Manchester City 19/20 season

Red Keane

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Koulibaly would be a top signing but personally I believe our defensive issues come more from midfield than our CB's. He would be a big improvement for sure but until we get some pace in defensive midfield I don't think we'll challenge.
I would agree that another DM needed to be signed (alongside 2 CB's) to enable Fernandinho to be phased out. My personal suggestions would be for City to sign either De Jong or Ndidi.

Absolutely Mangala is probably the worst signing in PL history. Funny thing is before his confidence got destroyed and in a team that didn't require ball playing CB's, I think he'd have turned out much better. Terrible move for both parties. Porto were the only winners.
Alongside the various Third-Party Owners to be fair.

Yeah, I thought for ages Stones was going to be our Rio, young English good on the ball. But he hasn't developed at all defensively despite being in the same dressing room as Kompany. I wouldn't be surprised to see him off in the summer
I suspect that the main reason to why Stones hasn't developed defensively has been the fact that his place in the Starting XI had largely been guaranteed by Kompany's regular injuries and by having both Otamendi & Mangala being even worse. So what exactly would motivate him to further develop his skills in this area?

I have no clue where he'll end up though.
Arsenal has been suggested, although I highly doubt they would be able to afford him. Personally I think that he would likely stick around at the Eithad as a Squad Option for the next few seasons (mainly because he counts as an "Home Grown" Player for Squad Purposes), especially since City need to get 2 CB's just to replace Kompany & Otamendi. So if Stones is going to leave as well, another CB would need to be signed.

The rumor was a swap for Semedo so we'd probably end up giving Barca Cancelo and money. I'd like to see Cancelo given another season just to see.
Cancelo should be given another season. However there would be a case to sign Semedo regardless to replace Walker after next season.

Yeah he's more of a lead by example. I don't think we have anyone whose captain material off the pitch. They all seem too easy going etc..
Manchester City would be better off going down the road United took and sign someone (such as Koulibaly) that would end up wearing the armband once they arrive.

The problem with this is when this happened the first time we cut a (shady?) deal with UEFA instead of taking them on and trying to abolish FFP in 2014. That is when we should have taken this on. We gladly cut that deal instead of sticking up for ourselves and other clubs who could benefit like we did from huge investment, we decided to step on them to keep them down just like the g14. We should have showed spine back then but we cut the deal and for better or worse became part of the clubs trying to prevent others from climbing up. To go and try and abolish FFP now would be hypocritical. We signed up to be part of FFP the day we struck that deal. Now we're kind of reaping what we've sewn.
What I still don't get is why did Khaldoon Al Mubarak agree to this 2014 compromise in this first place? I mean I do get why Infantino was desperate to agree such a compromise with City; but considering that Khaldoon Al Mubarak was openly willing to take UEFA to Court over FFP, its seems a bit strange that he suddenly agrees to a pretty poor compromise back in 2014. Especially when he could have forced even more concessions out of UEFA such as having FFP amended to allow club owners to "sponsor" their own clubs (1).

Regardless I would very much agree that City should have never accepted the deal, called UEFA's bluff and take them to court over FFP. Had they done so back in 2014 than both Manchester City and European Club Football as a whole would be in a much better place (2).

(1) Which would actually make a lot of sense; since it would allow club owners to invest into their own clubs, but not in a way that would lumber said clubs with massive debts owed to their owners.

(2) Especially when it would have forced the likes of the Glazers to invest more money towards the clubs that they owned, least they fall further behind (and lose their best players to) the likes of City & PSG.

That said if we lose in CAS I wouldn't bet against us going to Europe over this and eventually taking on the rules themselves. The problem I would have with this, is it will look like we're taking on the rules out of spite because we were punished instead of doing it for the right reasons (FFP being a ball of shite).
When it comes to FFP, the likes of City look the least hypocritical out of all the clubs involved. Mainly because the rest of Europe's Elite Clubs are even more hypocritical than yourselfs in this area. Especially the likes of AC Milan & Inter Milan (1).

(1) Who only started calling for FFP once their owners couldn't be arsed to put more money towards either club, despite being among Europe's highest spenders of transfer fees for a very long time.

Pep already said only 1, maybe 2 players this summer.
Last time I checked; Digne, Koulibaly, Škriniar, De Jong, Fabian & Sancho & Kane where not on Manchester City's looks, if they where then Pep would be fully correct.

I don't think the rebuild is 7 or 8 players as many are stating but we need a CB, LB and CDM for certain.
Realisitically Manchester City actually do need 7-8 signings. Especially when they also need to sign another CB, a David Silva replacement & another winger to enable B.Silva to become a full-time CM.

Sane is a big loss as when he goes we have to play with inverted wingers. For me our best attacks was Sterling, Aguero, Sane.
Would Mikel Oyarzabal be a good replacement for Sane? Or should City aim to get someone like Mane (who has been rumoured to leave Liverpool since 2018) instead?

My big problem with us is pace in midfield and Pep's Rodri and Gundo obsession, I dislike both but think either one is ok when surrounded by pacy midfielders (even Foden is quick enough).
Getting someone like Fabian (to directly replace D.Silva) would help address this problem, especially when it would mean that Pep would no longer have to play both Rodri & Gundogan in the same midfield when he would have KDB, B.Silva, Fabian & Foden as options in CM.
 

Red Keane

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Sorry for bumping this, but I just wanted to say that I feel that Leroy Sane's move to Bayern Munich was a pretty bad mistake on their part. Mainly because Bayern Munich (in my opnion) are less likely to win the Champions League than Manchester City (1), that Sane in turn should have simply waited for D.Silva to leave the club (2), it sends out the wrong message to talented players (3) & it ignores the biggest lesson a player needs to learn in relation to ones overall career (4).

Likewise I find it pretty foolish that Pep seems to think that Manchester City don't need to replace him...despite the fact there have been mutiple games which showed that City in fact do actually need a player like Sane.

(1) Bayern need 2 Top Class CBs & another Striker at least to be in a position to win the CL, can anyone really see that happening?

(2) Which would have meant that B.Silva would have moved to CM full-time, thus meaning that Sane would have more game time on the wings.

(3) Which is that no one (no matter how talented) should ever feel that they have a god given right to have a place in the Starting XI. In other words you need to actually prove you deserve such a place.

(4) Which is that it's better to be on the Bench/Second XI of a bigger club (and thus win more trophies) than to be starting for a smaller club, especially when doing the latter will more likely end up with a more disappointing career for said player. Take Alexis Sanchez for example; if he had the courage to stay at Barcelona in a Squad role (after 2014), he would have won 4 more League Titles, 4 Domestic Cups & a Champions League.

Instead; he decides to spend his best years at a club that starts players like Mustafi; which has resulted in him only winning another 2 Domestic Cups while clowns like Mignolet, Moreno & Lovern (despite all of them being squad players) go on to win Champions Leagues & in the case of the latter, Premier Leagues as well.
 

charlenefan

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Peps gonna need to spend big again this summer or Liverpool are going to walk it again;

CB? Check obviously
LB? Maybe but then they did win the title with Delph playing there
CM? Definitely. Rodri doesn't hold a candle to Fernandinho and obviously David Silva is leaving as well
Attack? Yep, they need to replace Sane, Mahrez is a step down from him

Next season is Pep's last on his current contract? He may well look at it and decide he doesn't have a rebuild job in him and just see the final season out
 

adexkola

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(4) Which is that it's better to be on the Bench/Second XI of a bigger club (and thus win more trophies) than to be starting for a smaller club, especially when doing the latter will more likely end up with a more disappointing career for said player. Take Alexis Sanchez for example; if he had the courage to stay at Barcelona in a Squad role (after 2014), he would have won 4 more League Titles, 4 Domestic Cups & a Champions League.
This is a rotten thesis and it goes against everything good about the game. The best players should be starting, not stockpiled on a bench for 1-3 mega teams. City have Mahrez, Sterling, and can play B.Silva/Jesus/Foden on the wings. In an ideal world it's a serviceable player or youth player on the bench, not Sane.
 

adexkola

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Peps gonna need to spend big again this summer or Liverpool are going to walk it again;

CB? Check obviously
LB? Maybe but then they did win the title with Delph playing there
CM? Definitely. Rodri doesn't hold a candle to Fernandinho and obviously David Silva is leaving as well
Attack? Yep, they need to replace Sane, Mahrez is a step down from him

Next season is Pep's last on his current contract? He may well look at it and decide he doesn't have a rebuild job in him and just see the final season out
This is not true
 

footballistic orgasm

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Peps gonna need to spend big again this summer or Liverpool are going to walk it again;

CB? Check obviously
LB? Maybe but then they did win the title with Delph playing there
CM? Definitely. Rodri doesn't hold a candle to Fernandinho and obviously David Silva is leaving as well
Attack? Yep, they need to replace Sane, Mahrez is a step down from him

Next season is Pep's last on his current contract? He may well look at it and decide he doesn't have a rebuild job in him and just see the final season out
They have different qualities, but Mahrez is not a step down by any means.
 

Red Keane

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This is a rotten thesis and it goes against everything good about the game.
I am not saying that players should embrace what Jessie Lingard has been doing recently and just get paid to sit on the bench/reserves. My point is that its better for a football player to play 25-30 games a season for a bigger club (and win more trophies) than to play 50-60 games for a smaller club and likely win very little at best. Especially when the former is more rewarding for your hard work than the latter.

The best players should be starting, not stockpiled on a bench for 1-3 mega teams.
Any team should have at least 22 players that are good enough to start for your club (whatever level it might be). Simply because firstly, it encourages squad comeptition within the team (and thus force all the players to play to the highest standard to try & keep their places in the team) and secondly, it allows each football player to put more effort into each game in the knowledge that they only have to play 25-30 games rather than have to stretch out their energy & effort across 50-60 games.

City have Mahrez, Sterling, and can play B.Silva/Jesus/Foden on the wings.
Sterling & Mahrez are your only actual wingers (hence why City should have signed 1 Winger even if Sane stayed) since B.Silva & Foden are best as CM''s & Jesus is a ST. Likewise if B.Silva & Foden are playing on the Wings, you would basically only have KDB as your only "actual" CM.

Thus Manchester City are going to have to sign 2 more Wingers (as well as 2 CBs, a LB, a David Silva replacement, a Fernandinho replacement & a eventual Aguero replacement) if they want to actually stop Liverpool winning the League next season.

In an ideal world it's a serviceable player
Servicable players do not push a side to win trophies, hence why I would like to see the likes of Lingard & Jones head out of the club in favour of players that will actually improve the squad.

or youth player on the bench, not Sane.
Putting Youth Players on the Bench does nothing for their development whatsoever, especially when what they need most of all (when they enter the senior level) is as much game time as possible. So unless one is willing to gamble on playing youth players week-in week-out, they should either be loaned out to clubs that will give them game time (and the right enviroment) to develop or they should start out in a Club's B Team (1) to prove themselves good enough to play for the First Team.

(1) I am very much in favour of introducing B Teams to the Football League/National League System.
 

kaiser1

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Sorry for bumping this, but I just wanted to say that I feel that Leroy Sane's move to Bayern Munich was a pretty bad mistake on their part. Mainly because Bayern Munich (in my opnion) are less likely to win the Champions League than Manchester City (1), that Sane in turn should have simply waited for D.Silva to leave the club (2), it sends out the wrong message to talented players (3) & it ignores the biggest lesson a player needs to learn in relation to ones overall career (4).

Likewise I find it pretty foolish that Pep seems to think that Manchester City don't need to replace him...despite the fact there have been mutiple games which showed that City in fact do actually need a player like Sane.

(1) Bayern need 2 Top Class CBs & another Striker at least to be in a position to win the CL, can anyone really see that happening?

(2) Which would have meant that B.Silva would have moved to CM full-time, thus meaning that Sane would have more game time on the wings.

(3) Which is that no one (no matter how talented) should ever feel that they have a god given right to have a place in the Starting XI. In other words you need to actually prove you deserve such a place.

(4) Which is that it's better to be on the Bench/Second XI of a bigger club (and thus win more trophies) than to be starting for a smaller club, especially when doing the latter will more likely end up with a more disappointing career for said player. Take Alexis Sanchez for example; if he had the courage to stay at Barcelona in a Squad role (after 2014), he would have won 4 more League Titles, 4 Domestic Cups & a Champions League.

Instead; he decides to spend his best years at a club that starts players like Mustafi; which has resulted in him only winning another 2 Domestic Cups while clowns like Mignolet, Moreno & Lovern (despite all of them being squad players) go on to win Champions Leagues & in the case of the latter, Premier Leagues as well.
Everything about this post is wrong unless its sarcasm
1. Bayern is actually favoured to win the CL over City(if they survive Madrid) currently
2. Sane is a winger so how does he benefit from Silva leaving when Sterling and Mahrez have the wings locked?

Bayern do not need 2 top class defenders to to win the CL, They have Boateng, Sule Hernandez, Alaba and Pavard who can all play CD and that is better than what City has, Bayern made shortwork of Chelsea and Spurs this season 13-3 aggregates over 3 games) these same clubs City had a problem with

Sane is German and will likely start at Bayern instead of wasting his best years at City when Pep doesn't rate him very highly

The current Bayern is younger and more promising than City ATM
 

adexkola

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@Red Keane

I disagree with all of that because while stockpiling talent is advantageous to top clubs, it shuts the door on the chance of other clubs looking to win trophies.

But specifically, there is no need for B teams anywhere. It's just a way for big teams to subsidize talent development. Look, I think this should go 2 ways:

1. Top teams should take on the responsibility of carving out space in their squads to embed and train youth into full players. Risk: either the player doesn't pan out, or even if they pan out, you're burnt in the short term by inconsistent performances. Reward: you have a great player you didn't have to shell millions of pounds out for. Or you have a dependable squad player. Or you can sell said player for profit.

2. Don't bother with youth development. Buy the finished product from other teams. For top fecking dollar (or pound sterling).

League structures shouldn't bend backwards because top clubs can't "afford" to develop talent.
 

kaiser1

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I am not sure of Koulibali as he is 29yrs already. Ake will be relegating with Bournemouth and could be gotten. Maybe City can use a guy like West Ham Antonio or Adanma Traore in attack
 

van der star

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Saw the line ups for City Vs Liverpool, mad that Garcia starts at the back against a full strength opposition, while big money signings Stones and Otamendi are on the bench.
 

Pep's Suit

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Saw the line ups for City Vs Liverpool, mad that Garcia starts at the back against a full strength opposition, while big money signings Stones and Otamendi are on the bench.
To be fair Garcia is City's best centre-back after Laporte. However overall when you look at this XI: without KDB and Laporte that's a Top4 team at best.
 

PepG

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Last night was one of the best games of Manchester City under Pep Guardiola's tenure. I don't know if the change of his assistants made an impact on him but purely on how Guardiola wants his teams to play yesterdays display was one of the very best.. I can even compare it with his glorious win when he was coach of Barcelona against Madrid with 5-0.. Guardiola always used the principles of the Positional Play but somehow over the years at Bayern and City he altered too much his game plan at times..Now with the arriving of Juanma Lillo as his assistant he is back at it again at 100 percent. City not only DOMINATED Liverpool, they totally controlled every action in the game and their attacking combinations were sublime..Let's see if Pep will keep this as a main principle in the rest of the games or he will try to experiment more..(the main reason he lost the title)
 

UNITED ACADEMY

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I am not sure of Koulibali as he is 29yrs already. Ake will be relegating with Bournemouth and could be gotten. Maybe City can use a guy like West Ham Antonio or Adanma Traore in attack
Not Pep's type of players imo. You expect a combination of intelligence, off ball movement & also very technical players. Even his keeper Ederson is more technical than those two, sums it up what type of players he needs.
 

DoneDaDa

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As bad as the defence has been, they've been poor in their finishing this season, which imo has been a bigger problem. Not many good killers upfront on there interesting to see what Pep and City steps are next in that department.