Pep Guardiola

FCBfan22

Senior Member
If we manage to sell Gomes this summer for more than 30 million to whoever, then Jorge Mendes is a GOAT agent. Raviola who?
 

BBZ8800

Senior Member
I am repeating this all time, so I'll repeat again:
Pep and Barca's&Pep's tactics in current era is good enough ONLY for league titles since in a league you will play majority of matches against teams like Getafe, Las Palmas, Stoke and West Ham and you need to attack like crazy in majority of matches.
For that level of competition, Pep's style and passing till death, possession, controlling, triangles and everything is awesome.

On the other hand, in those tricky CL knockout matches where you don't play against Getafe and Stoke, but against Bayern, Atletico, Juventus and similar, Pep's style in the last few years is usually totally sterile in attack and suicidal in defense (100s of counters).
This is a list of all CL knockout rounds where Pep lost AFTER 2011:
2012: Chelsea 3:2, away match 1:0
2014: Real Madrid 5:0 on aggreggate, away match 1:0
2015: Barcelona 5:3 on aggreggate, away match 3:0
2016: Atletico 2:2, away match 1:0
2017: Monaco 6:6, away match 3:1
2018: Liverpool (?), away match 3:0

Now, a lot of guys here always whine and say how: 433 is the way to go, how attacking power is the way to go, how more attacking players is the way to go.
Yet, Pep is the best example of an attacking football and YET in his last 6 CL exits his score in away matches (where he plays too naive and too attacking all the time) is:
6 matches:
0 wins, 0 draws, 6 defeats
goals ratio: 1:12

If you add to this Barca's knockout matches when we were knocked out after 2011, you can see almost the similar pattern:
= we always lose to a similar type of opponents as Pep=to thugs, physical teams. Plus we suck in away matches and in majority of cases the opponents close down both Pep and Barca's teams in the same way:
= they overcrowd the middle (since we know how to attack ONLY through the middle), they leave flanks somewhat open since both Pep's teams and Barca will use flanks this way: you get the ball, you won't cross since there is no one to head the ball into the net in the box, so you will just pass the ball back to a midfielder around the box and try to do something through the middle where the opponents parked 2 buses of 4+4 or 5+5 players.
Also, the opponents learned how to kill both Barca and Pep's teams on counters.

Now, Barca's matches:
2012: Chelsea: 3:2, 1:0
2013: Bayern: 7:0, 4:0
2014: Atletico: 2:1, 1:0
2016: Atletico: 3:2 2:0
2017: Juventus: 3:0, 3:0

Our last 5 CL exits and away matches in those exits:
5 matches:
0 wins, 0 draws, 5 defeates
Goals ratio: 0:11

Barca and Pep combined since 2011 in away matches when they were knocked out:
10 matches:
0 wins, 0 draws, 10 defeats
Goals ratio: 1:22

So, quite an interesting coincidence, isn't it?
1. both Barca and Pep's teams play the same type of football and share the same philosophy, right?
2. both teams are ALWAYS knocked out in a CL by the similar type of opponents (physical and thugs teams)
3. both teams are usually superior in league competitions with their style of football which suits (easier) league competitions
4. both teams are insanely horrible and naive in tough away CL knockout rounds matches, as seen above

So, I would like to add one more time: Pep's style, Barca's classical style, too attacking football=don't equal success in recent years.
Barca AFTER Pep won a CL ONLY when we moved away from our style, and when Lucho played more defensive and used counters in 2015'.
Pep on the other hand, hasn't altered his style and imo there is no way that he will win a CL anytime soon.

Also, some guys will maybe now understand why EV's "crazy" ideas like playing 442 with workhorses, especially in bigger matches and NOT playing 433, and NOT playing Dembele and similar is actually=a way to go against bigger opponents.

Also, once again: for league matches, especially HOME matches, Pep's style is awesome.
But for away matches and for bigger matches, especially for a CL knockout matches=hell no.

EV playing 442 against big teams and using Roberto instead of Dembele, shows how many light years EV is infront of outdated and stubborn Pep.
 
Last edited:

Cule4life

The Culest
If sterling finished his chances it would have been a different game.

Also poor defending by city. They were not even caught out on counters.
 

BarcaOG

Banned
I am repeating this all time, so I'll repeat again:
Pep and Barca's&Pep's tactics in current era is good enough ONLY for league titles since in a league you will play majority of matches against teams like Getafe, Las Palmas, Stoke and West Ham and you need to attack like crazy in majority of matches.
For that level of competition, Pep's style and passing till death, possession, controlling, triangles and everything is awesome.

On the other hand, in those tricky CL knockout matches where you don't play against Getafe and Stoke, but against Bayern, Atletico, Juventus and similar, Pep's style in the last few years is usually totally sterile in attack and suicidal in defense (100s of counters).
This is a list of all CL knockout rounds where Pep lost AFTER 2011:
2012: Chelsea 3:2, away match 1:0
2014: Real Madrid 5:0 on aggreggate, away match 1:0
2015: Barcelona 5:3 on aggreggate, away match 3:0
2016: Atletico 2:2, away match 1:0
2017: Monaco 6:6, away match 3:1
2018: Liverpool (?), away match 3:0

Now, a lot of guys here always whine and say how: 433 is the way to go, how attacking power is the way to go, how more attacking players is the way to go.
Yet, Pep is the best example of an attacking football and YET in his last 6 CL exits his score in away matches (where he plays too naive and too attacking all the time) is:
6 matches:
0 wins, 0 draws, 6 defeats
goals ratio: 1:12

If you add to this Barca's knockout matches when we were knocked out after 2011, you can see almost the similar pattern:
= we always lose to a similar type of opponents as Pep=to thugs, physical teams. Plus we suck in away matches and in majority of cases the opponents close down both Pep and Barca's teams in the same way:
= they overcrowd the middle (since we know how to attack ONLY through the middle), they leave flanks somewhat open since both Pep's teams and Barca will use flanks this way: you get the ball, you won't cross since there is no one to head the ball into the net in the box, so you will just pass the ball back to a midfielder around the box and try to do something through the middle where the opponents parked 2 buses of 4+4 or 5+5 players.
Also, the opponents learned how to kill both Barca and Pep's teams on counters.

Now, Barca's matches:
2012: Chelsea: 3:2, 1:0
2013: Bayern: 7:0, 4:0
2014: Atletico: 2:1, 1:0
2016: Atletico: 3:2 2:0
2017: Juventus: 3:0, 3:0

Our last 5 CL exits and away matches in those exits:
5 matches:
0 wins, 0 draws, 5 defeates
Goals ratio: 0:11

Barca and Pep combined since 2011 in away matches when they were knocked out:
10 matches:
0 wins, 0 draws, 10 defeats
Goals ratio: 1:22

So, quite an interesting coincidence, isn't it?
1. both Barca and Pep's teams play the same type of football and share the same philosophy, right?
2. both teams are ALWAYS knocked out in a CL by the similar type of opponents (physical and thugs teams)
3. both teams are usually superior in league competitions with their style of football which suits (easier) league competitions
4. both teams are insanely horrible and naive in tough away CL knockout rounds matches, as seen above

So, I would like to add one more time: Pep's style, Barca's classical style, too attacking football=don't equal success in recent years.
Barca AFTER Pep won a CL ONLY when we moved away from our style, and when Lucho played more defensive and used counters in 2015'.
Pep on the other hand, hasn't altered his style and imo there is no way that he will win a CL anytime soon.

Also, some guys will maybe now understand why EV's "crazy" ideas like playing 442 with workhorses, especially in bigger matches and NOT playing 433, and NOT playing Dembele and similar is actually=a way to go against bigger opponents.

Also, once again: for league matches, especially HOME matches, Pep's style is awesome.
But for away matches and for bigger matches, especially for a CL knockout matches=hell no.

EV playing 442 against big teams and using Roberto instead of Dembele, shows how many light years EV is infront of outdated and stubborn Pep.

great analysis. the evidence is pretty shocking against the possession-attacking style in the CL knockouts. its actually embarrassing. esp his bayern eliminations.
 

Devils

Senior Member
I think it would be a safe bet to assume that Liverpool will score at the Etihad.

Unless Pep does something miraculous with that defence or Liverpool's trident have an off day.

Both unlikely.
 

xXKonan

Senior Member
Yeah I can't see City getting the comeback.

If they had scored a goal or two at Anfield they had a chance but no away goals and it seems the team has clearly suffered a couple of Mental setbacks vs Liverpool and even today vs United when they gave up a two goal lead and lost it in the second half.
 

Galning

Moderator
All those millions spent and the backline was Danilo-Kompany-Otamendi-Delph, holy shit. I know they've been unlucky with injuries etc. but that's just mindblowingly poor.
 

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