21 Jan 2017 06:48:27
Pep being reported as saying he, rather than his players, might not be good enough. What do others think?
Either way it seems that they have seen reality big Time. They know we have now got them in our sights and are starting to panic.
Is Pep preparing the way to jump ship?

1.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 08:39:53
He's pretty much blamed the players or the EPL after every result, not once holding his hands up to his own lack of understanding of the English game and it can't have done anything for the confidence of the players, so it's long overdue he shoulders some of the blame.

2.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 10:06:37
It was easy to see imo that pep couldn't be considered the best manager in the world until he took a job like city they need a hell of a lot of work to become a Barcelona or a Madrid or united I don't think his acquisition of players in the transfer window was great and maybe his decision to get rid of what could have been one of his biggest allies in Joe Hart was a disastrous one.

Having watched his teams and press conference for many years now he seems like a completely different man over here he looks jumpy and prickly and often befuddled by what's going on .

The look of disbelief on his face when he sees the effort of our so called "small clubs" against his beautiful football makes me chuckle and I for one am glad he didn't get the United job .

3.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 11:43:57
One of the Eds mentioned a year or so ago that Pep's transfer dealings on the whole are poor. Rijkard did the hard yards and pep just polished it at Barce, at Munich he inherited the best team in Europe and didn't really get them to reach that level again. I didn't think he would take the City job because the squad needed a fair bit of work and the players they did/ do have aren't really suited to the style he likes to play.

4.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 11:50:37
I think Pep needs longer for his teams to get to grips than most managers, but that isn't an excuse, it's bad management. He relies on his players being able to play a certain way and many of his current players are not capable, this shows he is a one trick pony. He is making a complete pigs ear of it, just like LVG did with us.

To be called 'World Class' managers is ridiculous to me, if they haven't shown they can deal with difficult situations. If any of us walked into a job and totally destroyed the productivity whilst we waited for it to all click "eventually" we would be sacked rapidly. A World Class manager should be able to 'manage' the transition and make best use of the players they have available as they make the changes for the long term future - knocking a house down and building something new is all well and good, but Man Utd and Man City can't afford to knock their house down, too much competition for that. It took us too long to get rid of LVG and I hope City make the same mistake, although Pep is undoubtedly more likely to get it right eventually much more so than LVG ever was - it's just whether he gets enough time.

Man City are getting their own taste of LVG and I like it. It's not hard to be a manager if you have the worlds best players in your team and they are used to playing a certain way (or can get away with a stark change because competition is minimal) . What's difficult is to juggle short term with medium term and Pep is not showing he is very good at it, he also seems like a spoiled child who is used to everything going his way. I thought he was cleverer than that, but even Joe Kinnear could win things with that Barcelona and Bayern team.

{Ed001's Note - there are other problems with Pep. His way of playing only manages to work for a short period before the players start to lose their way. Which suggest a man management issue.

Secondly, and this is the big thing for me, and very much tied into what you are on about Beastie, with his only one way of playing, his teams only play well if everyone is on it. The minute any one player has an off day, the whole team falls apart. The quick passing has no margin for error built in to cope with players having off days. It then becomes very reliant on having a Messi-type to dig them out of a hole. City do not yet have a Messi to do that.

Thirdly there is his lack of defensive work. Pep does no defensive coaching. His teams are utterly hopeless defensively and rely on keeping the ball as their only method of defence. That is fine when you manage Bayern or Barca in their leagues, as all the smaller sides just roll over for them most of the time. However, in the Prem almost every side gets up for the big clubs and tries harder, if anything. That is something he has no plan to cope with.

I could go on about his tactical limitations etc, but I would end up taking over the whole thread if I did that!}

5.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 13:00:17
Thanks everyone. Pretty well reflects my own feelings. I always thought that we dodged the bullet when he went to Citeh. I agree that at other clubs he was the figure head bathing in the kudos rather than than the driving force behind success. No doubt if he went to somewhere like RM he would regain the recently lost status of a top ten manager.
I am enjoying Citeh's discomfort as they discover they have an LVG clone come out of a great disguise!

6.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 13:31:02
I see him in Paris a perfect situation for him.

7.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 12:20:41
I absolutely agree with everything you say ed we are seeing the unravelling of the enigma I never actually believed he would come over and be the messiah like some did you only had to look at Barcelona whose success continued uninterrupted with tito and Luis Enrique it told me that it was the players and not the manager.

I'm a bit guilty to admit I'm really enjoying watching the weird pressers and watching guardiola flit about like a clucking Renton from train spotting 😁

Do managers have to do random drug testing ed?

{Ed001's Note - hahaha maybe they should do!}

8.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 12:42:32
Well put Ed and Beast. Couldn't have put it better myself. It all seems very rosy when you have Messi flanked by the best midfield pairing of the generation playing for you. In Spain there is absolutely no physicality involved. It's all very "technical". Premier League is a different beast where you have the likes of shawcross, Reid, jones bulldozing through the back of your players. His soft silky style is good to watch but not always practical. And it hurts most if a certain Aguero has an off day.

Jose is very adaptable and that's why I believe he is a better coach.

{Ed001's Note - Iniesta was the difference for me. He is truly world class.}

9.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 13:00:14
Totally agreed Ed. It's great to be able to coach when you have 80% possession of the ball with far inferior opposition trying to win it back. He is not used to being punished for losing the ball, players like Stones would be perfectly fine in his Bayern or Barcelona teams, but silly mistakes get punished in our league - too many of their players are not great with the ball and switch off.

As you say, you can't afford passengers and too many City players are coming to the end of their careers or are used to earning big money for doing things a certain (lazier) way. It will be very interesting to see how this goes, because there are a lot of teams with very good managers and a lot more suited to this league than what Pep is trying to do. I personally think he will run out of time and his ideas are too easy to pounce on. Most teams will relish playing City, massive scalp with a simple game plan to combat, just like Utd were under LVG.

10.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 18:34:15
and yet city are above united?

pep has a lot of work to do with city and a new league and team to contend with .
city will be there or there about this year and better next year imo

11.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 21:05:59
Jred,

City had a great start to the season and are gradually getting worse, united had a poor start and are gradually getting better, I think that's the difference.

12.) 21 Jan 2017
21 Jan 2017 21:16:04
Pep sounded almost suicidal after the game today.
I am beginning to think that he does not have the balls to fight back from a difficult situation. In short the premier has found him out

13.) 22 Jan 2017
22 Jan 2017 10:37:23
Sorry I must be mistaken. I thought this was a Manchester United rumoured site. Who gives a fig about Pep and city. We need to concentrate on the fact we are hammering teams in approach play, but can't put the ball in the net. Case in point against Stoke yesterday. These missed chances may be worth a point to us come end of the season, Possibly the one point which may get us back in the champions league

14.) 23 Jan 2017
23 Jan 2017 10:56:49
Rock - you need to go onto the Banter page mate, everything you mention is discussed at length on there.

15.) 23 Jan 2017
23 Jan 2017 19:04:45
I'll do that right now Beast. Thanks for the info

16.) 24 Jan 2017
24 Jan 2017 04:31:43
There are a lot of points here I absolutely agree with but you have to give Pep a season surely?
He came to England to test himself so let him do that before getting too carried away, they had some start and he has an amazing record that does deserve respect.

He's here to prove himself so let's see what he can do after a year or 2 for mine. His ageing defence needed addressing but that is also up to his ex Barcelona mates who run the club to have addressed with their unlimited cash.

I'm willing to bet that all the new top managers we have will experience dips and 'crisis' this season - got know Mourinho got smashed early doors.

Just saying it shouldn't be one rule for one and another for another - give him his window in the summer and see where the land lies.