Man City 2020/21 - General discussion

Borys

Statistics Wizard
Joined
May 10, 2013
Messages
9,023
Location
Bielsko Biala, Poland
Annoying how they'll win this title just because, guess that's how many felt about us towards the end of Fergie's time, we didn't have amazing title winning teams in Fergie's last 2 or 3 title wins we were just better than the rest and that's where this City side is
I see it totally different, we've won because we had moments of brilliance from individuals and winning mentality under Fergie. This City team is just dominant, class above even without their best player.

The way they play in midfield is similar to Barca under Pep. They just suck football out of opponents. I hated playing them.
 

charlenefan

Far less insightful than the other Charley
Joined
Aug 17, 2005
Messages
33,052
Probably the most formidable city side under pep as they always had the slight potential hiccup defensively but not this season. Like some other I also believe that they gained an advantage with their little break over xmas and at the end of the day they are able to field two strong first 11 sides unlike any other side in the league.
Swings and roundabouts, the may have had defensive questions previously but they pressed better and scored more goals then, now they have less goals, press less but are defensively faultless

They're moving along like a machine at the moment but they'll be a game where someone scores a worldy and the the players who are getting the goals right now drop. This City side is no where near a formidable as they were a couple of years ago
 

ExecutionerWasp001

Full Member
Joined
Mar 3, 2019
Messages
439
Probably the most formidable city side under pep as they always had the slight potential hiccup defensively but not this season. Like some other I also believe that they gained an advantage with their little break over xmas and at the end of the day they are able to field two strong first 11 sides unlike any other side in the league.
The unofficial Winter Break has given them a lift for sure. The unforced errors teams are making against them though is the bigger factor in the current run. They were gifted goals by poor defending & officiating early in the run. Alison throwing the ball into his net last week just confirms that our luck isn't in this year. Lloris was also very poor today & should have saved 2 of the 3 goals.
 

arthurka

Full Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
18,664
Location
Rectum
Their form is absolutely flaming hot these days. Great team performance again. 11 wins in a row and 15 unbeaten. Hate to say it but Pep is bringing his mojo back to the game. Gundogan on another level
 

SER19

Full Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2008
Messages
12,478
Guaranteed title and you'd really expect 3 or 4. Their squad depth is just too much for any team to compete with and are reaping the rewards of having a single manager backed with the guts of a billion pounds. Lose de Bruyne and it doesn't even register due to size of squad. Lose 2 centre backs and there's 100m plus of back up. It keeps freshness on all fronts and over a long season just can't be matched.
 

thepolice123

Full Member
Joined
Mar 25, 2008
Messages
12,179
Someone needs to do a check on the water they drink again, their resurgence has been ridiculous.
 

padr81

Full Member
Joined
Dec 12, 2015
Messages
11,880
Supports
Man City
Their form is absolutely flaming hot these days. Great team performance again. 11 wins in a row and 15 unbeaten. Hate to say it but Pep is bringing his mojo back to the game. Gundogan on another level
Benefits of our squad, the likelihood before the season was our squad depth would see us pull away when others were going down and thats whats happened. We've had more injuries than United and Leicester but our squad depth means we can cope with them much better. Not another team in the world could play without Dias, Aguero and KDB and not look like dropping a percentage in performace. We have pretty much 2 players for each position.
 

Peter Parker's Mask

New Member
Newbie
Joined
Jan 31, 2021
Messages
46
Supports
Manchester City
Delighted with that result. Spurs have been a horrible bogey team for us in the last few seasons. We owed them that.
 

Bearded One

Full Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2017
Messages
1,245
It’s okay to mention that they have crazy wealth but myopic to ignore other equally relevant facts. They have a £50m left back on the bench but who did the business against the great Son and Kane? Zinchenko. Would you want him in your team? No. They have a £50m world class player who is probably the best attacking midfielder in Europe but the guy is probably watching the match via a TV set. Who delivers the goods? Gundogan who everybody was convinced is gone. Yes they got Mahrez and those fantastic stars but who delivers on the pitch for them - young Foden.

Mentioning how much they have without balancing that fact with equally relevant facts is making us look like the bitters that they originally were. I wouldn’t expect a team that has Kane, Son and Ndombele to be so inferior against the Sterlings, Gundogans and Gabriel Jesus’ of this world.
 

Kag

Full Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2013
Messages
18,875
Location
United Kingdom
I still think this is the least scary team they’ve had since they started to turn into some sort of player under Mancini.

Can’t knock their results, and the defensive shake up has been seriously impressive, but I think they’re over-performing relative to the quality of their squad. God help us all if they find the right long term successor to Aguero.
 

arthurka

Full Member
Joined
Jan 20, 2010
Messages
18,664
Location
Rectum
Benefits of our squad, the likelihood before the season was our squad depth would see us pull away when others were going down and thats whats happened. We've had more injuries than United and Leicester but our squad depth means we can cope with them much better. Not another team in the world could play without Dias, Aguero and KDB and not look like dropping a percentage in performace. We have pretty much 2 players for each position.
It's like an perfectly drilled and oiled machine. You look miles apart and yes this is a very deep squad indeed.
 

Bilbo

TeaBaggins
Joined
Sep 27, 2004
Messages
14,208
Obviously they are quality players and well coached, but what gets me every time is how switched on every player seems to be. Just sharper in all ways. Movement, anticipation, decision making. Winning games easily
 

Knux

Full Member
Joined
Feb 25, 2014
Messages
1,820
Supports
AIK Stockholm
The unofficial Winter Break has given them a lift for sure. The unforced errors teams are making against them though is the bigger factor in the current run. They were gifted goals by poor defending & officiating early in the run. Alison throwing the ball into his net last week just confirms that our luck isn't in this year. Lloris was also very poor today & should have saved 2 of the 3 goals.
They are being ’gifted’ goals because they have a front foot approach to every game. They force teams to do mistakes due to press and every player follows their gameplan. Easier said than done. I don’t see them stop winning anytime soon unfortunaly. Too much quality in every position even with De Bruyne and Aguero out.
 

Ayush_reddevil

Éire Abú
Joined
Mar 22, 2014
Messages
10,665
What a well coached & drilled team this is. Sad reality is that they are winning another title having had a rebuild with a much younger squad and we are miles away
 

Gio

★★★★★★★★
Joined
Jan 25, 2001
Messages
20,297
Location
Bonnie Scotland
Supports
Rangers
Other sides have been running players into the ground but Guardiola has played the long game well this year, rotating in his massive squad to good effect. He’s also made the tactical adjustment earlier in the season, as opposed to his usual trait of dropping bombs in Champions League Semi Finals.
 

Noot

Full Member
Joined
Jan 29, 2021
Messages
614
Supports
Manchester City
Other sides have been running players into the ground but Guardiola has played the long game well this year, rotating in his massive squad to good effect. He’s also made the tactical adjustment earlier in the season, as opposed to his usual trait of dropping bombs in Champions League Semi Finals.
Is it massive? There's quality in depth but it's not a particularly big squad. If you don't count Carson (you shouldn't), we only have 22 senior players, and two of those have been injured most of the season. Ederson, Gundogan, Dias, Stones, Rodri, Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus, Zinchenko, Foden and Cancelo is the starting XI for pretty much all of our games at this point with no more than one or two exceptions. It feels like Pep is rotating less than ever, which I think is probably the cause of our good form.
 

Maluco

Last Man Standing 3 champion 2019/20
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
5,765
Is it massive? There's quality in depth but it's not a particularly big squad. If you don't count Carson (you shouldn't), we only have 22 senior players, and two of those have been injured most of the season. Ederson, Gundogan, Dias, Stones, Rodri, Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus, Zinchenko, Foden and Cancelo is the starting XI for pretty much all of our games at this point with no more than one or two exceptions. It feels like Pep is rotating less than ever, which I think is probably the cause of our good form.
Of course it is, your bench tonight had Jesus, Torres, Laporte, Jesus and Fernandinho even with key players missing and injured.

Pep has done a good job, but you can’t play down the massive advantage he has over everyone else in that regard.

He has top players to step in in every position and doesn’t need to miss a step.
 

kaiser1

Full Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2018
Messages
1,950
Supports
Bayern Munich
Of course it is, your bench tonight had Jesus, Torres, Laporte, Jesus and Fernandinho even with key players missing and injured.

Pep has done a good job, but you can’t play down the massive advantage he has over everyone else in that regard.

He has top players to step in in every position and doesn’t need to miss a step.
That is because he trusted Zinchenko and Foden to start
 

Maluco

Last Man Standing 3 champion 2019/20
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Messages
5,765
That is because he trusted Zinchenko and Foden to start
...who are both also very good players who are a part of his massive squad. Every club has youth players and cheaper options in their squads. Not every club can afford to waste 50 million on a Mendy, for example, who was also on the bench tonight. He has other options. He always has options.

Injuries and fatigue are minor inconveniences, not potential season derailers like they are for most clubs.

He has done a great job this season, but the money and benefits of that money, can’t be played down.
 

Eternitiy

New Member
Joined
Aug 20, 2019
Messages
581
Obviously they are quality players and well coached, but what gets me every time is how switched on every player seems to be. Just sharper in all ways. Movement, anticipation, decision making. Winning games easily
Their players' patterns of movement in the box is absolutely extraordinary. I have never seen anything like it. In awe of Guardiola honestly.
 

horsechoker

The Caf's Roy Keane.
Joined
Apr 16, 2015
Messages
51,381
Location
The stable
Other sides have been running players into the ground but Guardiola has played the long game well this year, rotating in his massive squad to good effect. He’s also made the tactical adjustment earlier in the season, as opposed to his usual trait of dropping bombs in Champions League Semi Finals.
Nobody can compete with their squad depth. Their B team is still of a much higher quality than anyone else's. Maybe Chelsea and us could if the owners invested more money.
 

eire-red

Full Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2018
Messages
2,506
Is it massive? There's quality in depth but it's not a particularly big squad. If you don't count Carson (you shouldn't), we only have 22 senior players, and two of those have been injured most of the season. Ederson, Gundogan, Dias, Stones, Rodri, Bernardo, Sterling, Jesus, Zinchenko, Foden and Cancelo is the starting XI for pretty much all of our games at this point with no more than one or two exceptions. It feels like Pep is rotating less than ever, which I think is probably the cause of our good form.
Some teams have a large squad, but only a core of 14-15 players who are generally interchangeable, without much of a drop in quality.

Tonight, City had KDB injured, Aguero returning, Dias, Mendy, Ake, Mahrez, Torres, Walker, Fernandinho not featuring in the starting 11. With a full squad, you're switching genuine world class quality with others from the bench.

Laporte is the perfect example. A couple of seasons ago he was one of the best in the league. Now, being able to rest Dias for Laport is crazy. Take KDB out of other any other team in the Prem and you'd notice the drop in performance levels. It's not the numbers that matter, but the quality in depth is what's key.
 

pratyush_utd

Can't tell DeGea and Onana apart.
Joined
Aug 30, 2017
Messages
8,421
For all the talks of this being a close season, it looks like league is over in February already. This has to be Pep's greatest league win of all. Didnt have a team which was considered overpowered at the start, but built it over the course of the season. Imagine adding Messi and others to this team.
 

amolbhatia50k

Sneaky bum time - Vaccination status: dozed off
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
95,336
Location
india
Pep is just a phenomal coach. I don't even think the team they're playing these days is other worldly or something but the tactical changes he's made, the patterns he coaches and the peformance levels he brings out from each individual/collective, is different gravy.
 

amolbhatia50k

Sneaky bum time - Vaccination status: dozed off
Joined
Nov 8, 2002
Messages
95,336
Location
india
Some teams have a large squad, but only a core of 14-15 players who are generally interchangeable, without much of a drop in quality.

Tonight, City had KDB injured, Aguero returning, Dias, Mendy, Ake, Mahrez, Torres, Walker, Fernandinho not featuring in the starting 11. With a full squad, you're switching genuine world class quality with others from the bench.

Laporte is the perfect example. A couple of seasons ago he was one of the best in the league. Now, being able to rest Dias for Laport is crazy. Take KDB out of other any other team in the Prem and you'd notice the drop in performance levels. It's not the numbers that matter, but the quality in depth is what's key.
In the same vein, who rated John Stones, Zinchenko, Gundogan, Rodri, Danilo and Foden (as a first teamer) that highly, before this run? It's not just about depth. It's elevating players to reach extremely high heights. Now you're perception of these players is that they're terrific footballers. That's the trick of top class coaching, that KDB and Gundogan can be indistinguishable and are part of the same great squad pool.

We too spent 130 million on defence recently. A lot more before that. But our 2 big money CB signings are helping us break defensive records. Spending is important but not everything.
 

Zen86

Full Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2007
Messages
13,871
Location
Sunny Manc
For all the talks of this being a close season, it looks like league is over in February already. This has to be Pep's greatest league win of all. Didnt have a team which was considered overpowered at the start, but built it over the course of the season. Imagine adding Messi and others to this team.
Their only real competition for the last few years have fallen off a cliff, leaving them to walk the league. Why would it possibly be his greatest win?
 

Sylar

Full Member
Joined
May 15, 2007
Messages
40,255
Their defence makes me think this will be the best chance under Pep to win the CL trophy. They dont look like conceding. Heck they hardly look like giving up opportunities as well.
 

VorZakone

What would Kenny G do?
Joined
May 9, 2013
Messages
32,620
What exactly have they done to improve their defence? Is it all because of Dias? Pep choosing a more conservative style?

What has changed?
 

Spiersey

Full Member
Joined
Feb 15, 2012
Messages
7,385
Location
United Kingdom.
Supports
Chelsea
What exactly have they done to improve their defence? Is it all because of Dias? Pep choosing a more conservative style?

What has changed?
Dias has made a big difference as has Cancelo. They are playing 2 proper CDM/CM's this year though, that's probably the biggest difference. Rodri KDB D Silva was a regular midfield for them which offers much less protection defensively than a Gundogen Rodri pivot. Rodri has also improved massively individually from last season. Gundogen finding peak form currently is helping too. Pep's changed system also, Cancelo is basically an additional CM this season as well as seeming to want at least 1 winger to play on their strong foot instead of inverted.

Last season was also a bit of a freak season really. A lot of City's defeats were good performances, they just didn't take their chances and other teams would score 1/2 goals from 2 chances all game. Eventually that stops happening. Pool are finding out that the reverse is also true.
 

Adisa

likes to take afvanadva wothowi doubt
Joined
Nov 28, 2014
Messages
50,311
Location
Birmingham
Obviously they are quality players and well coached, but what gets me every time is how switched on every player seems to be. Just sharper in all ways. Movement, anticipation, decision making. Winning games easily
Coaching. His teams' bottom level is still fairly decent. They always do the basics right.
 

UNITED ACADEMY

New Member
Joined
Aug 14, 2018
Messages
13,127
Supports
Erik ten Hag
People are forgetting Pep had spent like 900m or plus and none of the money he spent were being used on Aguero & KDB too so even without Aguero & KDB, he still have lot of good quality players. They could make 2nd team XI to be very competitive in top 3. You just have to admit it, the have very solid XI and solid squad depth.
 

Gentleman Jim

It's absolutely amazing! Perfect even.
Joined
Jun 14, 2015
Messages
3,144
Location
Salford
Supports
city
Benefits of our squad, the likelihood before the season was our squad depth would see us pull away when others were going down and thats whats happened. We've had more injuries than United and Leicester but our squad depth means we can cope with them much better. Not another team in the world could play without Dias, Aguero and KDB and not look like dropping a percentage in performace. We have pretty much 2 players for each position.
Not just squad depth but also the versatility of those in the squad.
So many of them can operate competently in several positions and in a variety of systems.
 

Josh 76

Full Member
Joined
Mar 14, 2018
Messages
5,565
They can start resting players in the league now and concentrate on the cups.
Best chance ever to do the quadruple.
 

11101

Full Member
Joined
Aug 26, 2014
Messages
21,206
I don't know what it is about them but they're such a boring team. It's a squad stacked full of above average players coached in a very specific way, but there is nobody there and nothing about them that is going to get you on the edge of your seat.

Pep's Barcelona was largely the same, save for the occasional brilliance of Messi and pals. I can't think of any other top team like that.