Manchester City under Pep Guardiola | Pep on City v Liverpool ref: "He likes to be special"

spiriticon

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U-N-I-T-E-D, UNITED are the team for me
with a knick knack paddy whack give a dog a bone
WHY DON'T CITY feck OFF HOME
 

Jacko21

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Agree on the point but I'll exclude Barca from this tbh.
Barca were better equipped than Bayern or City, but they didn't half used to get tetchy. They weren't above sheer cynicism if it meant getting the result.

And they were vulnerable when ran it, it's just that the had a mastery of the ball that we'll likely not see again for a long time. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi have seen to that.
 

breakout67

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I wasn't referring to personnel nor did I imply this City team was better. But rather, all of Guardiola's have the same vulnerabilities.

Run at Barca, you'll unerve them. Run at Bayern, you'll unerve them. Run at City, you'll unerve them.

Frustrate any of Pep's team and they are easier to beat - essentially, they don't like it up em! They get tetchy. They consider it any offence to challenge them.

Nobody is suggesting every team ought to press against City (most can't), but you can at the very least kick the crap out of them. If that gives you even the slightest advantage, then so be it.
Barca are just different gravy. They embraced the challenge and beat you into submission. Players like Xavi, Messi, Henry, Eto'o, Puyol loved a hard fought game, they lived for those type of games.
 

el3mel

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Barca were better equipped than Bayern or City, but they didn't half used to get tetchy. They weren't above sheer cynicism if it meant getting the result.

And they were vulnerable when ran it, it's just that the had a mastery of the ball that we'll likely not see again for a long time. Messi, Iniesta and Xavi have seen to that.
They were less vulnerable than both City and Bayern. I think Bayern was his most vulnerable team on pressure, followed by City then Barca. Maybe because of Messi being upfront.
 

Jacko21

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Barca are just different gravy. They embraced the challenge and beat you into submission. Players like Xavi, Messi, Henry, Eto'o, Puyol loved a hard fought game, they lived for those type of games.
Don't disagree. But did it not represent a better way to try and beat them though, or am I misremembering? Can't recall too many teams beating Barcelona without a bit of shithousery in their locker.
 

breakout67

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Don't disagree. But did it not represent a better way to try and beat them though, or am I misremembering? Can't recall too many teams beating Barcelona without a bit of shithousery in their locker.
I can't really say what is a better way to deal with them. It's far more complex than I can comprehend. I imagine that getting stuck in is very important; you had to work very hard against them, or they would pick you off. Being a very efficient counter attacking team is important.

I think pretty much every top team has some shithousery in them. Barcelona were proper shithouses themselves with their cynical fouling and play acting.
 

ZAGREB RED

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I just wonder if they lose badly against Liverpool on Tuesday and then at Spurs next week if they might start to crumble. Lots of ifs, buts and maybes, but I think they only have a slim chance of progressing in the CL - although I do hope they knock Liverpool out - so if that happens they would need a good result against Spurs next week to give them a boost.
 

KM

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Was just watching that Kompany interview and he was on the verge of tears. It shows how much he cares etc etc but did City gave this game too much importance?

They look mentally shot before Tuesday
 

Guy Incognito

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Shat on their parade. The way their fans were chanting ole to every pass in the first half thinking it was in the bag.

They’re gonna win the league by over a dozen points but season still fizzling out and still the same small time bottlers.

Too many teams have sat back in awe of them this season. League should be ashamed they’re so far ahead.
Tbf they had a moment in the season like all champions do when they were unplayable. They look tired now, no surprise as the season is winding down.

At least this puts to bed the idea they will dominate for years to come. No evidence they will have it easy next year.
 

padr81

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Was just watching that Kompany interview and he was on the verge of tears. It shows how much he cares etc etc but did City gave this game too much importance?

They look mentally shot before Tuesday
I can't understand it, Pep too looked kind of gutted, with the CL being done why not play Aguero today and possibly get the job done first half.

If the priority as it seems was today where the players are far more upset than Wednesday, why not begin with KDB and Aguero.

I'm kind of stunned by the reaction of our fans and players, maybe the fact they were 2-0 up and imploded after Pogba's goal is playing on them. Think confidence could be rattled now.
Its not beyond the realm of possibility now that it will take us until the 29th of April (gameweek 35) vs West Ham to get it done.
 

Richrip

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Deserved champions and deserve all the plaudits....... my only gripe is the constant tactical fouling that doesn’t seem to get picked up on by refs.

65% Possession today 17 fouls compared to Utds 35% and 9 fouls (courtesy of BBC)

Peps philosophy is great but a big big part of it is stopping teams breaking on them whilst being over committed. Hence why the fullbacks are able to play so high.

It’s brilliant because it’s ‘nice’ players like Silva, Jesus, Sane making the fouls they get the benefit of the doubt (much like Scholes used to)

City can rightly feel aggrieved about a couple of pens that could/ should have been given but Sane on Lingard was a yellow and I lost count on the amount of ‘nothing fouls’ danillo made yet the first player booked was Herrera!
 

clarkydaz

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if they could lose one more match, or just win the league by 10 points, they would have achieved the same as Leicester city. Best English side ever they said :houllier:
 

padr81

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if they could lose one more match, or just win the league by 10 points, they would have achieved the same as Leicester city. Best English side ever they said :houllier:
We already got more points than Leicester achieved in the entire season.. incidentally United have now exactly the same number of points as 2nd place Arsenal got that season. To try and compare that Leicester side to this City one is ridiculous. And I for one think Leicester's win was a bigger achievement than even City winning the CL (unless of course we pull of some miracle v Liverpool).
 

clarkydaz

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We already got more points than Leicester achieved in the entire season.. incidentally United have now exactly the same number of points as 2nd place Arsenal got that season. To try and compare that Leicester side to this City one is ridiculous. And I for one think Leicester's win was a bigger achievement than even City winning the CL (unless of course we pull of some miracle v Liverpool).
I'm not comparing the sides, the achievement. I had city fans at work day of the Anfield game lording it up saying this is the greatest English side ever seen, due to winning by 16 points. Up till that point I wanted Liverpool to lose, then I had to laugh how it turned out
 

padr81

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I'm not comparing the sides, the achievement. I had city fans at work day of the Anfield game lording it up saying this is the greatest English side ever seen, due to winning by 16 points. Up till that point I wanted Liverpool to lose, then I had to laugh how it turned out
It will take at least another 3 season before we know where this City side stand in terms of the leagues best, atm, in two seasons we've won nothing bar a league cup and still look mentally weak when the chips are down, but of course 3 consecutive league wins. We are potentially heading for one of the great league seasons but atm nothing more. I can't understand both the overrating and underrating that goes on with this side, its crazy.
 

Adisa

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Predicted they would finish on circa 99 points. Still looking that way.
 

BusbyMalone

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Aww bless. Stop picking on him everyone. Just treat him like a normal human


 

padr81

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Aww bless. Stop picking on him everyone. Just treat him like a normal human


While the article is over the top there is definately a semblance of truth to it. Pep is either the best ever football God with a brain the size of a house or an absolute fraud according to most, the truth is pretty much what this article states albeit in a pro Pep manner.

How can a season really fizzle out when you've won the league and another trophy. Its ridiculous and I tend to agree that any other manager in his position wouldn't have to read such rubbish about them. People on both sides of the Pep divide need to see, he's just a top tier manager with a pretty way of playing but he's flawed like every other top manager. The rubbish spouted by Merson "fizzling out" and Collymore "not as good as Clough" etc.. is easily as bad as the OTT praise.
 

breakout67

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His cult following don't help, they paint him as a God.

Baldy knows his own limitations; he knows that he needs world class players to play his system. He's not deluded like his fans that think he'll win everything under the sun with any team because he plays the 'right' way.
 

Adisa

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To be fair, he's judged by a standard no other manager in the world is.
 

BusbyMalone

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While the article is over the top there is definately a semblance of truth to it. Pep is either the best ever football God with a brain the size of a house or an absolute fraud according to most, the truth is pretty much what this article states albeit in a pro Pep manner.

How can a season really fizzle out when you've won the league and another trophy. Its ridiculous and I tend to agree that any other manager in his position wouldn't have to read such rubbish about them. People on both sides of the Pep divide need to see, he's just a top tier manager with a pretty way of playing but he's flawed like every other top manager. The rubbish spouted by Merson "fizzling out" and Collymore "not as good as Clough" etc.. is easily as bad as the OTT praise.
It's coverage of football full stop that's hyperbolic and omnipresent. Things are either black or white - the best thing ever, or the absolute worst. It's not just saint pep. He's been treated like the second coming since he graced us with his presence. With all the puff pieces being written about him by his acolytes in the media there was always going to be some push back. This is just another pro pep article in a sea of many. As i said, it's the coverage of football in total that's the issue not just one man.
 
Man City 1:2 Liverpool (CL QF 2nd Leg)

Xeno

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They’re really quite close to having a decent side. If they buy a quarter of a million quids worth of centre backs and break the transfer record for a Fernandinho back up, I think they could do okay next year.
 

bosnian_red

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Most underwhelming end to a season ever. Seems to happen often with Pep sides. Works them into the ground and cant ever finish seasons strongly.
 

Cloud7

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What a week. Has Pep ever lost 3 games in the space of a week in his career before?
 

Acheron

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Wrong thread there m8

EDIT: darn you and your edits
Got too excited and posted two messages in the wrong threads. It's been a very exciting football day to everyone that wanted both City and Barcelona out of UCL. :lol:
 

Alex99

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Such a mentally fragile team. If there were 3 more games left of the season I'd fancy us to catch them.
 

Beachryan

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Still gonna win the league with (likely) highest ever point total.

Good team. Not best ever.

Only thing that worries me about all this is: what are they going to spend now!?!
 

Josep Dowling

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Still gonna win the league with (likely) highest ever point total.

Good team. Not best ever.

Only thing that worries me about all this is: what are they going to spend now!?!
Exactly, another £250m most likely. It won’t stop until they win the Champions League.
 

Smithy_123

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So that's the league and league cup then. Pep is Pellegrini2.0 but with more money.