GWT: PL Matchweek 25

[Live in the Now]

Also, I could see Guardiola walking, but he'd never get sacked. To spend all the money they've spent and have that defense is horrifying. They're also going to lose Fernandinho and need major help in that position. Rodri has just been okay. Not sure what they'll do.

 

[Havre]

Imagine Guardiola having to manage a normal club. I guess that won't happen. He'll take over PSG and do nothing in the CL. Then retire.

Guardiola is obviously good, but astonishing how overrated he is. Value for money is rarely good for teams like City, but even so that team should have been a lot better. Also almost all their key players are at the end of their careers or getting in to the last phase. Kompany already gone. D. Silva and Aguero can't carry teams for 38 games any longer. Fernandinho is another one. Not that they haven't got some younger players coming through, but they will have to do quite some clever business not to end up going on a downward spiral quite soon. I don't think Guardiola will hang around to see it turn upwards again.

 

[Live in the Now]

If Pep actually went to PSG he would finally deserve all the criticism he gets. To run away to a league with no competition would be rather damning. We'll have to wait and see though.

 

[Burner Account]

Pep speculation will intensify when they’re eliminated from CL again. He was billed as the one who would deliver the European Cup.

 

[hatterson]

City generally dominated today, but just didn’t finish and Spurs had two excellent finished after City went down to 10 men.

Also lol:

 

[Live in the Now]

City should have bought another #9 tbh. There's a guy now wearing yellow every week who would have fit perfectly. If anything I think Haaland's scoring record is actually being undersold. There is massive value in players who put all their chances on target with power even if they aren't perfectly placed. Anyone's guess who will sign him in a few windows thanks to that.

If they had another player to finish all those chances, people wouldn’t be talking very much about their defense.

 

[hatterson]

City should have bought another #9 tbh. There's a guy now wearing yellow every week who would have fit perfectly. If anything I think Haaland's scoring record is actually being undersold. There is massive value in players who put all their chances on target with power even if they aren't perfectly placed. Anyone's guess who will sign him in a few windows thanks to that.

If they had another player to finish all those chances, people wouldn’t be talking very much about their defense.

They are convinced Jesus is going to be that guy, but he’s just not very good. One of the dumbest footballers in the league.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Some hot takes all around.

 

[phisherman]

Some hot takes all around.

Are you surprised?

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Are you surprised?

Not really but from some uncharacteristically out there takes.

 

[Live in the Now]

Some hot takes all around.

You’re gonna need to be specific

 

[Havre]

City - Spurs were one of the most one sided games I have ever seen. Poor team set up even worse by the tactical mastermind who is Pochettino. Spurs - City also quite one sided, but what should you expect? A right footed 19 year old at left back (he did well though). A walking penalty in Aurier. Two AMs trying to play CM next to a CM that is more a passer than a defender. Up front a winger. Son completely out of form and Bergwijn who joined a week or something ago - hardly able to walk off the pitch due to cramps quite early in the second half.

Any decent team will dominate this Spurs team. Certainly to be expected when you got Guardiola and several hundred million GBPs coming at you.

 

[Machinehead]

I mean, this isn't your dad's Madrid either tbf

 

[Halladay]

City is the Cofavorite to win the Champions League according to odds. But I think they will lose to Madrid.

 

[les Habs]

Some hot takes all around.

Some serious lack of context, that's for sure. Not to mention another point of absolute nonsense.

Not really but from some uncharacteristically out there takes.

That's where you're wrong. It's generally not uncharacteristic.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

Imagine Guardiola having to manage a normal club. I guess that won't happen. He'll take over PSG and do nothing in the CL. Then retire.

Guardiola is obviously good, but astonishing how overrated he is. Value for money is rarely good for teams like City, but even so that team should have been a lot better. Also almost all their key players are at the end of their careers or getting in to the last phase. Kompany already gone. D. Silva and Aguero can't carry teams for 38 games any longer. Fernandinho is another one. Not that they haven't got some younger players coming through, but they will have to do quite some clever business not to end up going on a downward spiral quite soon. I don't think Guardiola will hang around to see it turn upwards again.

If Pep actually went to PSG he would finally deserve all the criticism he gets. To run away to a league with no competition would be rather damning. We'll have to wait and see though.

You’re gonna need to be specific

See above. The other guy takes it a step further by predicting not only Pep's next move but how he will fair and when he will retire. It really is something tbh.

While you inaccurately stated that he would get the deserved criticism if he went to PSG. First he is not above being criticized I have critiqued him while at barca and at city when his mistakes were obvious. No one is perfect after all. Pep's biggest criticism is that he coaches super teams. As if Barca wasn't 4th and a mess when he took them over. As if City ever reached the heights they did without Pep. So going to PSG wouldn't prove the haters right he is what he is whether he goes there or not. I personally wouldn't understand the move but lets say he does go there and wins a CL. What then?

Some serious lack of context, that's for sure. Not to mention another point of absolute nonsense.



That's where you're wrong. It's generally not uncharacteristic.

I don't know LITN is usually level headed but he's off the mark here.

 

[Cassano]

If Pep actually went to PSG he would finally deserve all the criticism he gets. To run away to a league with no competition would be rather damning. We'll have to wait and see though.

He already did this when he went to the Treble winners in 2013.

How is joining PSG any different?

 

[Live in the Now]

He already did this when he went to the Treble winners in 2013.

How is joining PSG any different?

It's very obviously different as there were teams in Germany that it seemed could match Bayern in a given season. He did a great job to ensure that was not the case. It was his first excursion away from Barcelona. It's also not a case of going to manage another team with unlimited money, even though Bayern were more rich than the competition. He earned that right to take a job like that. However, it is no longer the case in France that a team will approach PSG. Of course, everyone has to get a paycheck, etc. But running away from Barcelona was rather strange to begin with, and to manage PSG would be stranger.

I really don't think that's going to happen though. It doesn't make sense for him to leave for a host of reasons., even though it's possible he would.

While you inaccurately stated that he would get the deserved criticism if he went to PSG. First he is not above being criticized I have critiqued him while at barca and at city when his mistakes were obvious. No one is perfect after all. Pep's biggest criticism is that he coaches super teams. As if Barca wasn't 4th and a mess when he took them over. As if City ever reached the heights they did without Pep. So going to PSG wouldn't prove the haters right he is what he is whether he goes there or not. I personally wouldn't understand the move but lets say he does go there and wins a CL. What then?

But City won two leagues without Pep, won a double without him, etc. City hit heights without Pep. They were only the second team in England to score more than 100 goals in a league season. Their European results, on the other hand, were just acceptable. Their results were something to be proud of though, we're not talking about a team that didn't win anything before Pep got there.

Also, I don't think it's true right now that he only coaches super teams with unlimited bank accounts in comparison to their competition. If he goes to PSG, then yes, that would be largely true on the balance of things. That would make three teams that were by far the richest in their league, that spent the most money on their squad prior to his arrival. The criticisms that some people have about him attempting to avoid pressure over the course of a league season would be validated to some extent. I will reiterate I do not think he'll do that.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

He already did this when he went to the Treble winners in 2013.

How is joining PSG any different?

How is that the same lol

 

[Cassano]

It's very obviously different as there were teams in Germany that it seemed could match Bayern in a given season. He did a great job to ensure that was not the case. It was his first excursion away from Barcelona. It's also not a case of going to manage another team with unlimited money, even though Bayern were more rich than the competition. He earned that right to take a job like that. However, it is no longer the case in France that a team will approach PSG. Of course, everyone has to get a paycheck, etc. But running away from Barcelona was rather strange to begin with, and to manage PSG would be stranger.

I really don't think that's going to happen though. It doesn't make sense for him to leave for a host of reasons., even though it's possible he would.

I know it was easy to say at the time, but after the treble, they were trending as the best club with the brightest future regardless. I think any reasonably competent Manager, like an Allegri, would have Bayern won those domestic titles. They were just so far ahead of the pack with talent, revenue, etc.

Juve and Bayern have the ability to buy out the direct competitors that is a significant advantage over the other leagues that even dwarfs the absurd spending by PSG/City.

It is actually criminal that Juve destroyed Napoli/Roma by buying Higuain, Szczesny and Pjanic. Bayern with seducing the very best Dortmund players to prevent title race from being competitive.

 

[Cassano]

How is that the same lol

They are both leagues with no competition for 1st place.

 

[Duchene2MacKinnon]

I really don't think that's going to happen though. It doesn't make sense for him to leave for a host of reasons., even though it's possible he would.

But City won two leagues without Pep, won a double without him, etc. City hit heights without Pep. They were only the second team in England to score more than 100 goals in a league season. Their European results, on the other hand, were just acceptable. Their results were something to be proud of though, we're not talking about a team that didn't win anything before Pep got there.

Also, I don't think it's true right now that he only coaches super teams with unlimited bank accounts in comparison to their competition. If he goes to PSG, then yes, that would be largely true on the balance of things. That would make three teams that were by far the richest in their league, that spent the most money on their squad prior to his arrival. The criticisms that some people have about him attempting to avoid pressure over the course of a league season would be validated to some extent. I will reiterate I do not think he'll do that.

I could see him going to PSG. After all his decisions to go to Munich and City are both questionable. They weren't no name teams but they clearly reached new heights with Pep.

They are both leagues with no competition for 1st place.

This is definitely not the case but ok.

 

[les Habs]

I don't know LITN is usually level headed but he's off the mark here.

I was only reading through the thread when I had a break in my day this afternoon and only remember one poster who made some ridiculous comment, though there were others. Anyway, I don't recall who said what and I'm not going to read through all that again to post it.

He already did this when he went to the Treble winners in 2013.

How is joining PSG any different?

I wouldn't say that's the same though. As @Live in the Now pointed out he had competitors. Regardless of that though, I think he was drawn to Bayern the club and everything that entailed from a professional standpoint more so than just a financial standpoint. Then when you consider City you have to consider the former Barça leaders who are/were at City. Those were guys who were part of the Laporta board which Guardiola had strong ties to in Barcelona. For the money argument is lazy and stupid and it's more nuanced than that. Besides, it doesn't explain what he did in Barcelona. Despite the talent at his disposal, the team wasn't performing when he came in not to mention his getting the B team promoted.

It's very obviously different as there were teams in Germany that it seemed could match Bayern in a given season. He did a great job to ensure that was not the case. It was his first excursion away from Barcelona. It's also not a case of going to manage another team with unlimited money, even though Bayern were more rich than the competition. He earned that right to take a job like that. However, it is no longer the case in France that a team will approach PSG. Of course, everyone has to get a paycheck, etc. But running away from Barcelona was rather strange to begin with, and to manage PSG would be stranger.

He left Barcelona because he didn't like the new board after Laporta left. His condemnation of the "treatment" of Valverde was a barb as much about the board as it was defending Valverde. I have my own issues with Guardiola leaving as he did considering his love for the club, but not being in his shoes I try to hold off on judgement. Besides all that though, I think he clearly values different experiences and managing in the Premiership is one of those.

 

[Cassano]

I could see him going to PSG. After all his decisions to go to Munich and City are both questionable. They weren't no name teams but they clearly reached new heights with Pep.



This is definitely not the case but ok.

Bayern's reign of 7 straight titles is already the best in Bundesliga history. Same with Serie A and Juve with their 8 straight titles. Both are 1 team leagues and everyone else in the league is feeder club to the biggest one. We are literally witnessing the most dominant/lopsided domestic eras in first division football leagues.

 

[les Habs]

It is actually criminal that Juve destroyed Napoli/Roma by buying Higuain, Szczesny and Pjanic. Bayern with seducing the very best Dortmund players to prevent title race from being competitive.

Criminal they bought some mugs? Higuain and Pjanic are so overrated on this forum. Arsenal should sign them and then you can post all you want about "criminal".