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

City have not improved one bit under Pep. They can talk all they like about him needing time to bring his own players in but that ignores the fact that none of the players he has bought in so far have been up to scratch. Compare that to Mourinho and all four of his big summer signings have been influential and improved the starting XI.

I dont know why anybody expected any different. This isn't just a step up for Pep it is a seismic shift outside of his comfort zone.
 
Mitchell Nicholas said:
Starting to feel his biggest mistake was not taking a year off from coaching and going straight into his next job after Bayern. He's so intense, too intense for his own you could argue and needs a year out to recharge his batteries so to speak.
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No his biggest mistake (or not) was managing already world class teams and being overrated.
 
Keeps It tidy said:
I know it was a long time ago but, it still amazes me that he left that Barca job.
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Different circumstances, but again he runs away from the stress of outside the pitch influence: club political struggle and Mourinho's intense mind game.

With Pep, I believes he looks for an environment when he has people help him with other job so he can focus on coaching, but he has full say in transfer which at Barcelona and Bayern, he can't. Also with lesser obstacle like playing certain way (Bayern problem with preferred Heynckes way), CL final/ trophy (Barcelona/Bayern), playing youth/nationality pride. He wants to create his perfect football whatever it is. He always has eye on City job despite Chelsea, and us might approach at time since both have similar expectation to Bayern & Barcelona. He wants to become a different SAF to City.

However, Pep seems to realize the ugly reality at City about how unappreciated his football is to the fan, and British media starting to turn on him and he doesn't feel enough love and protection from the fan.
 
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Keeps It tidy said:
I know it was a long time ago but, it still amazes me that he left that Barca job.
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Since Cruyff was sacked after 8 years in 1996, only Frank Rijkaard has lasted more than four seasons as Barcelona boss - he lasted five seasons. Most Barcelona bosses last 3-4 seasons before resigning or they get the sack. My money is on Luis Enrique to leave at the end of the season whatever happens and I'm sure that'll sound bizarre to some if it happens. Would have been great if Pep ended up being Barcelona's version of Alex Ferguson but such is life.
 
I don't understand this whole 'he is too intense for his own good' narrative. Who says Jose isn't a workaholic, or isn't too invested in this stressful business of being a football manager?

I think he's an idealist, and the premier league requires a certain degree of winning ugly and grit that he doesn't seem to get involved in.
 
kafta said:
I don't understand this whole 'he is too intense for his own good' narrative. Who says Jose isn't a workaholic, or isn't too invested in this stressful business of being a football manager?

I think he's an idealist, and the premier league requires a certain degree of winning ugly and grit that he doesn't seem to get involved in.
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I think people (me included) meant your second paragraph with him too intense in his ideal that his players may find difficult to understand (Similar to LVG). I I said in other thread. Any top coach as this level can't be lazy leaving Moyes as the sole hard worker since SAF's retirement
 
hobbers said:
Seems like the whole 5 year masterplan to build up the perfect environment for Pep to arrive into is going to backfire, possibly spectacularly.

Pep is clearly too passionate a manager for City, but he's also so damn precious and it's obviously working against him in this league. He arrived with a big rebuilding job to do, did absolutely nothing towards it in his first summer, and there's a good chance that this coming summer he'll be recruiting for the Europa league next season.

It doesn't help that in this league every single game is a nail biter, whereas in Spain and Germany he had two to four league games and the Champions League matches to worry about, and the rest of the time he could kick back and relax.
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I think it really hurts his pride having to scramble for a win against the likes of Burnley at home, it's not a position he is used to. The reality is beginning to seep into him and this league is much tougher than he first thought it was, combined with maybe a squad not so good as previously thought. He needs a huge overhaul at a number of key positions in the summer. He has the time and resources to turn it around but it's not looking like it's going in the direction Pep was hoping.
 
Pep looking to pack it in, in a few years doesn't surprise me. Think it was Sid Lowe saying how he had very specific goals, one of the to manage in the PL and then a national team. I think Brazil in particular. Maybe he'll take over a Juve or even a PSG but he won't be around to too long.
 
saivet said:
Pep looking to pack it in, in a few years doesn't surprise me. Think it was Sid Lowe saying how he had very specific goals, one of the to manage in the PL and then a national team. I think Brazil in particular. Maybe he'll take over a Juve or even a PSG but he won't be around to too long.
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!
 
hobbers said:
Seems like the whole 5 year masterplan to build up the perfect environment for Pep to arrive into is going to backfire, possibly spectacularly.

Pep is clearly too passionate a manager for City, but he's also so damn precious and it's obviously working against him in this league. He arrived with a big rebuilding job to do, did absolutely nothing towards it in his first summer, and there's a good chance that this coming summer he'll be recruiting for the Europa league next season.

It doesn't help that in this league every single game is a nail biter, whereas in Spain and Germany he had two to four league games and the Champions League matches to worry about, and the rest of the time he could kick back and relax.
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interesting observation. He's been biting his lip for a while but it all came out yesterday pissed off about everything
 
VanGaalEra said:
@FCBarca is a big Pep fan and remember him saying he follows his interviews etc.

What did you make of the interview, is he normally like that?
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Which interview? Post Liverpool or Burnley?

I do typically watch his interviews in it's entirety, when I can - there are several since the start of the season I haven't seen yet but they're all generally available online

I always look back to prior to the start of his coaching career and how Bielsa counseled him on the perils of coaching but mostly the issues dealing with the media. Since he started as a coach, his approach has been fairly consistent - he does not generally agree to 1v1 interviews and prefers to discuss tactics and the football while other questions that invariably are lobbed at him tend to evoke a variety of responses that range from disinterest to cynicism. It's a part of the game, he enjoys the least from what I have gathered and he doesn't like to show his hand since few journalists are interested in talking football and instead look to bait or stir some controversy. Overall though, I see him as annoyed with the English press approach but I'm not sure many predicted it to be much different. Even when they were undefeated, he was trying to get the press to get some perspective so even now in 3rd those writing him off showing a similar myopia

He's half way through the season in the Premiership, premature to write him off but that is the fickle nature of media in general, nevermind the English press. At the start of the season the biggest questions were whether he could adapt to the Premiership and the multiple competitions (Despite having done it before in the Bundesliga & Primera anyway) & whether he had the right pièces in the squad (Namely fullbacks, central defenders and striker). I think it's clear the squad needs reinforcements to play the way Pep wants
 
ti vu said:
@FCBarca post Burnley
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I saw a coach who sees that the press condemns/praises on a whim, one day they are the best and destined for greatness, the next out of title race and the coach needs to adapt to Premiership etc. - Pep isn't changing, whether the press/fans accept that is another story
 
hobbers said:
It doesn't help that in this league every single game is a nail biter, whereas in Spain and Germany he had two to four league games and the Champions League matches to worry about, and the rest of the time he could kick back and relax.
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This is completely wrong. Most people here make sweeping generalizations without even checking basic facts, let alone actually watching games. Barcelona had to compete with a juggernaut of a team that collected up to 100 points, and last season Dortmund was fierce competition, setting their points record. Besides that, La Liga and Bundesliga are quality and many games are hard won battles. Actually, teams like Barcelona or Real would have it much easier in EPL where they wouldn't have to compete against each other.
 
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Stocar said:
This is so far from truth. Most people here make sweeping generalizations without even checking basic facts, let alone actually watching games. Barcelona had to compete with a juggernaut of a team that collected up to 100 points, and last season Dortmund was fierce competition, setting their points record. Besides that, La Liga and Bundesliga are quality and many games are hard won battles. For example Barcelona or Real would have it much easier in EPL where they wouldn't have to compete against each other.
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Jose himself said in spain you have 4 competitive games a season. Then you know you are going to walk over everyone else
 
It's clear Pep hasn't settled in at City at all. It's not the first time he's called out their home support either IIRC he's done it a few times now. Are any City fans on here worried about the Pep situation? If City don't make top four will Pep stay?
 
clarkydaz said:
Jose himself said in spain you have 4 competitive games a season. Then you know you are going to walk over everyone else
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Do you really believe that? If you had actually watched La Liga at the time, you'd know how intense and difficult were those campaigns. Neither team could afford to drop a single point, and many games were gritty and hard won. The pressure was enormous, and standards set extremely high.
 
clarkydaz said:
Jose himself said in spain you have 4 competitive games a season. Then you know you are going to walk over everyone else
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One thing is for certain, if you compiled all of Jose's rhetoric throughout his career you'd learn he contradicts himself all the time
 
FCBarca said:
One thing is for certain, if you compiled all of Jose's rhetoric throughout his career you'd learn he contradicts himself all the time
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I'm sure its a slight exaggeration but people know what he is getting at. He said as a manager it bored him a lot
 
FCBarca said:
I saw a coach who sees that the press condemns/praises on a whim, one day they are the best and destined for greatness, the next out of title race and the coach needs to adapt to Premiership etc. - Pep isn't changing, whether the press/fans accept that is another story
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Why does he care so much about the press?

It seems to me that he can't believe everybody doesn't love him, that really hurts him.

He's on a self righteous mission to convince the world that football should be played HIS way.

The way he was talking about the foul on Bravo, it's hilarious.
 
Adam-Utd said:
Why does he care so much about the press?

It seems to me that he can't believe everybody doesn't love him, that really hurts him.

He's on a self righteous mission to convince the world that football should be played HIS way.

The way he was talking about the foul on Bravo, it's hilarious.
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Who says he cares so much, I think it says the opposite that he cares very little about the press

I think if anything he is continually astounded by the fickle nature of the media which is why he looks the part of a modern version of el loco

His way is Cruyff's way and even principled people with fewer trophies do not compromise on that
 
People love to go to extremes. Before the start of the season, City were seen as favourites because of their squad and Guardiola, now they are seen as average. I wrote several times, already at the start of the season, that their squad had major problems because they have too many over the hill players. However, they are not half as bad as some want to beleve now, just 2 pts off 2nd with Aguero likely to hit form and Gabriel being soon available. They may go far in the CL too.
 
kafta said:
I don't understand this whole 'he is too intense for his own good' narrative. Who says Jose isn't a workaholic, or isn't too invested in this stressful business of being a football manager?

I think he's an idealist, and the premier league requires a certain degree of winning ugly and grit that he doesn't seem to get involved in.
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Especially when you factor in Jose and his fathers ill health as well as reportedly his wife at the moment.

He has a lot more on his plate than Pep does, that's for sure.
 
hobbers said:
Exactly.

What's easier, competing with one team for the title, safe in the knowledge that you're guaranteed CL qualification and thus will always maintain status as an elite club, or competing with 6, 7 or even 8 other teams to win the title, and to qualify for the CL?
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Top 4 is not an issue for Barca and Real. It is either win or nothing, and it is more difficult than in England, as less mistakes are allowed, which means required level of play to win the league is much higher. As is the quality of those two teams. I don't see why competing against 4-5 equally good teams, where some margin of error is allowed, and Top 4 is sometimes seen as success, is more difficult than making your team reach comparatively much higher levels of intensity and efficiency, trying to match an equally great other team, where 2nd place means defeat. I really don't understand what your argument here is based on.
 
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Stocar said:
This is completely wrong. Most people here make sweeping generalizations without even checking basic facts, let alone actually watching games. Barcelona had to compete with a juggernaut of a team that collected up to 100 points, and last season Dortmund was fierce competition, setting their points record. Besides that, La Liga and Bundesliga are quality and many games are hard won battles. Actually, teams like Barcelona or Real would have it much easier in EPL where they wouldn't have to compete against each other.
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:D
 
Alex Styles said:
I'm happy. Happy new year :lol::lol::lol:
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That was seriously funny.. he is cracking up big time. Silly thing is, his team isn't that far off.. he just needs to stick around, work on the defence with new signings and a new keeper and they'll be fine.

It is whether he has the stomach for the fight.
 
They're away at Everton next, which certainly won't be easy. It'll be interesting to see how the team reacts.
 
Stocar said:
This is completely wrong. Most people here make sweeping generalizations without even checking basic facts, let alone actually watching games. Barcelona had to compete with a juggernaut of a team that collected up to 100 points, and last season Dortmund was fierce competition, setting their points record. Besides that, La Liga and Bundesliga are quality and many games are hard won battles. Actually, teams like Barcelona or Real would have it much easier in EPL where they wouldn't have to compete against each other.
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clarkydaz said:
Jose himself said in spain you have 4 competitive games a season. Then you know you are going to walk over everyone else
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In the 2011-2012 season Real Madrid won the title with 100 points, 121 goals scored and a GD of +89: Barca came second with 91 points, 114 goals scored and a GD of +85. Valencia finished 3rd with 69 points.

The highest number of goals ever scored in the PL is 103 by Chelsea 2009-2010, they totaled 86 points that season with a GD of +71.

It is pretty clear that Mou is correct in what he said.
 
Classical Mechanic said:
In the 2011-2012 season Real Madrid won the title with 100 points, 121 goals scored and a GD of +89: Barca came second with 91 points, 114 goals scored and a GD of +85. Valencia finished 3rd with 69 points.

The highest number of goals ever scored in the PL is 103 by Chelsea 2009-2010, they totaled 86 points that season with a GD of +71.

It is pretty clear that Mou is correct in what he said.
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Chelsea didnt have Ronaldo or Messi, or anyone close to them for that matter.
 
La Liga giants win and score that much more in recent years, because they are that much more better than English teams. Not because their league is weaker. You don't actually even have to watch the games to understand it (as most people here obviously don't). A simple look at objective parameters (European success, for example) is pretty conclusive.
 
Ill be honest here, I love his meltdown but I also feel a little sorry for him, its almost like hes been sold something that simply isnt true.

- Terrible fan base, barely sell out games in a 50k stadium vs rabid fans in the Allianz and over 100k sold out every game at the Camp Nou.
- Every game is a slog and the champions are usually teams that can get results the hard way rather than dominating teams with classy play.
- From the bottom to the top teams have some sort of quality and in the space of seconds games can change on their head.
- He seems to want ultimate control of games which is simply not possible in the premier league.
- Conte seems to be able to adapt his tactics per the opposition, he is stubborn in his approach.
- He looks burnt out by xmas and I seriously doubt hell be in-charge next season, not through a sacking, I think hell leave.
 
I can't see him winning the league soon but I'd imagine if he won it this season or next (however impossible) he would retire instantly.

I'm enjoying the meltdown, he's so overrated. Also deserves every bit of the stress too for picking a pathetic club like City.
 
Think he'll just spend a ton of money in the next two windows. He'll win something I'm sure.
 
christy87 said:
Imagine how he'd react to someone playing mind games with him, could be worse than Keegan.
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I think Mourinho will try on some mindgames if \ when we overtake them in the table.

SAF would already have him in a padded cell.
 
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