Pep walked into Klopp's trap with eyes wide open due to pure stubbornness. You best Klopp by forcing him to have possession and come on to you. Instead he played entirely to Klopp's strengths till the tie was out of sight
Manchester City under Pep Guardiola | Pep on City v Liverpool ref: "He likes to be special"
- Thread starter Adisa
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Sums up Pep in the Champions League. Gets inside his own head.
City couldn't build up anything in the first half. Don't remember them stringing 10 passes together. Liverpool had them on the ropes. They weren't letting them breathe. 2nd half they had more possession and they could build up but Liverpool had backed off by that point which is understandable.
Klopp has Peps number, plain as.
That and those late, late winners after 10 or so games, grinding out wins.
I don't think this was naïveté from Pep but rather too much caution. City usually are technically proficient enough to keep the ball even under extreme pressing. Pep beefed up his midfield and defense to actually relieve that pressure a bit and I think that's where it went tits up. He should have gone with his regular game plan and let Silva and de Bruyne receive the ball under pressure and trust them to be technically sound to retain possession.
Yeah, agree with this also felt second half if we got the pen which I thought was pretty clear cut or Sane wasn't given offside we may have knicked a second. Certainly don't think we were as bad as some are making out, fine margins, pool were excellent first half and got the breaks
That’s the Mourinho way, stop the opposition doing what the excel at. It’s also the antithesis of the exalted Guardiola way; I play the same regardless of the opposition.
City had more possesion in both halves, Liverpool 'not letting City have the ball' is objectively false. City were messing up 5-yard passes with no help from Liverpool not letting them breathe. In fact, Sane had the freedom of the left side and was atrocious against a very suspect TAA. Gundogan was even worse than Sane, he had a shockingly bad first touch.
My thoughts as well. Gundogan for Sterling was a mistake.
How long until Pep quits and decides he fancies managing PSG?
Well if that's the Mourinho way then I expect him to attack Man City on Saturday because he's a pragmatic manager. Being pragmatic means you take the best possible route to victory. Use the tactics which give you the best chance of winning the game.
The interesting thing is if City go out despite the way they have won the league, the record books will read he's done no different than those before him.
I don’t mean just attack or defend. I mean specific, nuanced tactics to combat the opposition; Herrera on Hazard, beating the press to Fellaini etc. Pep would never sully himself by modifying his tactics to the opposition, it’s a cult lol.
Needs more money.
@Xeno
Thats not strictly true. He once played Martinez as CF v Klopps Dortmund so Bayern could go long and kill the press.
They even won too.
Thats not strictly true. He once played Martinez as CF v Klopps Dortmund so Bayern could go long and kill the press.
They even won too.
Which players aren’t his now? POTY De Bruyne, World Cup winner Silva. The only ones who aren’t unquestionably world class are Komoany, Fernandinho and Otamendi?
Not familiar with that game tbf.
The way Liverpool pressed the second-ball when their attacks broke down was a lesson to all that play City. Not allowing them to break through the midfield completely disoriented Pep’s team and, as many have mentioned, Guardiola has no plan B and it all looked very similar to his Bayern Munich team’s exits from the CL.
Liverpool’s defence is average but the way the midfield protected them tonight was, it pains me to say brilliant; the best I’ve seen against this City team. Can we play like that against them on Saturday please?
Liverpool’s defence is average but the way the midfield protected them tonight was, it pains me to say brilliant; the best I’ve seen against this City team. Can we play like that against them on Saturday please?
I wasn’t been entirely serious.
@Xeno
I dont think Pep is neither judging by the way he's been setting up against the exact same manager since then.
I dont think Pep is neither judging by the way he's been setting up against the exact same manager since then.
Oliie Holt will be more devastated than Pep.
I wouldn't write them off yet. I find it incredible how many fans forget how surprising football can be. Look at tonight's result for example. I guess that is what keeps the game so entertaining. We all are a fickle and impulsive lot though.
*Irony alert*.
Nor I, I said he needs £200m more CB before we judge him. But seriously, where can he stack more quality? Would Mendy at LB have changed the game? Why wasn’t £50m Stones playing?
Not that kind of modifying. Of course not. But the long kick from Ederson could've been used better. They kept playing short and when they did go long they missed the first and second balls. It's impossible to win in these circumstances.
Incorrect. Several teams have tried to press them and got absolutely walloped. Spurs got their asses handed to them if I remember correctly.
A little unfair. He was up against two individually better sides.
What a way to take the shine off your title celebrations. Nice one City.
Surely he has to go full strength on Saturday now? If they lose then they’ll have no momentum going into the second leg against us.
How's Ballbag hold up btw?
No idea, mate.
Not really. Real Madrid 13/14 were on the same level and he got smashed 0-4. Atletico weren't better than Bayern either. To not even reach a final in 3 years with probably the best team in the world is a failure.
His only match where he showed to be willing to adapt during his time here.
Having a go at him for not winning it is completely unfair but he did constantly got destroyed by both Barca and Madrid.
Was it ? I don't think that was the concept when they got thrashed by Madrid 4-0 in Allianz considering Bayern had just won the treble the previous season and Madrid in this very specific season finished third in La Liga.
Assuming Liverpool finish them off, then Bayern winning it again under Jupp with a weaker Bayern would be the cherry on top to kill this Pep is a god talk!
He also lost to Atletico Madrid who are underdogs in every game they play due to their ultra defensive manager. That CL tie must be an anomaly in the matrix, because according to many on here Guardiola's style of play dominates defensive managers.
That was an absolute clusterfeck from Pep that night.
Fell into Simeone’s trap too in 2016.