Celtic won league title 9 times in a row between 1965-66 and 1973-74.....but that was Scotland!
I agree it is a ridiculous argument
Pep's spending is insane (£941m and counting at City)
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In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik and Imran hold a long overdue conversation about United's awful league form with 1 win in 7. They discuss a disappointing draw at Bournemouth, a not so disappointing draw against Liverpool and a crushing defeat at Chelsea - Is time nearly over for Erik Ten Hag?
Then in a special second half of the pod, Nik welcomes Natalie ( https://twitter.com/natalie_17) to discuss the fortunes of Manchester United Women as they booked a place in the FA Cup Final after a historic first ever win vs. Chelsea.
I agree it is a ridiculous argument
But a cycle should last longer than 2 title winning seasons surely? Sir Alex might have had 3 big rebuilds since that first title, not every 2 seasons.
Especially with the money that was spent. 130 odd million alone last summer!
This sidd should be closer to Liverpool than they are, especially with their easy start.
I think calling it a giveaway really diminishes how excellent this current Liverpool team is too, they're there by their own merit, not because of City.
They've certainly had a blip largely as a result of Guardiola's failure to reinforce the centre of defence in the summer. But it's unrealistic to expect any team to sustain 100-points-a-season form for many years on the bounce. I'm struggling to think of a team in the history of the game who has dominated to that unparalleled extent for several years. Real Madrid's European Cup winning side only won 2 league titles in 5 years; Beckenbauer's Bayern crashed to 10th during their third European-Cup-winning campaign; while Saachi's Milan won 1 league title in 4 years. Even the clubs who have won multiple titles in a row have done it either in much poorer leagues or without the singular level of competition that City face in Liverpool. It's the same situation when his Barcelona got 91 points in Guardiola's 4th season while Real monstered their way to 100. Many decorated club sides have got away with dips in form because they've not had to contend with such a force.
The criticism with Pep is not whether he wins the title again or not. If he gains 93 points and loses the title to a 99 point Liverpool you can't say much. The issue is he struggles mightily away from home in crucial games. Every season when push comes to shove, he sinks:
Lost to an injury-ridden Spurs side last season in the CL.
Lost 0-3 to Liverpool the year before.
Lost 1-3 to Monaco the year before.
0-3 and 0-4 against Barca and Madrid when at Bayern. Also 0-1 to Atletico.
Even games when he was prime Barca manager. 1-2 vs. Arsenal at Barca's absolute prime, the infamous Stamford Bridge game, 1-3 to Inter. Etc.
A decade of consistent crucial away game failures despite managing the absolute cream of the crop teams in the world. When you are said to be a tactical genius you should also show it in these tough circumstances from time to time.
Consistently beating 90 % of the league fodder with the best teams in their respective leagues with unlimited riches for 3 seasons in which he can motivate his players is also very good but not all that special.
Lost to an injury-ridden Spurs side last season in the CL.
Lost 0-3 to Liverpool the year before.
Lost 1-3 to Monaco the year before.
0-3 and 0-4 against Barca and Madrid when at Bayern. Also 0-1 to Atletico.
Even games when he was prime Barca manager. 1-2 vs. Arsenal at Barca's absolute prime, the infamous Stamford Bridge game, 1-3 to Inter. Etc.
A decade of consistent crucial away game failures despite managing the absolute cream of the crop teams in the world. When you are said to be a tactical genius you should also show it in these tough circumstances from time to time.
Consistently beating 90 % of the league fodder with the best teams in their respective leagues with unlimited riches for 3 seasons in which he can motivate his players is also very good but not all that special.
It is for this reason that city’s titles don’t really mean that much. I always say it is like playing football manager in cheat mode but there is some truth in that. At least us (and LPool to be fair) spend based on income generated from being a successful club
Liverpool Echo said:
That's shocking to be honest. His behaviour when shaking hands with the officials was absolutely disgraceful and allowing it to stand is a terrible message to send to the kids who watched that and will now think it's ok to wilfully disrespect referees in their next match.
According to roumours, City
will hand Pep a 140 Million Pound Warchest to strengthen the Squad. They are looking for 2 Defenders and one fullback
will hand Pep a 140 Million Pound Warchest to strengthen the Squad. They are looking for 2 Defenders and one fullback
That City will face a big rebuild sooner or later.
Agüero, Silva, Yaya, Fernandinho, Kompany, Zabaleta and Hart were the spine of the team for years.
They managed to replace Yaya, Zabaleta and Hart with Gündoğan, Walker and Ederson. But players like Agüero and Silva are very, very difficult to replace long term.
They've had a lot of bad luck with injuries compared to Liverpool. KDB last season. Mendy his entire City career. Sané and Laporte this season. Ederson missing today. These things will affect any team, let alone City's squad.
I don't think Pep has the patience to manage through a rebuild. So he will be gone soon.
That will be their XI moving forward (next season)
_________________Jesus
Sterling---------------------------------RW
________ Bernardo-------KDB
________________Rodri
Ageliño-----Laporte----CB------Walker
_______________Ederson
I can see Bravo, Otamendi, Stones, Mendy, Fernandinho (retire or move to China/Brazil), Silva (confirmed) Sané, Mahrez and maybe even Agüero all leaving within the next 12-14 months.
That's still a quality XI. But would require a reliable CB to parter Laporte, and a quality RW should Sané leave.
Agüero, Silva, Yaya, Fernandinho, Kompany, Zabaleta and Hart were the spine of the team for years.
They managed to replace Yaya, Zabaleta and Hart with Gündoğan, Walker and Ederson. But players like Agüero and Silva are very, very difficult to replace long term.
They've had a lot of bad luck with injuries compared to Liverpool. KDB last season. Mendy his entire City career. Sané and Laporte this season. Ederson missing today. These things will affect any team, let alone City's squad.
I don't think Pep has the patience to manage through a rebuild. So he will be gone soon.
That will be their XI moving forward (next season)
_________________Jesus
Sterling---------------------------------RW
________ Bernardo-------KDB
________________Rodri
Ageliño-----Laporte----CB------Walker
_______________Ederson
I can see Bravo, Otamendi, Stones, Mendy, Fernandinho (retire or move to China/Brazil), Silva (confirmed) Sané, Mahrez and maybe even Agüero all leaving within the next 12-14 months.
That's still a quality XI. But would require a reliable CB to parter Laporte, and a quality RW should Sané leave.
Easy to talk shit in hindsight, but Sane and Laporte injuries play a massive role in their underperformance this season. Also going with Bravo in their biggest game of the season... It'd be like Liverpool were missing Sadio Mane, Virgil and Alisson.
I think City are not that motivated - they won 2 on the bounce, breaking records, they will handle Liverpool the title and concentrate all on the CL. Whether that's enough to win the Big Ears, we will see. That's going to cement Pep's legacy at City imo.
I think City are not that motivated - they won 2 on the bounce, breaking records, they will handle Liverpool the title and concentrate all on the CL. Whether that's enough to win the Big Ears, we will see. That's going to cement Pep's legacy at City imo.
Enough with the kids and this moral posturing about a game of football. He lost, he was pissed, it's okay...
Haven't they already replaced David Silva with Bernardo, Yaya Toure with De Bruyne, Fernandinho with Rodri, Aguero with Sterling (in terms of value - the supporting attackers like Nasri and Dzeko are the equivalent of Mahrez/Sane and Jesus, if not worse), and Kompany with Laporte (Kompany's prior partners like Demichelis, Lescott etc. being no better than Laporte's current partners)?
Looks to me like they've done a good re-build job, proactively, which is a large part of the reason why "Pep's spending is insane". People are saying they're just stockpiling talent but Silva, Toure, Aguero and Kompany were replaced while they were still there, setting things up well for the future.
I don't think City have a prayer of winning the Champions League. Their defence is still crap despite all the money they've spent on it, and I doubt throwing another £150m at the problem in January will make much difference.
I can't believe the bookies have them favourites at almost half the odds of their challengers. A fool and their money....
Nah I disagree. Pep has a cloak of invisibility to do what he likes with it. If Jose, Warnock or Allardyce behaved like that everyone would be raging and they'd get a fine and a touchline ban.
The reason we can't attract good refs is because of the way they're treated across the game, particularly at grass roots where the abuse they get is enough to put anyone decent off the idea.
The pro game needs to set the example for the rest of football to follow and that way, we may get a better calibre of official coming up through the ranks one day.
What does it mean to be "not all that special"? It's very rare, if you look at the last century of footy. It's rare in large part because the conditions are rare, but it doesn't change the fact that very few people have done it, and we have very little evidence to suggest lots of people could do it under the same conditions. Other than the opinions of armchair fans, of course - high quality evidence...
I think a Pep meltdown is on the cards this season.
He's already in the spoilt brat doesn't win the egg and spoon race phase.
He's already in the spoilt brat doesn't win the egg and spoon race phase.
What is it about Pep that attracts the armchair experts and psychologists?
Pep's meltdowns are funny. Can't remember which game it was but after the last whistle he was jumping around like he was on something.
Are we all going all in on Pep, forgetting how they stormed the league the last 2 years? And ignoring a Liverpool team who are fusing luck with having a powerhouse unit?
Sane wouldn't get into their best 11 in fairness, so it's not quite the Mane parallel. But I generally get what you mean.
Liverpool have nowhere near the quality and depth City have in the mid and attack. They just seem to have outrageous luck that Mane and Salah only miss about 4 games between them all season.
Mane being out would be a massive gamechanger I reckon. Him alone.
His transfer spending has been twice that of Klopp's and he's happy to let him know.
He comes across as a bit of a twat to me. Smarmy answers in interviews when he has lost & outright childish behaviour on the sidelines. I can see how his shelf life is limited as upper management & ownership must tire of him as well. I'm sure he will be heading back to Catalonia at the end of the season & Man C will head into a major rebuild.
Could be ugly. !!
Success and style. His teams have beaten so many sides and gathered so many enemies along the way. By playing his way so there are so many eager to see him fail
For me it means this: I believe that Pep's coaching trajectory until now could have been emulated by quite a few coaches. Not any coach but a lot of coaches. Barca and Bayern jobs were the easiest possible jobs, both clubs had the best teams in their club's histories at the time. Same core of both teams won World Cups. This doesn't mean you can be Garry Neville level inept at coaching and succeed with those teams but no doubt there are a few coaches who would have been just as successful.
City was not as straight forward but still the easiest job in England by a distance. Already the best squad in England with added investments of € 800 million in 4 seasons since Pep joined. All the while Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea on the decline compared to the previous decade. Minimum expectations with City would be winning the league. Pep exceeded those with 100 points instead of merely winning. In Europe he should make a semi final at least. He didn't in 3 seasons. Not against Barca and Madrid but he failed against the likes of Spurs and Monaco.
So all in all very good but "special"? What was special? The style? That's a matter of taste. Special is taking a midtable Liverpool side that hasn't won a league title in 30 years and turning them into back-to-back CL finalists, CL winners and likely Premier League winners this season. About 5 years ago Liverpool were a joke, literally a joke with the Stevie G. slip, Brentan "great character", alternate tables, golden glove trophies etc. The RAWK thread was bumped daily. Now they can confidentally call themselves favourites in all competitions, domestically and internationally. THAT is a special job done by a coach.
BILD seem to be suggesting that he's no longer happy at City. Could simply be a reactionary piece following the defeat at Anfield.
He doesn't like it up him.
Whenever he comes second best in a duel, he loses interest in my opinion. He's coming second best this season - either the owners give him £400-500m in Jan/Summer to 'right this wrong' next season and get revenge......or goodbye. He will leave in the summer with no shortage of takers in 1-team-leagues where his genius will be unchallenged. PSG or Juve most likely.
Or he's genuinely just a bit of a twat at times, notwithstanding his footballing accomplishments.
About 5 years ago Liverpool were so midtable that with 3 games to go of the 2013-14 season, they just needed 2 wins and a draw to win the league title. They were so midtable that season that they finished a whopping 2 points behind the champions. As much of a good job as Klopp has done there - with a fair bit of investment and being granted a decent amount of time by modern-day footballing standards by the way - it was Brendan Rodgers who sowed the seeds by implementing a style of play that was well suited to Klopp. Up until last season, Klopp had never gotten as close to winning the league at Liverpool as Rodgers did, yet that 2013-14 season seems to have been bizarrely airbrushed from history by some in favour of the somewhat understandable regression that followed the season after when Liverpool lost their best player to Barcelona.
My problem with Pep as you mentioned is he seems to feck off when hes facing the slightest bit of adversity and hes an incredibly sore loser, but my main gripe with him is hes only managed clubs where he has a huge advantage in squad quality and/or financial resources. No doubt his trophy haul is impressive, but none of the jobs hes had so far has been a proper challenge really.
If he now takes on the PSG or Juve job it would fit his modus operandi perfectly. Juventus is not as dominant as say Bayern, but winning the Ligue 1 with PSG is basically given
Were not even at the half way point of the season for anyone to brandish liverpool title winners. They may go on to win(hope not) but theres still a chance they fumble. Lets not forget Liverpool dont have any injuries to key players which has helped them not lose. It only takes one injury to mane/Van dijk before we see the multiple draws in January.
Still city dont look that strong right now. Its like they are very open on the counter and dont possess that same fear they had last season. We might actually beat them comprehensively if we were ti play them right now.
Still city dont look that strong right now. Its like they are very open on the counter and dont possess that same fear they had last season. We might actually beat them comprehensively if we were ti play them right now.
the Athletic have released a story saying there will probably be no CL Ban for the Der Spiegel claims.
He'll leave at the end of next season for sure. But I don't see him leaving before his contract expires unless he wins the CL this season in which case I think he'd make that his last game in charge.
How much money will he spend on fullbacks? He's spent over 200m on FULLBACKS and still wants to spend more?
Such an overhyped manager.
Priceless.His transfer spending has been twice that of Klopp's and he's happy to let him know.
Love the way he looks up at the sky at the end as if he is appealing to god.
His meltdown was really funny. Still laughing at this "Thank you so much" to the ref at the end. He's really funny when he's on the losing side.
This Barca side lost the league the previous season and looked toothless against us in CL semi final. They lost terribly 1-4 to Real Madrid and even made a guard of honor to their rivals which was humiliating. When you see the difference in form between the Barca that faced us in CL semi final 2008 then compare it to the Barce against us in 2009, you'll notice the difference. Bayern job was very easy and he did nothing major there but he did improved Barca, alot.
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Despite him being at City, god i love Pep as a manager..
There is a frustrating revisionism about the side that Pep inherited. When he took over I don't ever recall people predicting what a phenomenal success he would be yet most people talk now as if winning the treble was inevitable given the quality of the players. Bookmakers had United as slight favourites for the 2009 final.
You have to use revisionism unless we pretend we knew how good Messi would become.