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Manchester City under Pep Guardiola | Pep on City v Liverpool ref: "He likes to be special"
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Gundogan a prime example of the need to heed the Caveat Emptor tag on damaged goods
He's kind of the forgotten man, if they can somehow get him and Kompany to play most of the season they'll be a much stronger team.
if as always being the problem with Gundogan, when you are in the stands you can be as skilful as Gundogan or as clumsy as Jones.
Missing out on Alves is disappointing but he went to PSG for double what we were offering so no complaints.
Have to have a little chuckle at the change on here though. Last week it was City are so active, getting their business done and United are way behind, all of a sudden you sign Lukaku we miss out on Alves and its City are targeting the wrong players. I'm pretty sure we've been in for Alves, Walker, Bertrand and Mendy. Alves has chosen PSG, possibly a wise move at his age, with better wages and Paris over Manchester one can't blame him. Walker was always going to be hard work. Levy will make nothing easy and probably take us for £50m. Mendy well Monaco have to try and hold on to some players so I'd expect this to be tough to get done too. Bertrand is the big one, he should be over the line by now if he's coming.
I'm sure Pep provided a list of targets, some we'll get, some we won't. Walker will be the hardest and most drawn out I'd wager. I think we're realistically looking at not huge changes in central defence because the required standard of player isn't available and would cost far too much. The ones in bold being the ones we'll try to bring in.
GK - Ederson, Bravo, Gunn
RB - Walker, Fernandinho
LB - Mendy, Bertrand
CB - Kompany, Stones, Otamendi, Adarabioyo, Kolarov (if he stays), this whole position unfortunately will hinge on VK's fitness.
DM - Gundogan, Fernandinho, Yaya
MC - Gundogan, D.Silva, B.Silva, KDB, Yaya, Delph (if Stoke move falls through)
AM - D.Silva, B.Silva, KDB, Jesus
WM - Sanchez (I hope), B.Silva, KDB, Sterling, Sane, Jesus, D Silva
FC - Aguero, Jesus, Sanchez
For what its worth I don't see us getting Sanchez without paying stupid money for a guy with 1 year left on his contract and part of me wishes we'd go for a top CB instead though not spunk £60m on someone like Van Dijk.
Have to have a little chuckle at the change on here though. Last week it was City are so active, getting their business done and United are way behind, all of a sudden you sign Lukaku we miss out on Alves and its City are targeting the wrong players. I'm pretty sure we've been in for Alves, Walker, Bertrand and Mendy. Alves has chosen PSG, possibly a wise move at his age, with better wages and Paris over Manchester one can't blame him. Walker was always going to be hard work. Levy will make nothing easy and probably take us for £50m. Mendy well Monaco have to try and hold on to some players so I'd expect this to be tough to get done too. Bertrand is the big one, he should be over the line by now if he's coming.
I'm sure Pep provided a list of targets, some we'll get, some we won't. Walker will be the hardest and most drawn out I'd wager. I think we're realistically looking at not huge changes in central defence because the required standard of player isn't available and would cost far too much. The ones in bold being the ones we'll try to bring in.
GK - Ederson, Bravo, Gunn
RB - Walker, Fernandinho
LB - Mendy, Bertrand
CB - Kompany, Stones, Otamendi, Adarabioyo, Kolarov (if he stays), this whole position unfortunately will hinge on VK's fitness.
DM - Gundogan, Fernandinho, Yaya
MC - Gundogan, D.Silva, B.Silva, KDB, Yaya, Delph (if Stoke move falls through)
AM - D.Silva, B.Silva, KDB, Jesus
WM - Sanchez (I hope), B.Silva, KDB, Sterling, Sane, Jesus, D Silva
FC - Aguero, Jesus, Sanchez
For what its worth I don't see us getting Sanchez without paying stupid money for a guy with 1 year left on his contract and part of me wishes we'd go for a top CB instead though not spunk £60m on someone like Van Dijk.
Tosin looks like he's going out on loan, think Delph will definitely leave and I agree with you on Sanchez and I think if we do sign him Aguero will move on.
Although Maffeo is probably going to Girona I'd take him on the US tour and if he does ok I'd not loan him out and have him as backup to Walker and ensure he plays a good % of the games against the bottom half teams. Though for the money I'd possibly let Walker stay at Spurs and go for Cedric at Southampton or even Coleman at Everton, they're better than what we had last season and could still get a decent sell on if Maffeo turns out to be the player people are hoping him to be.
Cedric would be decent, Coleman I'm unsure on after his injury, is a good fullback though. Biggest fear is we get no fullbacks and have to play 3 at the back or something till Jan. I'd like to see Maffeo given a chance too. I believe he's going on the tour but I still think he'll be fired off to Girona or wherever in a couple of weeks. Looks like Denayer will be moved on to.
Will City sign a central midfielder?
No face saving here I'm afraid for you. Alves was not keen joining baldy, simple as.
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As per Sky Sports it appears that Mendy and Walker are close to being done. Unless of course PSG come in and offer to double their wages..
You're already doubling them.
I really don't get the Kyle Walker thing.
Why?
They need a RB desperately.
£177m on Mangala, Stones, Otamendi and Walker. Fecking hell.
Guardiola has such an easy job. He just spends and spends but because city have no fans and aren't interesting, they can just get away with it without criticism and media scrutiny.
He'll underperform again next season (because he's not actually a great manager) and he'll get away with it again
He'll underperform again next season (because he's not actually a great manager) and he'll get away with it again
£ 50 on Walker makes lukaku's deal look cheap.
Guardiola has a team that is capable of getting to the semis of the CL and becoming champions this season. There is really no excuse for him now.
Betting that he still won't win a CL away game in the knockouts though. Struggling in big CL away games through poor tactics is in his DNA.
Betting that he still won't win a CL away game in the knockouts though. Struggling in big CL away games through poor tactics is in his DNA.
regressed under him. Went out in cl eariler, not as entertaining even worse defence.
Walker is a very good RB, probably the best in the league, £50m is ridiculous money but they needed to get it done after having failed to replace all their other ageing full backs. Still think keeping Sagna on for another year as cover either side would have made a lot of sense though - harder to get shafted in the transfer market.
Because he's nothing special. I know money is no object for City but it still seems ridiculous to spend 50m on Walker when they could easily pick up someone as good or better for much cheaper.
Walker and Mendy for 50m each... Well at least they're addressing their problem positions but ffs the costs for any player these days are insane. They still have shit center backs though and basically nothing when it comes to holding midfielders. But their attack will be very hard to stop, even if they don't sign Sanchez.
Edit: They'll have spent almost 200m on Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Mendy and Walker if those 2 deals go through
Edit: They'll have spent almost 200m on Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Mendy and Walker if those 2 deals go through
How can they spend so much money yet the defensive spine of the side - CBs and CMs - still be so shit?
The CM situation is particularly puzzling. Relying on Gundogan for much of anything seems very foolish. Fernandinho is a player dependent on superior athleticism at an age when most lose a few steps. Yaya is a joke defensively. Delph and Fernando belong nowhere near a club of this size. Pep wants to always have the ball and push teams back but there will be matches in which you'll need two players in central midfield with some steel and their options are pretty bad.
The CM situation is particularly puzzling. Relying on Gundogan for much of anything seems very foolish. Fernandinho is a player dependent on superior athleticism at an age when most lose a few steps. Yaya is a joke defensively. Delph and Fernando belong nowhere near a club of this size. Pep wants to always have the ball and push teams back but there will be matches in which you'll need two players in central midfield with some steel and their options are pretty bad.
I don't think it's quite as shit as people think, still not great. They have Gundogan, a player who was probably the most impressive midfielder in Europe the season Dortmund made the CL final, playing in a deeper role than he's been used so far at City and Yaya's a better option than Carrick is for us. As for the centre backs they go up a level when they're paired with Kompany, without him Stones will still make awful decisions on the ball and Otamendi will sprint into every challenge.
Or roughly the same as as Lukaku and Pogba? Shocker, players in 2017 cost a lot of money.Walker and Mendy for 50m each... Well at least they're addressing their problem positions but ffs the costs for any player these days are insane. They still have shit center backs though and basically nothing when it comes to holding midfielders. But their attack will be very hard to stop, even if they don't sign Sanchez.
Edit: They'll have spent almost 200m on Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Mendy and Walker if those 2 deals go through
Yet despite what you say, and with Bravo in goal for most of the season, City conceded fewer goals than Arsenal last season.
But he's been out for 170 days or so during his time at City. Ligaments, and generally he's just a sicknote. Hard to rely on.
Yeah adding players from last window makes sense
That isn't really a proper answer to what he was saying though. Your central midfield options right now are quite average considering Gundogan's injury proneness.
Of course, but if they manage to get lucky with injuries this season their options are decent.
Yet they need a CBWalker and Mendy for 50m each... Well at least they're addressing their problem positions but ffs the costs for any player these days are insane. They still have shit center backs though and basically nothing when it comes to holding midfielders. But their attack will be very hard to stop, even if they don't sign Sanchez.
Edit: They'll have spent almost 200m on Ederson, Bernardo Silva, Mendy and Walker if those 2 deals go through
Can't disagree. Actually City should be the one to go for Dier. A sound backup both in central defence and midfield.
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Is "We're still not as shit as Arsenal!" really the argument you want to make if you have serious ambitions?
True, it was the hypocrisy of an Arsenal fan, who have spent heavily on their own spine, criticising City when hos own team have a worse defensive record (with Bravo in goal), that riled me.
Yes, the three options of Gundogan, Fernandinho and Toure are all flawed in one way or another. However, Pep is unlikely to play two defensive midfielders so I wouldn't be too concerned over the options available.
That brilliant Gundogan season was four years and three very serious injuries ago. The guy is crocked. He probably won't be able to play until sometime in September, even then he'll take a long time to get back to form given that he had like 7 months away from the game entirely, and then he'll probably get injured again given his history.
Similarly, Kompany is 31 and has played 11 and 14 premier league matches the last two years. And didn't play over 28 league matches the three years before that. I agree that their CBs go up a level when he is on the field but realistically he will only be on the field somewhere between 1/3 to 2/3 of league matches so its a problem if Stones and Otamendi have the problems you note without him.
Nope, just responding, with some incredulity, to the Arsenal fan's criticism. Ederson, Walker and Mendy (plus Alves!) show where the ambitions are.
Don't understand the interest for Walker. Is he good enough technically? Guardiola doesn't need an actual RB, he needs a wide midfielder, like dani alves, a player with great IQ and technical skill with the pace and legs to cover the flank.
There is nothing hypocritical about it as I never claimed Arsenal didn't have big problems. As an Arsenal fan I know perfectly well that we're kind of shit and that we'll never win anything big with Wenger around. That doesn't really bear on the question of why City, who have the top manager in the world (according to many at least) and a gazillion pounds of blood money to spend, have these substantial weaknesses.