Not matter of months, but definitely within 2 years he would have transformed the entire United squad into something different and far better.
How would Pep do with our squad?
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Shaw, Martinez, Varane, Rashford, Eriksen, Bruno will keep the place and thats it.
Didn’t United spend over £200m net in the Summer? Even if we accept the argument that Pep is merely a chequebook manager, United are huge spenders. Why would he suddenly become bad at buying players?
Just another thread to shit on our players.
Pep picks his clubs carefully and so would never join because he wouldn't get the reassurances from the club that he can replace all the players that need replacing
Doesn't mean he didn't have the required attributes for Pep's City, though.
Kane also played under two manager in Mourinho and Conte, who were not very progressive, but he'd have no problem playing the possession football Pep desires.
That's pretty bold to assume and we have no idea yet if ETH is on Pep and Klopp's level.
We'd be serial challengers for all trophies in a year or two(presuming we're also getting new owners in this hypothetical).
He's the best coach in the world.
He's the best coach in the world.
The original question was to name which of City's players weren't playing in a possession based team before going to City.
And thinking a player has the attributes for Pep's football doesn't mean much (there're a lot of players with these so called attributes), they still have to be able to adapt to the system.
The underrating of United players potentials in this thread is truly hilarious.
With this group of players he'd go into depression trying to instil his philosophy. It'd be like trying to teach quantum physics to a group of morons.
It wouldn’t matter if he was. If this year’s squad was available all year with no injuries we would 100% be in the title race.
Attacking players:
KDB
Mahrez
Bernardo Silva (completely transformed for possession football)
Rodri
Grealish
Foden (academy)
I'm not so sure we would. I don't think anything would support that stance.
We don't score enough goals to be in the title race.
He'd be nothing special with the team available. That should be obvious. He's only ever worked with the most talented team in each league. And at City he's had free reign to do as he pleases. His brand of football is not suited to teams that don't have the most quality and, therefore, the most expensive players.
This question likely makes more people realise the toxic position ETH took up last summer. He's done well dealing with Ronnie, he's navigated questions about Greenwood and the sale of the club well, he's dropped Maguire in a very smooth manner, got us in two cup finals and we should finish top 4. He's maybe got half a team suited to his football.
This question likely makes more people realise the toxic position ETH took up last summer. He's done well dealing with Ronnie, he's navigated questions about Greenwood and the sale of the club well, he's dropped Maguire in a very smooth manner, got us in two cup finals and we should finish top 4. He's maybe got half a team suited to his football.
Luke shaw would be sensational under pep
But United belongs to that category though , don't they?
He'd be a Dani Alves regen but on the left.
I think some people are being disingenuous about Guardiola. Calling him a chequebook manager is hyperbolic. The reason he runs the wealthiest and most talented clubs in the world is because he gets results. Across his career at the top flight, he has won the league 10 times across 13 seasons (11/14 if City win this season). He has never failed to advance to the knockout stage of the UCL and has been in the semifinals 10/14 times. He has won everything there is to win at the club level and he did it in his first season. The only other manager that has that level of dominance over any prolonged period during the modern era is Sir Alex.
There are plenty of chequebook clubs out there that were interested/rumoured in him at various points - eg Chelsea, PSG, United, Juventus. He also could probably return to Barca whenever he wants. All of those clubs can attract better talent than City because of their history and/or location; not to mention not having to play for allegedly cheating sportswashers. The point being, he chose a project that does not require its manager to deal with a difficult ownership/management structure.
Regardless, to the question at hand - I think he would have United comfortably into the UCL and perhaps exiting the season as a favorite to win the league next season.
Throughout his career he has been very pragmatic about team selection and playing style. Surely all of his teams attempt to assert control and possess the ball but it has been different wherever he has been and this season’s City is very different from the last two, which were very different from the 17/18 and 18/19 sides.
If he were in charge at United I would expect that he would identify the players that he can work with and put the in positions to succeed. For example look at Stones, he was a out of the side, for a season and a half, now he has been re-invented. I think he may require that of United players. There are certainly talented players in the side - you don’t get an £60 million release clause because you’re a bad player. Certainly those unwilling to work and improve will be gone, but that is anywhere.
I think people should give the man the credit he deserves. He has shown that he has an uncanny ability to put players into positions where they can succeed and to avoid putting players into situations they are likely to fail.
There are plenty of chequebook clubs out there that were interested/rumoured in him at various points - eg Chelsea, PSG, United, Juventus. He also could probably return to Barca whenever he wants. All of those clubs can attract better talent than City because of their history and/or location; not to mention not having to play for allegedly cheating sportswashers. The point being, he chose a project that does not require its manager to deal with a difficult ownership/management structure.
Regardless, to the question at hand - I think he would have United comfortably into the UCL and perhaps exiting the season as a favorite to win the league next season.
Throughout his career he has been very pragmatic about team selection and playing style. Surely all of his teams attempt to assert control and possess the ball but it has been different wherever he has been and this season’s City is very different from the last two, which were very different from the 17/18 and 18/19 sides.
If he were in charge at United I would expect that he would identify the players that he can work with and put the in positions to succeed. For example look at Stones, he was a out of the side, for a season and a half, now he has been re-invented. I think he may require that of United players. There are certainly talented players in the side - you don’t get an £60 million release clause because you’re a bad player. Certainly those unwilling to work and improve will be gone, but that is anywhere.
I think people should give the man the credit he deserves. He has shown that he has an uncanny ability to put players into positions where they can succeed and to avoid putting players into situations they are likely to fail.
He would absolutely do better with the current squad. I don't think people give enough credit to Pep in his ability to improve players. Does anyone remember Delph, Zinchenko just to name a few? Or let's even look at DeBruyne, does no one recall that Pelligrini at one point benched him for losing the ball too much? What about Nathan Ake, Kyle Walker (there was a lot of talk when we bought him that it was a waste of 50 million pounds, look at him now) these are players at first glance you wouldn't consider Pep players but look at them now. It is the system he employs and his coaching that transforms his teams.
All this talk about Pep being a checkbook manager, United of all teams should understand that the price you pay for players is just as much a measure of how much you are perceived to be able to afford than the quality of the player themselves. There are loads of players with the quality and attributes that Pep values that can be acquired at a lower fee. Just think about all the ball playing midfielders in all the various teams in the top flight, from each team of the top 15 teams I'm sure one can find one or two that have the quality to play under Pep. People only claim he requires expensive world class players because these players become world class players under his coaching and his system. In terms of ball possession, Bruno is no different from DeBruyne before Pep!
All this talk about Pep being a checkbook manager, United of all teams should understand that the price you pay for players is just as much a measure of how much you are perceived to be able to afford than the quality of the player themselves. There are loads of players with the quality and attributes that Pep values that can be acquired at a lower fee. Just think about all the ball playing midfielders in all the various teams in the top flight, from each team of the top 15 teams I'm sure one can find one or two that have the quality to play under Pep. People only claim he requires expensive world class players because these players become world class players under his coaching and his system. In terms of ball possession, Bruno is no different from DeBruyne before Pep!
He'd sell De Gea on day 1 and replace him with a Claudio Bravo type on loan. If he has a transfer window he'll buy a fullback (probably RB) and a CM who are great on the ball.
If he doesn't have a window, he'd use a keeper from the reserves/youth team and consider someone like Lindelof at RB. The fullbacks will probably tuck in and flank Casemiro and allow the others more room to express themselves in a 2-3-5 kind of system.
He might move Bruno to the wings or play him as a false 9 - I don't think he'll like an AM who loses the ball as much as he'd rather retain possession until the final third. He'll probably prefer Pellistri or someone like that ahead of Antony after a while.
He's a top manager and I think he'll get top 4 in his first season.
If he doesn't have a window, he'd use a keeper from the reserves/youth team and consider someone like Lindelof at RB. The fullbacks will probably tuck in and flank Casemiro and allow the others more room to express themselves in a 2-3-5 kind of system.
He might move Bruno to the wings or play him as a false 9 - I don't think he'll like an AM who loses the ball as much as he'd rather retain possession until the final third. He'll probably prefer Pellistri or someone like that ahead of Antony after a while.
He's a top manager and I think he'll get top 4 in his first season.
Without a transfer window he would struggle massively because he isn’t a pragmatic manager willing to bend his methods to get the best out of the players. He would see his first season at the club as the first step towards him building the team in his design. He would try to play his way with these players in order to see if any of them could handle it but also to show those above him that the players aren’t capable and he needs a new team.
He'd gut it. And if he weren't able to get the players he wanted he'd walk
De Gea, Bruno, Antony and Rashford would be gone.
We'd probably be on track for a similar points total but with much clearer signs of the style of play he wants to achieve. He would have probably been much more radical in changing the first team personnel. He would likely have been able to get FDJ who would be key for his system, because let's face it many players would like to play for Pep. Then probably having to rely on some of our talented youngsters and the likes of Pellistri to replace our first teamers who struggle to complete 5 yard passes.
One disappointment this season is that we aren't really seeing our play develop its actually regressing as we approach the end. Hopefully that is purely due to fatigue.
One disappointment this season is that we aren't really seeing our play develop its actually regressing as we approach the end. Hopefully that is purely due to fatigue.
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He'd keep Martinez, Shaw and Casemiro and sell the rest probably.
Way way better.
We have to remember ten Hag had a preseason and transfer window which he spent over £200m.
This also won't be the Pep that joined the PL in 2016 it would be the 2022 version so the growing pains of the PL won't exist.
If he spent the same as EtH, we would have signed enough players to at least be able to fit his style of play to a decent level.
We have to remember ten Hag had a preseason and transfer window which he spent over £200m.
This also won't be the Pep that joined the PL in 2016 it would be the 2022 version so the growing pains of the PL won't exist.
If he spent the same as EtH, we would have signed enough players to at least be able to fit his style of play to a decent level.
Nah, the work ethic off the ball, both when attacking and defending, is simply not there. Not just the energy levels, but the willingness to bust a lung for your teammates and the system. And for the most part, it's going toe to toe against City's machine that has created the notion that Klopp is punching above his belt with a collection of players that excel at pretty much nothing else but running. Salah and Mane are, for example, are way better than any combo we could field on the wings in the last 6–7 years.
And yeah, if Kompany (as Pep's disciple) can make Burnley play attacking football that is pleasing to the eye, what makes you think that Guardiola wouldn't be able to do the same thing? They wouldn't win the league, of course, but they would certainly get more neutrals to watch their games. Let's also not forget that, before landing the BvB job, Klopp hasn't only won promotions with the Boltons of German football, but has been relegated, too.
Brighton may deflate eventually, but the shift in tactics across the leagues after the emergence of Pep's Barcelona is undeniable. More and more, you see midtable sides, both transition and possession based, are looking for ways to be productive with the ball. That's one of the reasons why Mourinho's philosophy of conceding possession and hitting on the counter with three or four players isn't working as well as it used to.
He'd absolutely knock a tune out of your current squad but much like ETH struggle for goals.
-------------------------DDG-------------------------
Dalot----Varane-------Marinez---Shaw - Dalot would pop into midfield to support Casemiro.
--------------------Casemiro---------------------
--------------Bruno-------Eriksen-------------- - Bruno doing the KDB and Eriksen the Gundogan.
Antony---------------------------------Sancho - I think he'd get Sancho doing the Grealish role, Antony would be like a really poor Mahrez.
-------------------Rashford----------------------- - Wouldn't score like Haaland obviously but would get about 20 league goals.
I also think a front 3 of Sancho rw, Rashrod lw and Martial f9 could work.
Would he win the league? unlikely but he'd probably finish the season in the low to mid 80's for points.
-------------------------DDG-------------------------
Dalot----Varane-------Marinez---Shaw - Dalot would pop into midfield to support Casemiro.
--------------------Casemiro---------------------
--------------Bruno-------Eriksen-------------- - Bruno doing the KDB and Eriksen the Gundogan.
Antony---------------------------------Sancho - I think he'd get Sancho doing the Grealish role, Antony would be like a really poor Mahrez.
-------------------Rashford----------------------- - Wouldn't score like Haaland obviously but would get about 20 league goals.
I also think a front 3 of Sancho rw, Rashrod lw and Martial f9 could work.
Would he win the league? unlikely but he'd probably finish the season in the low to mid 80's for points.