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The Pep myth

Don’t think anyone can say otherwise that he’s been a brilliant and legendary coach. Yes he’s always had top sides and plenty of a budget but the football he’s had his teams playing has been out of this world a lot of the time.

Think it’ll be very interesting to see how he turns City around cos they look shot. A side that has come to the end and needs a big revamp. Maybe not just in terms of personnel (think that’s obvious) but style maybe too.
 

Seaham Towny said:
People always re write history with those two. Pre Pep, Xavi was mostly playing deeper and Iniesta played wide. He turned them into the World Class midfielders they became.

‘Oh I could’ve done shit with them two and Messi’

Rijkaard didn’t


See what Bayern fans actually think of him…
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Turned Messi into a false 9 aswell and the rest is history
 
woodlebert said:
I can’t recall him ever being anything other than a centre mid. Have you got some evidence for this?
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Played quite a few times on the left of a front 3, before, during, and after Pep. He didn't start as wide player though, and it was never his main position. He actually started as a DM/CM, but ended up playing all over the midfield. Played as 10, an 8, a LW in a front 3, and 6 at times. He played in all of those positions under Rijkaard as well, before Pep got promoted to manager.

Obviously he was best on the lelft of a midfield 3, with Xavi and Busquets.
 
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Ilios said:
Played quite a few times on the left of a front 3, before, during, and after Pep. He didn't start as wide player though, and it was never his main position. He actually started as a DM/CM, but ended up playing all over the midfield. Played as 10, an 8, a LW in a front 3, and 6 at times. He played in all of those positions under Rijkaard as well, before Pep got promoted to manager.

Obviously he was best on the lelft of a midfield 3, with Xavi and Busquets.
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Yes this is more my recollection, not that you’d say he played wide
 
kildaremackem said:
thats not been their lan in recent years not spent muchoutgoings fund incomings-but if they are at risk of not being top four they will spend this time..
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Will be fun to watch the normal 50 mil player in summer, will be about 100 mill... so 3 of their usual 50 million signings will be about 100 million each... January tax.
 
woodlebert said:
I can’t recall him ever being anything other than a centre mid. Have you got some evidence for this?
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He certainly did, quite a bit in his earlier days in mid noughties when 4-4-2 was more of a thing and for Spain when they had a ridiculous amount of class centre mids
 
Neautral said:
He certainly did, quite a bit in his earlier days in mid noughties when 4-4-2 was more of a thing and for Spain when they had a ridiculous amount of class centre mids
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Yes a post above reflects my recollection. He wasn’t a wide player who was converted centrally by Guardiola
 
Seaham Towny said:
He is just ‘the best’ for me. Fergie a confident second followed by Ancelotti.

I think a lot of people forget what Pep has done. Created the best club side in the world (Barca ‘08 to 2011) then got Bayern filling a great brand of football and then now. 6 out of 7 league titles?
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This is misleading mind. He inherited a Bayern side that had just won the treble (inc CL) and had made 3 CL finals in 4 years. That Bayern side (under Jupp Heynckes) knocked out Barca in the CL semis 7-1 on aggregate. They'd also knocked out Real Madrid in the semis on their way to the CL final the previous season.

In the 3 years under Guardiola they never reached a CL final, and got absolutely thumped in semis by Barca and Real. Yes they won a 1-horse race domestically (after Dortmund had been stripped of their best players), but any good manager would have done that.
 
Seaham Towny said:
Yep, wanted his best player to be in range of the goal as much as possible.

Simple when you think about it yet I can’t think of another manager who wouldn’t have played Messi on the wing if they were in charge.
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Disagree here- no more exceptional than Reid playing Phillips as a striker- or O'Neill playing sessegnon up front
Messi was just too good.
 
Ilios said:
This is misleading mind. He inherited a Bayern side that had just won the treble (inc CL) and had made 3 CL finals in 4 years. That Bayern side (under Jupp Heynckes) knocked out Barca in the CL semis 7-1 on aggregate. They'd also knocked out Real Madrid in the semis on their way to the CL final the previous season.

In the 3 years under Guardiola they never reached a CL final, and got absolutely thumped in semis by Barca and Real. Yes they won a 1-horse race domestically (after Dortmund had been stripped of their best players), but any good manager would have done that.
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The truth is somewhere in the middle. Yes he’s had good squads and spent money.

He’s also produced the best football most of us will ever see at Barca and then dominated our own league. Even with Klopp breathing down his neck at times.

He is currently the best football coach on the planet and I don’t think it’s debatable.
TikaTakaTico said:
Disagree here- no more exceptional than Reid playing Phillips as a striker- or O'Neill playing sessegnon up front
Messi was just too good.
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Phillips was a striker when we signed him? Sess only ever played there when we didn’t have another fit.

In Pep’s tenure at Barca he had Eto’o, Zlatan and Villa.

Yet Messi predominantly played through the middle
 
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chunkyshanhawk53 said:
I’m sure I’ll get tons of abuse for this, so I’ll caveat in advance. He’s clearly a top coach. This is more a “is he as good as he thinks he is?” post

it’s now 10 years since he won the champions league. Despite having pretty much unlimited money at City and coaching Bayern, one of the biggest clubs on the planet

He got somewhat fortunate with Barca as he inherited arguably the best player ever in his prime

look at his City numbers. He’s been great domestically. But he should be when you look at what he’s bought. The transfer fees are from memory, so tell me I’m wrong

Ederson £35m (one of the highest fees ever at the time)
Walker £50m
Mendy £50m (even without the news he’s been crap)
Cancelo £40m+
Dias, Stones, Ake, Laporte at a combined £220m ish
Rodri £60m
De Bruyne £57m
Silva £35m
Jesus £27m
Mahrez £60m
Grealish £100m
Torres £25m

there will be more. Probably only one looks a shocker, but given the money surely he has to win more?

who has he sold at a profit? Sane?

who has he developed? Foden?

I’ll get pelters, but 10 years since a CL. With that money. He’s not the genius he thinks he is?
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Arent you a manchester city fan!? This forum is about Sunderland AFC.....
 
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