Pep’s tactics have shaped football for the last 5-10 years. It’s refreshing to see that it looks like someone, and then quickly everyone, finally figured out an effective counter.
He’s going to have to adapt quickly because his old philosophy, with the current group of players, clearly isn’t working as it used to.
If we can move football on from Pep’s low risk strategies, rest defence and all the rest of it, then I would be very very happy indeed.
It's less the tactics and more complacent squad building in my opinion. Their midfield is pretty old and Rodri was masking that and Kovacic is on the older front too. It creates a real lack of dynamism and makes it easier to play around their press
Agree with this, they used to be so good at buying at about 23, selling about 29, having a replacement in a year early.to settle etc, but they've let the side get older the last few years (Walker, De Bruyne, resigning Gundogan) whilst relying on Rodri to be brilliant and Haaland to score. Let Palmer and Alvarez go.
Morgan Rogers was at City for 4 years from 17 to 21 and never played a league game; just kept being sent out on loan. Villa paid 8 million up front rising to 15 million with add ons. Rogers was brilliant today and so strong on the ball with his runs.
The most one sided 2-1 and Villa nearly paid the price for not scoring at least 4 with the amount of chances they had from the 1st minute.
City are paying the price, of losing so many young players, fed up of not getting minutes on the pitch . It must be painful seeing this young talent thriving elsewhere, when they're own team has a number of players slightly past their best.
Stopped a 5 game unbeaten run in the league for the Stripey Wankers, having played Brighton, Villa, City, Newcastle and Ipswich in that time, so a relegation rival and 4 strong teams. Hopefully that was their best form and they go on a nice long winless run now
Both Wolves (40) and Southampton (37) have leaked goals for fun. They sack their respective managers and both sides immediately record just their second clean sheets of the season. Sometimes you have to go backwards to go forwards but when a certain way of playing is so entrenched and the manager is unprepared to change that, whatever the results, then they are asking to be sacked. That said, the players aren't without blame but it is up to the manager to give them that belief. Hopefully, both sides will carry on keeping it tight and drag our south London neighbours well and truly into the mire.
I think I think Wolves have better players than Leicester and even before today I would have said that they will finish above them. Hope it’s not the 3 promoted teams that go down. I think Ipswich have more going for them than Luton did last season.
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Easy to say in hindsight I guess.
The most one sided 2-1 and Villa nearly paid the price for not scoring at least 4 with the amount of chances they had from the 1st minute.
(Purely because he stopped the virgins singing their wanky song almost as soon as they’d started)
MacAllister clearly miss controls the ball, stretches and goes to ground even before the Spurs player arrives!!