01 Mar 2018 20:41:48
Anyone watching city? They are incredible. The way they move the ball, the speed of the movement and once touch is just phenomenal. They are LIGHT YEARS ahead of ourselves and the rest. You'd have to make them favourites for the champions league too. Who's better? Pep is the best coach about, shame we never got him.

1.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 20:48:32
Yeah, a good game of football. Pep is lightyears ahead of Jose, but I don't like him. I suppose this is how rival fans felt about SAF. Maybe he would be more palatable if he was our manager.

Arsenal are not playing that badly, but City are cruising, they look like a team that trusts each other, understands where each man will be and work together - shows us up for being exactly the opposite on that front. We have the players to do what City are doing going forward, but it's like watching chalk and cheese!

This is probably why I am so frustrated about what is going on at our club.

2.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 20:57:00
Regrettably, I agree Stand. I said that a few times and people thought I was being negative. The fact is, they have 3 midfielders on the pitch and two converted wingers who also pack the midfield. They work twice as hard as our lot. They have very few tall or big players in their side but instead, they have quick and technically gifted players.
I agree we're light years away and I also think we're not heading in the right direction. Our midfield is slow and ponderous and nothing has been done in 8 years to improve it.
I'm going to make a prediction that I hate, city will win the PL for the next three seasons. And we won't win it under mourinho.

3.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 21:21:53
But they were beat by Wigan, lads.

4.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 21:51:42
58,000 attendance, are they having a laugh.

5.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 22:16:23
They include season tickets Leahy. Lol. There was about 20k I think.

6.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 22:25:33
Oh I didn't know that stand, I thought they were hiding behind arsenal tv cameras.
They could put arsenal tv on pay per view now and would make plenty of money.

7.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 23:01:19
The pea turns to miki.
Come join me at Arsenal you said.
Be grand you said. lol.

8.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 23:31:51
Top manager pep with out a doubt .

9.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 23:38:50
Or lucky jred. ££££££ plenty of money where he has managed
I'd like to see him take over a club that hasn't won anything for a while.
A mid table club, just to see what he could do.

10.) 01 Mar 2018
01 Mar 2018 23:55:21
What Pep has done everywhere he manages is to introduce a clear system that he expects all players to follow. He tells them clear patterns of play and what positions to be in to receive the ball or pass it when attacking and how to regain possession as fast as poss when it had been lost. Barcelona Bayern and City all have the same shape under Pep. The players know their jobs and are bought for specific purposes. That's why he is successful. If other teams had that clarity of leadership and guidance he would find it a lot harder to win so much. The other thing is he does not tolerate players who are passengers in matches. If Jose copies Pep a bit more we might see a rapid improvement in Utd future.

11.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 05:07:16
I think Mou like many managers introduces clear system also, but the difference is that Mou's system doesn't attract attention, not attractive and in most cases doesn't entertain.

Mou has his way of playing football which is against MU history according to many. He has been like this in most part of his career and people still think will change his tactics.

12.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 06:48:51
City didn’t just arrive here, Pep didn’t come in to a disjointed club. City have been working towards this position for years, preparing for years to putting Pep in place, such as buying Aguero when SAF was saying no value. Pep was the cherry on top of the icing, the team was on a development plan with him in mind, then they gave him as much money as he wanted. Adulation of Pep is fine, I wanted him after lvg but don’t kid yourself he created this in 18 months, this is years in the planning and making by his old buddies from Barca, whilst we were looking for the latest super noodle partner.

13.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 08:32:48
They have been developing Redman but pep went in there and bought 3 full backs and a fantastic gk. He brought in Silva and Sane. He has further strengthened with Laporte.
But before him, they were playing football like most teams. In just over a year, he's changed their system completely and are now looking head and shoulders above any team in PL and as good if not better than Barca.
Don't underestimate his influence. He's been very shrewd in his purchases and has improved the players already there beyond recognition.
In the meantime, we stumble from one overpriced player to another from Di Maria to pogba to lukaku. All good players but no system and still no midfield and no idea. It's brain against brawn and unfortunately brain wins Every time.

14.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 10:10:46
City just like munich and barcelona under pep are a fantastic team .
It's no coincidence, we are seeing pep do what pep does .

Same goes for Jose our style of play is very Jose points total etc.

15.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 10:39:56
Pep has a certain way of playing and he buys the correct players for that way of playing.
People can go on about how much pep has spent but every purchase has slotted in perfectly which you have to admire.
The only mistake he made was buying that clown of a goalkeeper but he's gone out and bought a world class keeper to replace him.
It's horrible to say but are so far ahead of everyone in the premiership its frightening. They will dominate for the next 2-3 years and it wouldn't surprise me if they won the Champions League this year as well.

16.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 11:18:04
I find modern coaches a little stumped on how to combat peps teams . He spends a fortune but so do many teams . All teams will lose now and then and because so many teams mount a rearguard action against peps teams when it works people take too much notice and ignore the previous 20odd times it didn't . Would we dare play Silva and kdb in central midfield with one sitter behind, probs not and we would play one in a wider position for fear of being exposed defensively, yet this rarely seems to happen . Liverpool despite getting a walloping off city once this season appear to have found the closest thing to a game plan to cause city problems . I'm no coach but would be interested in others thoughts why peps teams are so dominant and ways to stop it .

17.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 15:42:04
He takes his tactics from basketball and other non football sports after travelling to America. Surely the tactics for playing against city are in those other sports. Managers need to think out the box a little when playing them. For instance if you played 2 out and out wingers against them and left them up top the whole game then that would cause them serious defensive and counter attack issues.

18.) 02 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 21:40:32
I'll be impressed if he leaves City in a good state. He's not left a club on good terms yet.

{Ed025's Note - pint of bitter for sepp..

19.) 03 Mar 2018
02 Mar 2018 23:24:26
I'm into my sour beers these days Ed. Harder to find, but worth the extra effort.

{Ed025's Note - im sure they are sepp mate..