Watching Man City

Man City have just given them a footballing lesson, they've scraped through on penalties like they always do. I'd be embarrassed if l supported Madrid after that. In Pep we have the greatest footballing manager of all time in our country - this is a blip, whilst ever he stays they will dominate Europe. Madrid are relying on Mbappe being their saviour - he won't be. Their football is unique, they'll win many more champions league in the near future with Pep.

 

City did give them a lesson.

The lesson being that you can have all the possession in the world but if you play slowly and carefully in the final third, never looking to turn over quickly, never finding space to be more incisive as Real always had time to reset, you won’t actually create a huge amount. Of those 33 shots, how many were true chances? I’d say the De Bruyne goal and the one he missed just after. Not many more.

I’m a fan of Pep but I’d say his approach cost them tonight - it shouldn’t have got near to penalties and Real were never losing the shootout.

 

He's a drugs cheat and a hypocrite, a thoroughly unlikeable bloke.

Also laughing at the "domination" of Europe. Since he joined City Real have won the Champions League 3 times, City once. As a manager he's won the Champions League 3 times. With the squads and resources he's had at his disposal that's an underachievement.

 

He will dominate, he's barely got in his stride, Real deserved one of those Champions League, battered by Athletico, Dirty on Salah - the filth of European football, funded by the government for years. In ten years time City will be streets ahead, it's only the beginning for city

 

Are you really knocking his success since joining City?! Kin'ell the most successful manager in English football ever given the time he's been here, better than Shankley, Fergie, Paisley, Clough...

 

I disagree.

 

34 shots according to flashscore mate. Equates to a shot every 25 passes if stats are correct.

 

His approach is always the same to be fair mate, varies at times but generally play the same football regardless of scoreline. Its very very difficult scoring when there's 11 men sat behind the ball, like madrid tonight and arsenal last week. They came for a draw, and got it. There was only 1 team trying to play football

 

Man City are incredibly effective at winning games, but they’re an awful watch. They’re also everything wrong with football. Sod ‘em. Never mind Barnsley, give me Port Vale vs Shrewsbury on a random end of season Tuesday night and I’d enjoy it more personally

 

Got to say I couldn’t watch Real if that’s how they play to ‘win’, I’d also be really unhappy as a City fan the lack of penetration and the subs PG made.
I think overall I’d quite like Bayern to win it for Harry Kanes sake, good striker and seems a thoroughly nice bloke, be nice to see him to win something.

 

30+ shots at goal unprecedented at that level however it's not gone in the back of the net and by playing for penalties Real knew how to beat City, fair play to them.

I'm old enough to remember a time when all of England wanted their representatives in the European Cups to win, now its anyone but City will do. There's some right bitter envious bstds on here, they'd argue black is white when then reality Pep has changed English football in a way Fergie and his 4-4-fkng-2 never did, stay pressing your noses against the window Manchester is blue and will be forever now, can't wait for the arseholing City give them in the Cup final, oh yes the open top bus will still be circling Manchester.

 

At one point in the 1920s, people in Huddersfield were saying the same about their side being the best in the country... At some point, City will fall back behind Utd again. It might be 5 years or 20, but it will happen,

 

It's not envy at all, I don't have any skin in the game when it comes to the Premier League and have only had allegiances to any club up there in 97/98 so I just call it as I see it.

There'll always be a team that wins, I'd just rather it wasn't a team that has been stripped of its soul to become a cynical laundering tool and nothing more. And the fact it's managed by a drugs cheat who wears his ribbon for Spanish political prisoners whilst happily trousering millions from a regime with an awful human rights record is the cherry on the turd.

Its funny the hammer City supporters used to give United and the way they used to take the moral high ground only to now ignore the fact their club is now so, so much worse than Utd ever was. You've sold your soul for a few trophies which have been bought as an exercise to make a country look better.

 

Genuinely, what is with the city love-in on this forum?

Ferguson favoured the 4-4-2 yes - as did many at that time, but not exclusively. He barely played it at all the season he won his second champions league for example. I’m pretty sure he’d have adapted in the modern times to whatever faced him too. I’m not huge fan of his by the way, but to suggest Pep has ‘changed English football’ significantly more than him is a bit wide of the mark.

He was the last of the old breed with total control yes, but the professionalism and work ethic you see in the game can be attributed to him (and also arsene Wenger); other clubs, I’m looking at the likes of Newcastle, Liverpool and spurs here, were playboys playgrounds, as they had been with success in the eighties - and they got left behind.

Pep has created a massive successful brand of football - but one which requires a certain type of player that cost a certain amount of money. He hasn’t changed all of English football - and when you see teams like ours pass it about sideways to no effect for a full game and fail to beat absolute dross, you wonder if his influence is actually always a good thing. Taking this season at Barnsley as an example I think I’d sooner play an ‘old fashioned’ 4-4-2, and play aggressively on the front foot like an old ferguson team, than what I’ve actually witnessed.

That isn’t to say I don’t think Pep has achieved huge things and that he isn’t one of the all time greats: he will go down in history as that. His methods don’t always work though, he was out thought by Ancellotti last night as Real did nothing particularly special to stop them. That happens. He’s still great.

I don’t think he’s made more seismic shifts than those who went before him in the English game though, like Wenger, Ferguson, Clough, Shankly. Even Bobby Robson.

Pep stands on the shoulders of all of them, much like Paisley, Dalglish, Mourinho have.

 

Maybe in 20 years United will have repaired the leaky roof but the Glazers will still be milking the cow.

 

Course you've no skin in it. #4inarow

 

I feel sorry for you that you can't even conceive of having some moral conviction independent of club loyalties.

Although I am interested as to who you think I support...

 

Pep has completely influenced a whole new generation of coaches( and the former) to an unprecedented level.