Pep's spending is insane (£941m and counting at City)

[Bastian]

Paypal Guardiola

That deserves more love

The difference between Jose and Pep isn't that Jose hasn't spent money, of course he has. But he's not being praised as some holier than thou type of figure. Pep is amazing when working with outstanding players. But it's fair to wonder what he would do with only "good" players and a side like Liverpool, Spurs, Dortmund, etc.

Jose did win the Champions League with Porto, so he's ticked a box in overachieving with a smaller club.

I actually hope City buy Mahrez. I want them to spend as much as is possible. It brings more pressure, any change can affect that dressing room and they can hardly be better, and it becomes impossible to ignore by the media.

 

[Maradona10]

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[C'est Moi Cantona]

I wonder if Jamie Rednapp will show as much concern for the young English lads not getting, or ever likely to get a chance at City, as he does for our ever first team present Rashford?

 

[Moonred]

Meh. Most coaches are hypocrites and blabber things. He is undoubtedly a great manager but their spending is insane. You do not have to hold Pep as a modicum of virtue unlike anyone has seen. City are rich as feck and Pep or most managers will buy as much they can given the choice. The bullshit from Press or City needn't be lapped up.

 

[J_Red 11]

Mourinho spent huge of money on Pogba & Lukaku because he wanted to build his team around them, but Pep spent huge amount of money on defenders & bench warmer to support his main players (Aguero, KDB, Silva). Imagine if he never had Aguero, KDB & Silva to begin with, he would have spend even more money.

 

[12OunceEpilogue]

Cannot blame a manager for spending money, when the money is there. At the end, the manager is judged by the number (and importance) of trophies and the quality of football.

Playing the victim that they can't compete cause of money, and making that show withdrawal for Sanchez, while they spend twice as much as any other team in the other side, is somewhere between ridiculous and morally dishonest. The medial portrayal of big bad money United vs little no-money City is the most cringeworthy thing in recent football.

This is the bottom line. Criticising Pep as a chequebook manager seems pointless as every manager of a rich club is given money to spend and every manager of City would be given particularly huge sums.

The histrionics in the media on behalf of City are looking increasingly hilarious, hollow and agenda-driven with every player City sign. We have to laugh off the ridiculous charges levelled against our club and get on with it, there's certainly no point getting angry about the media, Pep or City.

 

[ti vu]

It can be argued that despite failing to win the CL during his tenure at Bayern, they hit levels of performance equal to, or slightly better than what was seen under Heynekes.

The CL is a cup competition. I don't rank achievements in it half as much as I rank league accomplishments. They didn't win the CL in 3 years but in only one would I castigate Guardiola (against Madrid). Injuries doomed them against Barcelona, and if Muller hit his penalty...

But he didn't win the CL there. I think he had a successful period there overall, due to him winning 3 titles back to back, and maintaining what was established by Heynekes, and improving on some aspects. Ask Bayern fans to confirm.



By your definition of genius, which is unorthodox if I may say so, Robert Di Matteo is a genius. Benitez is a genius. Your definition ignores all the context around Mourinho's win (Scholes disallowed goal, weakest set of semi-final contenders in ages) and calls him such because of a single trophy win more than a decade ago. That is nonsense. I rank Mourinho as a genius because of his exceptional defensive aptitude, and his excellent counter-attacking teams at Chelsea, Real Madrid and Inter. Not because of 2 CL wins against the odds. Anyone can win against the odds. What's Raineri then?

You missed the point if you bring Di Matteo into the conversation. He failed to replicate it. Which other posters via their examples pointing out how their definition of genius point to the ability to replicate similar feat. Benitez is a waning force, but he was a genius with his Valencia stint. Won not just 1 fluke trophy! Those coaches with short peak happened. LVG is another. They ain't in the same contention for the greatness though which other posters pointed out.

IMO, Pep is a genius in coaching. However, he's yet to be deemed more than a coach. Other being genious managers who turned the fortunate of the club against the odd. Pep Bayern may had peak performance better than Heyknes, but problem showed when you need to adapt to the situation where opposition matched or above his team quality, he is not all that. He doesn't have the extra tactical tool to change thing. His only way is to get better quality players to get more from the same blueprint!!! He's yet to prove he is capable to win against the odd.

 

[DCP]

He won't stop until he spends more money than every other manager combined.

He buys to fit his system and can't work any other way, it genuinely is Pep's way or the highway.

 

[R'hllor]

@R'hllor
What double standards?
This forum didn't want us to spend (not even that) big on Perisic or Matic due to their age.
Posters still say we should have saved the Lindelof money for a LB and to stay away from Lukaku due to his price.
This forum also demanded we hire a DOF to curb our spending and pleaded for Tuanzebe, TFM and Perreira to get game time.
There was as much excitement for Gomes starting last week (gutted it didn't happen ) as there was for Sanchez.
Or how the biggest worry about Jose taking over was his failures with youth due to his reputation of spending big on experienced players.
So you're condescendingly talking out of your ass when you talk of Rawkish double standards on here.

This forum wanted us to spend just not on Perisic and Matic.
They wanted to stay away from Lukaku due his first touch not a price.
This forum wanted to hire DOF not because of Axel, TFM, due more of clear direction of where club is headed
And yet, every time Gomes was mentioned to get some minutes Mkhi took in his awful form specially after he left at the end, certain people saw that as attack on JM and come up how he isnt ready, how feather is heavier then him etc.
It wasnt biggest worry, majority here are loyal followers and into in JM we trust. McT getting minutes and still they having a go at him because kid is "boring" "looking average", they rather spend for squad player.

 

[R'hllor]

Where are you seeing double standards ? wasn't it the media and Pep himself taking the moral high ground over united these last few weeks over the Sanchez transfert ?

And didn't Pep spend 280M£ (340M£ with Mahrez) this year ? That's almost 2.5 times what we spent.

Who gives a feck about Pep and the media, before LvG, people here called Custis a biggest cnut around, around January in 2nd LvG`s season, Custis became CAF`s biggest friend, just like now, because he is having a dig at that dickhead Holt.

 

[cyberman]

@R'hllor
You don't get it. That's fine.
You've given excuses as to why we've called for limits on our spending or signing players we don't need due to taking time away from Martial / Rashford / Shaw / Perreira etc.
Thats not double standards when criticising a club for spending 60m odd on a player as an emergency replacement for Sane who could well be back training in 5 weeks.

 

[Classical Mechanic]

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Fraud.

 

[clarkydaz]

Reading this on the Beeb earlier really made me feel nauseous, £57m on an uncapped defender is just laughable, to go with a few more £50m Defenders who are capped yet wouldn't get a look in a few decades ago. I baulked at paying £75m for Van Dijk, who although proven somewhat in the Prem, is still not worth that and won't solve Liverpools issues anyway with a potato in goal and a clear lack of defensive coaching, we could have Maldini, Cafu, Stam and a T-Rex back there and still concede 4 to Barnsley at home.

I don't know about some of you lads but I'm really losing my interest in football gradually. I'm not worried about not competing, as a Liverpool fan I'm kinda used to that throughout my adult years. And it's not so much the spending that bothers me either, as long as clubs are doing it because they're generating the money, not shadily skimming it all from somewhere. Teams like City and PSG are ruining the game in my opinion, not only just throwing money around like it's confetti but artificially inflating the market for everyone else too. Who'd have thought we'd see a day when dross like Stones were being sold for £50m and even a semi-decent striker is valued around £100m, or 18 year olds going for the price of 4 peak Zidanes.

I'm a rugby league season ticket holder, which is £160, pretty much what I pay for a match at Anfield when travel and food is added in - I honestly think it's time to stop following the beautiful game that has mercenaries on £350k per week and more until the bubble bursts.

Good luck to you lads competing with City, I should hate you all being LFC but it's a rivalry with some respect, at least United have pretty much always done things the right way and success has been earned over generations of development and support so I'd reluctantly prefer seeing you halt them than Chelstovski (Arse and Spurs have no chance). Watching all these tinpot teams buying their way to success like a rich kid on UT is getting more and more sickening, especially when my own team is following suit with silly prices for Southampton players. I remember the day £20m seemed extortionate for Lovren, be lucky to get a rotation player for that now.

I think a lot share your sentiment in general. Its an age now where managers don't have to be responsible for their actions

 

[R'hllor]

@R'hllor
You don't get it. That's fine.
You've given excuses as to why we've called for limits on our spending or signing players we don't need due to taking time away from Martial / Rashford / Shaw / Perreira etc.
Thats not double standards when criticising a club for spending 60m odd on a player as an emergency replacement for Sane who could well be back training in 5 weeks.

You came up with examples to fit your narative and just told you how things went here regarding those things, i didnt make anything up. So yea i dont get it, thankfully you do.

 

[svastian99]

"Check" Mansour bought excess seats for the Emptyhad ... 20,000 to be exact. Guardio£a just follow the example.

 

[kidbob]

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Aye like the time he bought Ibra over giving Bojan the nod. But then again I suppose Messi and Iniesta were unknowns before he came and Pique wasn't highly rated here.

 

[RW2]

Pep - Man City have no money

two days later

Man City buy another £60 million defender

Pep's right.

City have no money. It's money belonging to the citizens of the UAE.

Financial corruption and when that goes unchecked then the league is also corrupted.

It's as simple as that.

 

[cyberman]

@R'hllor
What narrative? You came blazing in talking down to everyone about our dislike of spending millions on a player they do not need.
I'll give you more.
Can't spend 80m on Bale, he's too injury prone and his wages are astronomical.
Ronaldo coming has similiar statements on here.
The majority of the forum doesn't want Rose for 50m and would rather give Shaw a run in the side.
For us to be hypocrites and Rawk like, we would need examples of fans being happy about signing a 60m player as emergency reserve for a month.
Its you making this statement. Not me.

 

[kidbob]

Sarcastic detector ran out of battery so I am not sure your point regarding Messi, Iniesta, Pique point. Messi finished second in POTY poll while Iniesta was key member of the team who won EURO. Pique was first team member of United who won CL and PL who being blocked only because 2 best CBs individually and best CB pair at the time in their prime.

I was being sarcastic!

 

[Acquire Me]

Sanchez was never about money, its was only about him wanting to join us instead of them.

 

[NinjaFletch]

Which players? Apart from maybe sterling (who brendan also got a lot out of) i do not think he has improved anyone. He has changed their whole defense and goalkeeper, Bought a new midfield and added a 37 million pound striker to probably the best striker in the league. He improved nothing.
It is simply the case of financial doping by a state run club. He has been backed like no manager has been in history of the game and no manager probably will be. Big sam would have won the league had he gotten the same backing.

Otamendi, Delph, De Bruyne (hard to argue he has not gone up a level), Sterling and Stones have all gone up a level. Hardly an exhaustive list, agreed, but we can acknowledge that clearly he has some ability to get more out of players even if he's more likely to replace them with an expensive signing.

 

[SalfordRed18]

This forum wanted us to spend just not on Perisic and Matic.
They wanted to stay away from Lukaku due his first touch not a price.
This forum wanted to hire DOF not because of Axel, TFM, due more of clear direction of where club is headed
And yet, every time Gomes was mentioned to get some minutes Mkhi took in his awful form specially after he left at the end, certain people saw that as attack on JM and come up how he isnt ready, how feather is heavier then him etc.
It wasnt biggest worry, majority here are loyal followers and into in JM we trust. McT getting minutes and still they having a go at him because kid is "boring" "looking average", they rather spend for squad player.

What does any of this have to do with double standards?

 

[R'hllor]

@R'hllor
What narrative? You came blazing in talking down to everyone about our dislike of spending millions on a player they do not need.
I'll give you more.
Can't spend 80m on Bale, he's too injury prone and his wages are astronomical.
Ronaldo coming has similiar statements on here.
The majority of the forum doesn't want Rose for 50m and would rather give Shaw a run in the side.
For us to be hypocrites and Rawk like, we would need examples of fans being happy about signing a 60m player as emergency reserve for a month.
Its you making this statement. Not me.

They would give Shaw a run now but not couple months ago, in the summer, it wasnt same story.
They would spend money for that guy from Monaco, as he can cover DMC and RB while we have Axel and TFM on loan.

 

[11101]

Good manager but proving he's not a great one. The question was always could he do it when he didn't inherit the best team in the league. He's answered that (after failing miserably last year) by going and buying an entire new team. I don't think he will ever really test himself.

 

[Jazz]

I don't get the Mahrez link. Can't Bernardo Silva do the job there?

 

[SalfordRed18]

Otamendi, Delph, De Bruyne (hard to argue he has not gone up a level), Sterling and Stones have all gone up a level. Hardly an exhaustive list, agreed, but we can acknowledge that clearly he has some ability to get more out of players even if he's more likely to replace them with an expensive signing.

Stones certainly hasn't gone up a level. Sterling has gone up a level by virtue of the fact he went down one when he left Liverpool. Delph is just getting games. He's certainly not the player he as before.

That leaves you with otamendi, who again went down level before picking himself back up again.

KDB, sure. But the rest, no chance.

Silva perhaps, he's a bit different this season.

 

[Bastian]

Sanchez was never about money, its was only about him wanting to join us instead of them.

I wouldn't be too sure of that. I think it's about the platform, at OT he's the main star. At City, he's just another one of their attacking options. Plus potentially disrupting the morale of players who are playing as well as they possibly can by adding a player who gets much more money, whereas Sanchez joining us has more of a chance of inspiring some of our players. In any case, I think it's the better move for Sanchez, joining us, all things considered.

 

[De Portago]

To be fair regards Pique, if wiki is correct, during 2007/08 season Wes Brown played nearly 50 games and O'Shea 30+, so it's not just Vidić and Ferdinand he was behind in the pecking order. Pique played nine games for what it's worth.

 

[Greck]

Still remember United fans saying the same thing about Jose in the mid2000s.

All these managers have styles whose effectiveness money can multiply

Edit: kudos to "PayPal guardiola"

 

[SalfordRed18]

Still remember United fans saying the same thing about Jose in the mid2000s.

All these managers have styles whose effectiveness money can multiply

Yes, but the difference is 1) Jose already proved he can do it on limited funds and 2), the spending was nowhere near as bad as peps. 130mil on 3 fullbacks, in the same window is unheard of.

 

[Andycoleno9]

Yes. He's in the elite tier of his profession, and has managed world class sides and pushed them to elite heights performance and results wise (Barcelona and Bayern).

I'm not sure how people can watch City week in and week out and not see the impact of his work on the pitch. I guess a rebuttal question would be, who qualifies as a genius to you, that is currently active?

1. Bayern. He inherited treble winning team, spent huge money and won only domestic titles which any coach would win with that squad.
2. City. He inherited best team in england, spent again huge money and finished fourth. Then he spent another 300mil. He doesn't create anything . Sane is injured. Jose would change something, give chance to other player. Pep buys another player. Mangala and stones are not perfect players. Pep buys another. Jose plays rojo and blind.

So yes- jose mourinho is f1 for guardiola

 

[Buchan]

Paypal Guardiola

 

[SalfordRed18]

I wouldn't be too sure of that. I think it's about the platform, at OT he's the main star. At City, he's just another one of their attacking options. Plus potentially disrupting the morale of players who are playing as well as they possibly can by adding a player who gets much more money, whereas Sanchez joining us has more of a chance of inspiring some of our players. In any case, I think it's the better move for Sanchez, joining us, all things considered.

So he wanted to join us instead of them, is what you're saying?

 

[cyberman]

@R'hllor
But those were if / or scenarios. Posters preferred Matic and others Fabinho.
Thats slightly different from spending 140m on two players when they are 12 points clear in the league.
Thats the difference. Even Jose said Shaw has changed his summer plans but would we be happy if he broke the club trasfer record on a LB from Spain tomorrow or would we quite rightly question the need for him?

 

[R'hllor]

Fabinho yes thats the guy, talking about this transfer window and desire to get him as cover not on the summer.

 

[Greck]

Yes, but the difference is 1) Jose already proved he can do it on limited funds and 2), the spending was nowhere near as bad as peps. 130mil on 3 fullbacks, in the same window is unheard of.

Pep couldn't win with budget players and he's shown to only know that one style. But I think his style works better on top players than anyone else's. The football I personally think is boring. Am more impressed by the systemic pressing his teams use. Never wanted him here though

 

[Bastian]

So he wanted to join us instead of them, is what you're saying?

I believe City did not want to offer him the same wage package as it would mean they'd pretty much have to replicate that for quite a few others, as he wouldn't be the same star there as he will be at OT. I think he chose United both for the money and for the platform.

 

[cyberman]

Yeah but thats with the idea of a midfield 3 to free up Pogba isn't it?
Im not saying we can't ever buy a player ever again but Fabinho makes sense since we'd need someone there.
If City bought a DM I would say thats at least acceptable but this is Utd buying a 60m player for Martials position madness

 

[POF]

If they sign Mahrez to cover a reasonably short term injury to Sane it will be unbelievable, especially after the public statements over Sanchez and Pep's insistence on how restricted they are financially.

It reminds me of: "My house is dirty - buy me a new one" - Krusty the Klown.

 

[GifLord]