I can't agree more with this. I found the Arsenal vs Man City game quite entertaining. This Man City side is a well oiled machine and they don't even need a 20-30 goal striker to win the league. Impressive.
Do you find Man City (and other Pep teams) boring?
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We're uniquely crap at spending money. We're an outlier. Us aside, spending money typically brings success.
Yeah I agree, Barca was a pretty boring side - purely possession for possession's sake. If we have the ball, the opponent cannot score etc.
Pep has changed since then to be more vertical, encouraging more risk taking and his City sides are a lot more entertaining as a result.
Tikka Takka was boring until the final 3rd.
Spain are at it again. What strikes me is the smoothness of touch of that style of player. They caress the ball, and stop it dead on the turn.
How many Utd players can play that today?
Spain are at it again. What strikes me is the smoothness of touch of that style of player. They caress the ball, and stop it dead on the turn.
How many Utd players can play that today?
If it were that easy to read and that predictable, a lot of teams would know how to stop them. Their passing sequences as easy as it may look, aren't often that easy to execute and the passing angles aren't always the same especially in the final third.
You'll be surprised at what miracles great coaching can do. Players like Rodri, Walker, Zinchenko, Jesus, Dias, Mahrez, Bernardo Silva weren't playing in heavy possession based teams before joining Pep at City (though the signs were clearly there with Silva that he'll be very good at it), so i see no reason why United's players won't be able to do it if they're well coached to do so.
It's sort of like having someone who's really good at Fifa enter the league as an actual real life team.
I specifically said its extremely difficult to execute. I wasn't saying it as a dig. Chelsea often do the same. Not to the high standards City do it but some of Chelsea's passing patterns and angles are pretty much the same in every game, especially the way we beat the press and pass through the midfield. An example sequence is Mendy to the CB to the next CB to Jorginho or Kante to the wing back. Look for it. That sequence happens 10x a game. There's a degree of flexibility in the final third, but still, at least for Chelsea, our chance creation process involves a heavy dose pf wingback cut backs.
I've seen Chelsea fans express boredom at the mechanical way Tuchel has the team playing and I just wondered if the people who found City's football boring were for the same reasons as the complaints I have seen of Chelsea's play.
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Yes they are and they've gotten worse since the first title they won under Pep. They were very entertaining when they relied on wingplay and still played a striker up top. They've been shite to watch since Pep went for his 6 midfielders approach.
Cancelo seems to be the only one adding excitement to their game nowadays.
Cancelo seems to be the only one adding excitement to their game nowadays.
Yes for all the money spent they were no where near the quality and entertainment that other top 6 clubs offer. Mostly their play style is passing for the sake of it around the midfield and look for a gap inside penalty box.
However they had few entertaining players to watch over the years like Sane,D.silva, toure and KDB is a joy to watch but he’s also on a decline.
But then they are winning shitload of trophies so who cares
However they had few entertaining players to watch over the years like Sane,D.silva, toure and KDB is a joy to watch but he’s also on a decline.
But then they are winning shitload of trophies so who cares
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Hahaha I'm being sarcastic.. it's his tag now "Pep Guardiola is my idol". I'm not getting offensive about him or anything.. i definitely think he's a genius..
It's not worth arguing with you because you're not even trying to see the point.
1) We all know City have had billions pumped in artifically. This is a fact nobody disputes. I am not sure why you are arguing this isn't a massive advantage, which was the initial point.
2) We all know the relative net spends. You can do a quick Google. We don't need to be told. The fact is, since Abu Dhabi bought City, they have outspent United purely on a very simplistic net spend (in - out) calculation by £400m. Again, I fail to see how you don't see this as a massive advantage.
3) The original point was also about competitiveness in football in general. It had nothing to do with United. There's nobody on this forum who will more happily admit than I that United have been run terribly and deserve nothing. But what about the likes of Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham? And even arguably Chelsea, who are rich, but not sovereign wealth fund rich. You are comparing the oil cheats with perhaps THE "naturally" richest club in the world, and even we are struggling to keep pace with their spending. What hope have the rest got?
4) You are failing to understand (or not even trying to understand) the point about not having budgets or shareholders and being so wealthy you can revamp an entire squad in 2/3 windows. Imagine Pep joined in 2016 and they had to build a side like any other club. Assume a large net spend budget of +£100m each season, that probably buys you two very good players, if you are luckly. Do you think they would have been anywhere near as dominant as they have been? I highly, highly doubt it. This is the position every other club is in, but not City.
So, they can spend more than every other team and they can spend faster. They don't have budgets, so to speak, or shareholders to deal with. They spent wildly during the initial period before FFP got hold of them, and even thereafter they have cooked the books, artificially blowing up sponsorship deals to enable them to keep spending. Yet you seem to have an issue with someone saying all of this gives them a massive advantage over "natural" teams.
So yes, in answer to the OPs question, I do find them boring. They are nearly ten points clear again at the turn of the New Year and will win the most competitive major league in the world again at a canter. Where is the sporting integrity/merit? Where is the excitement? In one-off games, they are beatable, as their lack of success in Europe shows. However, over a 38 game season, their insane spending power and team of clones just relentlessly grinds the rest down, particularly around Christmas when every other team suffers from the busy schedule.
Not only do City outspend everyone else, they mask this further by sponsoring themselves (such as the Emirates Palace which is owned by the City owners, the airline which is owned by the City owners, etc.), and by making other payments that aren't in the FFP accounts. On top of that, they've threatened others with legal action for holding them to the rules.
Even the likes of Palace can beat City in a one off game. Good luck expecting them to do it over a 38 game season though. Practically no one can.
The way Man City play is really beautiful to watch and when they face a team that can go toe-to-toe with them like Liverpool, it often leads to some unbelievable games. However, there's few things duller than watch Man City play Watford or someone at home in the league.
Liverpool are brilliant but at least add a bit of risk and danger to their game that means they are susceptible to the odd shock. City strangle it so there's basically no way for most of the weaker teams to compete, barring a fluke goal or a sending off or something. It's the lack of competitiveness and the complete dominance of the style that makes them a little boring.
Having said that, objectively I'd still rather watch a fluent and coached team play than the absolute dross United have been serving up this season all the same.
Liverpool are brilliant but at least add a bit of risk and danger to their game that means they are susceptible to the odd shock. City strangle it so there's basically no way for most of the weaker teams to compete, barring a fluke goal or a sending off or something. It's the lack of competitiveness and the complete dominance of the style that makes them a little boring.
Having said that, objectively I'd still rather watch a fluent and coached team play than the absolute dross United have been serving up this season all the same.
I think I can speak about them as a neutral being a WBA fan. But whenever I see them play they they generally dominate posession and find the back of the net regularly. Often the matches are not that exciting because they are so much better than the opposition. But when they do find their match like Liverpool in recent years, they are very entertaining to watch.
I think it's safe to see that they are definitely not a boring team.
I think it's safe to see that they are definitely not a boring team.
I don't think this is deliberate from Liverpool. If they had the ability to completely strangle games they would. I mean, this is how they won the league 2 seasons ago...
No manager goes out thinking, "I gotta inject some uncertainty in this so the fans will enjoy it"
Case in point: the 2-2 draw between Liverpool and Chelsea was enjoyable from a fan perspective but I'm sure both managers would have settled for a boring 5-0 drubbing of the other side.
They won the league a few years ago with a lot of late goals, it was a run of many, many wins but often from behind. They can do a bit of that on their day too, but not to the same extent as City.
Liverpool are closer to a ‘normal’ great team of the past. City and Pep teams take control to another level Liverpool haven’t been able to manage.
Let's be honest, calling City boring stems from the rivalry between the teams. A team that consistently wins trophies with their style, no one in their right mind can find that "boring".
The point about the money spent is good but Utd have spent a lot too and is nowhere near replicating that. Man City are often the top 2 of highest scoring teams in the league. Their game works for them
The point about the money spent is good but Utd have spent a lot too and is nowhere near replicating that. Man City are often the top 2 of highest scoring teams in the league. Their game works for them
I found his Bayern boring, mostly because I thought they were very exciting before he joined. City play great football and so did Barca, I found Barca winning boring. That Spain team that was up at the same time his Barca were, they were boring as feck though.
Ha, I guess I just got really triggered by that expression!
Boring isn’t quite the right word. City do score goals, sometimes fantastic goals, and often quite a few goals. They usually maul their opposition.
But City are an uninteresting club, comprised almost entirely of players with no personality. Their play has a certain rote quality. You know what they’re going to do, they do it without much variety or sense of suspense, and they win most games.
But nothing more. Their play is miles better than the feces we put on offer without question, but there is certain mannequin-like quality to City.
But City are an uninteresting club, comprised almost entirely of players with no personality. Their play has a certain rote quality. You know what they’re going to do, they do it without much variety or sense of suspense, and they win most games.
But nothing more. Their play is miles better than the feces we put on offer without question, but there is certain mannequin-like quality to City.
They're sponsoring themselves again.
Paddypower:
" Manchester City have announced a partnership with Masdar, a renewable energy firm owned by Mubadala Investment Company. "This is a great deal," said Man City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "I agree," said Mubadala CEO, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "
Paddypower:
" Manchester City have announced a partnership with Masdar, a renewable energy firm owned by Mubadala Investment Company. "This is a great deal," said Man City chairman, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "I agree," said Mubadala CEO, Khaldoon Al Mubarak. "
It is a style of football only the apologists of the Man City owners can appreciate and enjoy, only possible with the mercenaries bought by that artificial creation. The sooner it is made to disappear through an actual enforcement of the rules over club finances, the better for football.
I wouldn’t be surprised if Pep's teams find Pep's teams boring.
It appears their golden boy and their prodigal son have spread the virus among their squad. Their drunken escape may cost them points against Chelsea and ultimately affect their league. Those two will still come out of this unscathed. The apologists of the Man City owners usually blame Sterling and Mahrez whatever their situations are.
What I wouldn’t give for Utd to bore me like that!
That took some time to spread didn’t it,. Didn’t they go out after Leeds (14th Dec) and get dropped in the next game… the reality is that we’ll never know who spread it because it’s everywhere in the UK now.
I would just ignore the rubbish he spouts mate, sure it's the return of Namco
I will enjoy the meltdown from what is still left from the few appeasers of the Man City owners. Your stadium gets emptier with each season. It is another oil club that may make this season continue on, but at least the season won't be over after the Chelsea match.
Yes!
I don't find City at all boring- they are mesmerising. And prime Barca...boring? I think different kind of things must get us excited,huh?
Dont get me wrong- I hate City with a passion, and I loathe the oil money that funds them. But as Don't Panic says, Oh to be bored like that!
The fact they are comfortably better than 95% of the teams they play makes their games feel like a bit of an inevitability. Probably why even their own fans don't make the effort to turn up to watch them.
When they face sides on a similar level generally the games are good to watch.
When they face sides on a similar level generally the games are good to watch.
This City team is on another level this season. They'll have the league sewn up by February, multiple other cups shortly after.
A strong case can be made to include them in the top 5 PL sides of all time.
A strong case can be made to include them in the top 5 PL sides of all time.
- Man Utd - 1999 treble winners.
- Man Utd - 2008 CL & PL winners.
- Man Utd - 1995/96 double winners.
- Arsenal - Invincibles.
- City - 2022 quadruple winners.
Yeah you can if you want to.
I was addressing the OP with my comment. City play good football consistently and even as an opposition fan that is something to be admired. The club is run well from top to bottom.
How can they be quadruple winners if they're not in the League Cup? Additionally, Pep always bottles the CL without Messi, so saying they're likely for a quad seems a little silly.
Prime Barca werent boring I just hated them because we were on the receiving end of it in 2 CL finals.
Current City while having a quality of play we are envious of bore the hell out of me because at the end of the day its artificial and fake.
Current City while having a quality of play we are envious of bore the hell out of me because at the end of the day its artificial and fake.
Your team doesn't get to continuously work with most of your coaches over the years like our team did with Pep, as your coaches get the sack. The current City team that dominates is the result of Pep's 5-6 years of working with them.
Mourinho did spend a number of years, especially in his first time at Chelsea, but he didn't get to pick most players the way Pep handpicks players for his team.. Also, Mourinho's style is hardly a dominating style whereas Pep's football is designed to dominate the ball and the game with technical players and counterpressing as soon as the team is dispossessed.
Although we never dominated the league for long periods, the style of football in that first Mourinho reign was extremely dominant. During that time we were like a machine simply crushing opponents and basically never losing at home. Teams were literally terrified to play against us.
Nope, they are clinical, dominant, ruthless, hungry, ambitious, motivated, never complacent, effective, both slow and fast in build up and on their day unbeatable.
unfortunatly.
unfortunatly.
The football they play is wonderful, efficient, arguably even beautiful. But still, it is boring. After all, it mainly consists in effectively and safely moving the ball around until an opportunity presents itself, suffocating the other team by leaving them little time on the ball and making it very difficult to regain it once lost (and very difficult to do anything with it if they do, due to their counterpressing). The end result is maybe 3-5 decent scoring chances for City and 0-2 for the other team, and apart from that a whole lot of safe passing. And you pretty much know it's done if and when they get the first goal - just like the journalists you mention, I generally turn off or switch to a different game once that happens.
I don't think I have watched City play a game that was not against United and then I'm not really watching them.
I don't watch watch any football where we are not planning I would find it far to boring. I don't understand how people can watch a match where they don't support either team.
I guess I'm not just into football these days
I don't watch watch any football where we are not planning I would find it far to boring. I don't understand how people can watch a match where they don't support either team.
I guess I'm not just into football these days
I still vividly remember reading this thread 2 years ago as I completely agreed with the OP, and still do. City are a winning machine, but unlike our multiple rapid winning machines under Fergie, they are an absolute eyesore. I knew they would beat Newcastle today but I also knew that the game would be absolutely rubbish, and this is the case with most of their games as well.
The last time I came away from a City game thinking “dear me, they are unplayable” was the Madrid 4-0 game almost a year ago. Even taking my red tinted specs off, this surely shouldn’t the case for the winningest team since Pep took over.
The last time I came away from a City game thinking “dear me, they are unplayable” was the Madrid 4-0 game almost a year ago. Even taking my red tinted specs off, this surely shouldn’t the case for the winningest team since Pep took over.