Their games against Chelsea and Spurs have been weird, there's goals to get if you want.
'Pep' Guardiola sack watch
- Thread starter Classical Mechanic
- Start date
Up to arsenal to stop the unthinkable
Arsenal will fall away again. Unfortunately it'll probably be the scousers who seem to be winning despite not looking overly convincing.
The 3-2-4-1 doesn't really work as well with the players he has now instead of last season. It's a very attacking way to play so if you don't do it right, it leaves gaps.
Akanji stepping in isn't like Stones stepping in, just like a standard defender in midfield. Alvarez is sort of just fitting into the team where he's a forward sort of playing midfield but leaving the midfield exposed. Doku is good but doesn't keep the ball as well as Grealish which leaves them more exposed when they lose it. They miss Gundogan and De Bruyne.
Akanji stepping in isn't like Stones stepping in, just like a standard defender in midfield. Alvarez is sort of just fitting into the team where he's a forward sort of playing midfield but leaving the midfield exposed. Doku is good but doesn't keep the ball as well as Grealish which leaves them more exposed when they lose it. They miss Gundogan and De Bruyne.
i like the willy waving power play thing he does when he goes “you were my best player last season, so now i’m just going to stop playing you entirely.” really keeps the rest of the squad on their toes and shows that no one is bigger than the manager; not even the club.
He is gone at the end of this season.
He can't leave the title to Arsenal or Liverpool. Wait for us to rise again Pep, SAF stepped aside for you guys.
They had 2 shots all game
villa 22 shots…. City 2 shots 
No Rodri no party.
They are much worse this season.
Shades of their season during the COVID postponement. Could go off the rails soon.
Shades of their season during the COVID postponement. Could go off the rails soon.
How are we only 3 points behind them?
Man City have been well and properly cooked by Aston Villa. They can see it's all coming down soon and all their work would have been for nothing.
They’re lucky they beat us, if they didn’t happen then their big game record over the last 12 mi the or so would be seriously serious scrutiny,
Their away record v big sides is as bad as ours
Their away record v big sides is as bad as ours
Because we never draw! Honestly, our record v non top 6/7 sides needs more looking at, we seem to win every one we are supposed to win. Thats a lot of points
City are finally shit and we are nowhere near.
City are finally shit and we are nowhere near.
Infuriating.
The title feels wide open, but we're just not good enough. Our GD is still only 0 and we've only scored 18 goals in the league.
Big feck on your face Pep you smug cnut.
I will love it if they don't get the 4 in a row after his comments the wanker.
I will love it if they don't get the 4 in a row after his comments the wanker.
We’re 3 points behind them, while we’re in « crisis »City are finally shit and we are nowhere near.
Because weve won 9 matches and hysterical fan meltdowns in the midst of a freak injury crisis dont actually cost a team points.
It's a bit like the weather when it says its 5 degrees but feels like -3
That must be the poorest Pep City performance since the first season he came in when Chelsea won it.
I dare somebody to make sense of that line up tonight. If ten hag sent out 6 defenders, 2 wide players and 2 strikers, this place would be in 'cannae take the strain' mode
No Rodri no party.
Preparing for the league 1 campaign.
First time since Guardiola's first season they've gone four league games without a win. And in that period between they hadn't gone more than two in a row without a win until the weekend there.
They’ve had a couple of these games this season. The one against Arsenal they was also really poor.
It feels like he's going to write off the League season and focus on the FA Cup and the CL in the second half of the season while also winning that meaningless Club World Cup nonsense.
2 shots in the entire game from a Guardiola team? Crikey.
A fall off expected from Manchester City after winning three trophies last season however Pep hasn't helped himself by offloading some important players and not bringing in like for like replacements. Looking at the match stats tonight is what one would expect from a mid table team against Aston Villa.
Need to pick up form soon or it will become a two horse race for the title between Arsenal and Liverpool.
Need to pick up form soon or it will become a two horse race for the title between Arsenal and Liverpool.
Yeah this is the takeaway from this game.
Not that they are only 6 points behind the top (we've seen this almost every season since 2018-19, freaking out prematurely is silly and boring)
But that in the absence of Rodri and Grealish, Pep lined up with Akanji and Stones in midfield, ignoring Kovacic/Nunes/Phillips on the bench. City literally had no midfield, of course Villa ran riot.
He needs to either bed Nunes in now or just manage with Phillips or tank the league and go all in on Europe/FA Cups/CWC.
why did he sign those 3 players. he spent a fortune on them. nobody blinks at his signings
Lovely to see them dropping points. His comments on winning four in a row could backfire, which would be nice.
Nunes, Kovacic and Phillips on the bench and yet Sky had Stones and Akanji down for their midfield.
He just thinks he can pick any player in any position and it works. Phillips would be fully justified not turning up to training tomorrow, he's treated him disgracefully.
He just thinks he can pick any player in any position and it works. Phillips would be fully justified not turning up to training tomorrow, he's treated him disgracefully.
He's cracking. Went on a 6 min rant earlier today (or whenever the pre game presser was) because some of the pundits thought his team were getting complacent.
The good thing is that that is turning around with less intense training sessions allowing players to run more in matches. Only if the midfield wasn't so open.
Missed out both on Rice and Bellingham, thankfully. They still made quality signings but with those 2 they'd be walking the league. Best midfield in the world and Arsenal wouldn't be so strong without Rice either.
If he had no intention of trusting anyone apart from Rodri, KDB and Gundo in midfield, I guess selling one of them, losing another to injury and having the third banned for 4 games by December wasn't exactly going to help.