match, keep a lot of possession and thus can play accordingly to his plan. You can notice against any decent midfield his City more than often struggles massively. Prime Messi was of course fantastic. But imo Xavi, Iniesta and Busquet were actually what made that Barca so superior than the rest. That trio imo was the best midfield of all the time, by a considerable distance against the rest.
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How football should be played is subjective. Thankfully, there’s enough football for everyone to get their preferred fix.
As for teamwork, technique and quality on the ball, there are teams that give you all of that but with a sprinkling of orchestrated chaos and an added sense of urgency.
If I am watching as a neutral where the outcome doesn’t matter to me, give me something I can get my teeth into.
I wouldn't say their football is boring but the way they have reduced the variance of their performances to near zero by utilising their massive econonic advantages is boring because it makes the league so much less competitive.
Even the very best squads in football history were assembled with imperfections, due to the nature of them being built organically.
What City have is 23 clones. A player gets injured, suspended or leaves and they role another ready-made clone in. There's no drop-off in performances you would usually associate with having a fixture pile-up, having players missing or having to phase players out.
This is why its not how much you spend over a given period, necessarily, it's how quickly you can spend it relative to your competition. See Chelsea when Roman first arrived as the best comparison. They massively outspent their rivals over a three year period and then were able to settle into a more measure approach once they had the majority of their squad in-place.
My concern is, City will relentlessly farm 90+ points every season without the variance that usually applies to football teams, and the rest will find it impossible to keep up
Even the very best squads in football history were assembled with imperfections, due to the nature of them being built organically.
What City have is 23 clones. A player gets injured, suspended or leaves and they role another ready-made clone in. There's no drop-off in performances you would usually associate with having a fixture pile-up, having players missing or having to phase players out.
This is why its not how much you spend over a given period, necessarily, it's how quickly you can spend it relative to your competition. See Chelsea when Roman first arrived as the best comparison. They massively outspent their rivals over a three year period and then were able to settle into a more measure approach once they had the majority of their squad in-place.
My concern is, City will relentlessly farm 90+ points every season without the variance that usually applies to football teams, and the rest will find it impossible to keep up
What? Boring? Are you frikkin' kidding me?! but I like one thing though, We have won the Premier League 13 times and League as a whole, 20 times but we were never told that we were boring. SAF's United always kept it interesting. We either made up ground and won titles or we made a good start and let slip a few points here and there to keep the hunt for others alive. All this said, I hate City just as much as I hate Liverpool but I certainly do not hate Pep Guardiola. I definitely think he's a genius and wanted him to join us before I found his Barcelona coaching staff were already placed at City and that would ultimately be his destiny. I have never seen teams other than those of Guardiola's who keep the ball so well and make chance after chance. Remember this, if Guardiola leaves City tomorrow.. they will once again suffer to be Champions! This whole thing is about Pep and not City.
They're certainly not boring in my eyes, in fact I would love for United to play like that. I don't believe in all this pressing and gegenpressing because all that comes into play only when you lose the ball. Pep hates losing possession of the ball regardless of where on the pitch it is or how many passes it takes for the ball to reach the opponent box and that's just patience and his genius of how to approach opponents. Mind you, his basics are ball possession and player position but his tactics change for every game and every player. It takes a lot to be Pep Guardiola. I hate for this Pep Guardiola is my idol to be on the blue side of Manchester and therefore I hope he leaves soon and rejoins Barcelona. That is where he truly belongs.
That ship has sailed.
Peps constant winning football is so boring!
They need to play exciting unpredictable football like us!
They need to play exciting unpredictable football like us!
Guardiola vs Klopp has been an epic match up since Germany actually.
Fans vs Coach
Fans want excitements, thrill, and competitive matches. Coach wants less unpredictability as much as possible and winning the match.
Peps team are the near definition of robots playing football. Everything about the teams are choreograph to the near perfection and thats why his teams needs specific palyers in most position to function. Its rince and repeat most of the time until the opponents are crashed under the pressure.
I mean even our best team during the Fergie era wouldnt be this predictable and uncompetitive. You need to give teams hope during matches even with 10, 20, 30mins but with pep team, you know what happens most of the time since the 1st min.
Fans want excitements, thrill, and competitive matches. Coach wants less unpredictability as much as possible and winning the match.
Peps team are the near definition of robots playing football. Everything about the teams are choreograph to the near perfection and thats why his teams needs specific palyers in most position to function. Its rince and repeat most of the time until the opponents are crashed under the pressure.
I mean even our best team during the Fergie era wouldnt be this predictable and uncompetitive. You need to give teams hope during matches even with 10, 20, 30mins but with pep team, you know what happens most of the time since the 1st min.
I find city boring at times but if I'm honest I have found United's football boring for a lot longer.
It doesn't serve you right, he made 3 semis in a row in his 3 years at Bayern .)
Not so much the football (although as a United fan how much pleasure can you actually take from it), but it's more to do with how good they are. The majority of their games are a foregone conclusion and are almost over before they kick-off. The frustrating thing for me is how opposition teams play against them. The tactic of sitting back and just allowing them to dominate possession is ridiculous. They've shown time and time again they have the ability to break you down eventually if you allow them.
When teams have a go at them and exploit the space they always leave, then the game is more even. I realize that's easier said than done, and merely "having a go" will not always result in a competitive game - they're still more than capable of beating you if you play this way. But the number of times a team will play them and almost give up before a ball is kicked and basically look towards the next game is very dispiriting. They're basically just so much better than anyone else in the league, for a multitude of reasons, that it becomes incredibly boring. And I feel there's almost a similar feeling with City fans themselves. I may be way off the mark saying that, but there's almost a shrug of the shoulders. Like it's become so routine that it's no longer special.
I can say that because as a United fan, I had this exact feeling when we were winning all the time. I still enjoyed every title and major trophy we won, but on a game-by-game basis, when we won it was almost that shrug of the shoulders "who's next" type of deal. Now I'm over the fecking moon when we manage to beat Burnley at home!
When teams have a go at them and exploit the space they always leave, then the game is more even. I realize that's easier said than done, and merely "having a go" will not always result in a competitive game - they're still more than capable of beating you if you play this way. But the number of times a team will play them and almost give up before a ball is kicked and basically look towards the next game is very dispiriting. They're basically just so much better than anyone else in the league, for a multitude of reasons, that it becomes incredibly boring. And I feel there's almost a similar feeling with City fans themselves. I may be way off the mark saying that, but there's almost a shrug of the shoulders. Like it's become so routine that it's no longer special.
I can say that because as a United fan, I had this exact feeling when we were winning all the time. I still enjoyed every title and major trophy we won, but on a game-by-game basis, when we won it was almost that shrug of the shoulders "who's next" type of deal. Now I'm over the fecking moon when we manage to beat Burnley at home!
His Barcelona team was the worst - they were incredibly defensive, in that they'd pass the ball around the back for ages until the opposition switched off a bit, and then gave the ball to Messi to work some magic.
Without probably the best player of all time in his team, Pep has had to move to a slightly more attacking setup in order to score goals.
His city aren't exactly thrilling, but they're orders of magnitude more entertaining than his Barca.
Without probably the best player of all time in his team, Pep has had to move to a slightly more attacking setup in order to score goals.
His city aren't exactly thrilling, but they're orders of magnitude more entertaining than his Barca.
I find everything about them boring if I'm honest. Obviously from a purists POV they play exceptionally efficient football and I admire Pep as a coach, but that's about as much emotion I can muster.
If United don't win the league then they are always my preference to win it every season.
If United don't win the league then they are always my preference to win it every season.
Your memory serves you wrong
If I watch porn I might find the girl a bit boring but if I were having sex with her I'd probably enjoy it.
Think about that.
Think about that.
They score goals galore so I really wouldn't describe their football as boring. The only thing that might be boring is the way other teams set up against them.
I can understand the Spain hate and some of the later Pep Barca teams, as they would literally play at times like they were trying to set records for passes completed and possession.
But I also think it comes from some fans just not enjoying the more detailed nuance of the game that the best Pep teams play with. If you prefer swashbuckling attackers looking to pull off improvised skills and creating stuff out of nothing, you’re not gonna find that with him. But the spacing, control, movement, quality of pass between the lines that his teams exhibit are exceptional. They pull and stretch teams against their will better than anyone else in the world. It just gets a bit robotic and formulated
Yes,,its extremely boring, they just pass and pass and wait till the other team gets tired and falls asleep to score, possession based football has made teams very hard to watch,
Yeah I was wrong. The "he hasn't made CL semi until last year" was actually only valid with City.
Anyway he lost all those three semi. Imo his records in the CL with City is pretty meh so far regarding the squad and all the money he has.
He found a way on how to adapt his slow boring football to the EPL. It's still slow and dull, but it's not like his last year in Barcelona where I think he exaggerated with a fecking million passes a game.
In Barcelona he had a few geniuses at hand, but here he somehow managed to create a really cohesive unit and style of play with a few players that you'd wonder if they would fit his team.
I don't find the style that impressive, yeah surely it's mathematically more probable you're going to win a game, but what's more impressive is his ability to do it all over again with different players and, let's be honest, money, loads of money.
In Barcelona he had a few geniuses at hand, but here he somehow managed to create a really cohesive unit and style of play with a few players that you'd wonder if they would fit his team.
I don't find the style that impressive, yeah surely it's mathematically more probable you're going to win a game, but what's more impressive is his ability to do it all over again with different players and, let's be honest, money, loads of money.
I've seen this mentioned a few times now. People seem to present this as if Ferguson did that on purpose, keeping the league or individual matches tense. I would strongly doubt that. If United could have had every single match decided by half time and the league by February, they would have.
It's amazing how you sing Guardiola's praises for most of your post and then still come out with this. How the hell is he a fraud? (God I hate that expression!)
Except Tillis, Green, Smith, Ribalta and Tucker who all took him the distance before Douglas flattened him.
The myth of Tyson being a force of nature is hugely exaggerated.
Anyway, back to Pep.
Agree, but he has also been unlucky in how some of those games has unfolded. It's a cup competition at the end of the day. A great cup to win of course and obviously a priority for all the best teams, but atleast in the modern format more often won by circumstances rather than being the best team in the world at that moment.
No, is the real and only one football for me
Triangles and deadly ball possession
2nd place heavy death metal gegenpressing, with Neuer playing as an added stopper, CB and playmaker 35 meters far from the goal
Triangles and deadly ball possession
2nd place heavy death metal gegenpressing, with Neuer playing as an added stopper, CB and playmaker 35 meters far from the goal
I’d rather have Pep’s football than the football that has been served to us for nearly a decade since Fergie retired. It’s not only boring, its absolutely soul crushing.
You do. We end up winning feck all at the end of the season
This. Nothing boring about dominating and winning.
I think a lot of what Pep has achieved at City is actually structural, and from that point of view almost revolutionary in English football. It's far more like a 'system coach' in the NFL, where the playbook is designed for certain type of QB, certain type of line etc, and the team is fully connected at constantly acquiring talent for that system. In that sense, City are kind of unrivalled. Pep's football requires full backs with very real quality to create chances on overloads - so City go and get him 4 a season til he sorts it out. His style requires a defensive shield of a very particular profile, so he's always had one or two while he's been there - at the time most people thinking he overpaid for Rodri. His system requires tidy, technical small forwards. And he's basically signed all of them.
It's one of the reasons we're such a disaster. No long-term planning or vision. Best of luck to Ralf and Murtough tbh.
On the field, however, I do find Pep's style can be a bit boring. And not in the way that most have been saying. I believe in the Arsenal match their penalty was their first attempt. I've seen countless 'big' Pep matches where that's the case - despite having the ball they stifle rather than create. Now, against dross it's incredibly effective because no human being can keep their concentration for 90 minutes of chasing the ball. But am I impressed that 11 of the most technical players in the history of the game are able to play keep ball by going down one flank, than back to the CB, than down the other flank, than back to the keeper, than down the other flank? No, I'm reasonably sure almost any team could do that if they had no intention of scoring. But I believe Pep needs control, and is actually a defensive mastermind, not attacking. (yes despite goals scored)
I did find it funny in some of the aforementioned big matches when City create absolutely nothing from their intricate play, then Ederson slams a bloody brilliant 70 yard ball over the top to a runner who gets the only goal. Or when they spend 90 minutes dicking around with triangles and eventually like against Arsenal from a knock down, lucky bounce and there we go.
Football is choatic, Pep has successfully taken some of that out.
It's one of the reasons we're such a disaster. No long-term planning or vision. Best of luck to Ralf and Murtough tbh.
On the field, however, I do find Pep's style can be a bit boring. And not in the way that most have been saying. I believe in the Arsenal match their penalty was their first attempt. I've seen countless 'big' Pep matches where that's the case - despite having the ball they stifle rather than create. Now, against dross it's incredibly effective because no human being can keep their concentration for 90 minutes of chasing the ball. But am I impressed that 11 of the most technical players in the history of the game are able to play keep ball by going down one flank, than back to the CB, than down the other flank, than back to the keeper, than down the other flank? No, I'm reasonably sure almost any team could do that if they had no intention of scoring. But I believe Pep needs control, and is actually a defensive mastermind, not attacking. (yes despite goals scored)
I did find it funny in some of the aforementioned big matches when City create absolutely nothing from their intricate play, then Ederson slams a bloody brilliant 70 yard ball over the top to a runner who gets the only goal. Or when they spend 90 minutes dicking around with triangles and eventually like against Arsenal from a knock down, lucky bounce and there we go.
Football is choatic, Pep has successfully taken some of that out.
Remember when they said it couldn't work in Pep's first season?What irks me is these no-mark pundits saying Pep has shown its possible to play great football in England. It wasn't all hoof ball in the past.
The 08/09 Barca side with Eto'o, Messi and Henry as the front three was exciting.
Idiots on both extremes.
Agreed about the luck, he's been quite unlucky and sometime let down by his players (Sterling for example).
But I'd disagree about the "more often won by circumstances". Most of the time the best teams in the world at that moment play in the CL semi. Then one of them win the CL. You look at the CL history for the past 20 years and how many time an underdog win a CL? or even made it to a semi final? Very few I'd say.
When two of the best teams in the world meet the margin is usually quite small. Then come the importance of tactic. The one who can predict their opponent's plan better and make their own plan accordingly to minimize their weakness and maximize their strength, or to better exploit their opponents weakness usually score first and win.
Totally agree. The league has been ruined by City, and soon Newcastle as well. I certainly watch less football now than before, and part of that is knowing the league is already won by December these days. It’s boring.
When he joined pundits were saying he couldn't make possession football work in the PL. These same pundits are now praising him as he's made it work but then omit to mention he's spent a Billion quid to make it work. In effect possession football does work in the PL as long as you are state owned & spend a huge load of cash. As only City & Newcastle fit this criteria then it would be safe to assume that possession football will only work for 2 of the 20 teams in the PL. If i had something that only worked 2 out of 20 times i'd say that in reality it doesn't work.What irks me is these no-mark pundits saying Pep has shown its possible to play great football in England. It wasn't all hoof ball in the past.
What is it about City that makes you [people] think they can just carry on and stay at this relentless level for the foreseeable future? It's very clear to me that the ultimate difference maker for them is Pep. Of course having bottomless pockets helps him immensely but City are hardly the only team in the league who can spend money.
What is Chelsea and United's excuse? Why aren't our clubs as consistent and relentless as City? Or even close to it? We've spent a bag full of millions too. Why can't we get close to them in the league? For me the difference is Pep. Once he leaves, they'll return to the levels they showed before him, which was still really good but Mancini and Pellegrini didn't have this league in a headlock the way Pep does.
We are much more boring than City.
Pep's barca was more boring.
But there's something super boring about having the best players available at the touch of a sheik billionaire. It's like playing cm 01/02 and scooping up all the best players at one team. Of course it's gonna go one way and end in trophies, but it feels boring/meh.
But there's something super boring about having the best players available at the touch of a sheik billionaire. It's like playing cm 01/02 and scooping up all the best players at one team. Of course it's gonna go one way and end in trophies, but it feels boring/meh.