Pep, imploding or tactical ploy to get more money?

[bluebell]

A crestfallen Pep Guardiola has conceded that Manchester City may no longer be able to match the standards of the best teams in world football after assessing his side’s latest setback of, by their standards, a season of struggle.
Guardiola’s City have been the Premier League’s outstanding side over the past two years, clocking up 100 points in 2017-18 and then retaining the title last term as part of a treble-winning campaign.
But this season has so far proved a reality check, with City falling 14 points behind leaders Liverpool after just 16 games following four defeats.
The latest of those losses came in a 2-1 reverse to rivals Manchester United in Saturday’s derby at the Etihad Stadium, with Guardiola full of praise for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s tactics in the game.
Guardiola hopes City will at least be able to learn from their setbacks.
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The City boss said: “United have the quality to defend and the quality to attack on the counter-attack and you have to accept that.
“That is the level we face against Liverpool, United, Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus, they are the teams we have to face and the reality is maybe we are not able now to compete with them.
“We have to improve and accept it and move forward. Maybe we need to live that as a club to improve, to accept the reality now and improve.”
Guardiola, however, is not ready to give up on his side’s title defence and there is also plenty more to play for in the remainder of the campaign.
City are already through to the last 16 of the Champions League ahead of Wednesday’s final group game against Dinamo Zagreb.
They play in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals later this month as they bid to win that competition for a third successive season.
They have also been given a kind draw against League Two Port Vale for the start of their FA Cup defence next month.

Guardiola said: “The reality is we are 14 points behind for the mistakes we have done, for the quality of our opponents and especially, as well, the things we cannot control. That is the reality but we have to continue.
“We are at the beginning of December and we have other competitions to play in and other games to fight and improve on. Maybe this is going to help us for the future so we need to live this as a club to be better.”

Despite that, Guardiola is not yet ready to start prioritising competitions.
He said: “We are not thinking of winning the Champions League, I am not thinking about how many points we need or how many points they have to drop. We are trying to win games, to win the next one.”

 

[Woland]

The reality is we are 14 points behind for the mistakes we have done, for the quality of our opponents and especially, as well, the things we cannot control

Livarpool

 

[Ukrainian by marriage]

Cheeky bastard, suggesting that "United, Barcelona, Madrid, Juventus" are anywhere fucking close to us.

 

[lfc.eddie]

Trying to find ways to take the edge off his players, standard deflection technique. At least unlike some managers who loves to blame others or the “tools” he’s been giving, he opted to downplay his squad quality. Different man, different style.

anyway I am new here and I don’t get it, why do we like the “LiVARpool” tag? Punts are good but not at the expense of our own, surely...

 

[doctor_mac]

Trying to find ways to take the edge off his players, standard deflection technique. At least unlike some managers who loves to blame others or the “tools” he’s been giving, he opted to downplay his squad quality. Different man, different style.

anyway I am new here and I don’t get it, why do we like the “LiVARpool” tag? Punts are good but not at the expense of our own, surely...

I think you're missing something Eddie. We think the LiVARpool is risible, but we also know it demonstrates our rivals are sad fuckers, clutching at straws, and screaming conspiracy.
Which is kinda funny.

 

[MaBigTip]

I think you're missing something Eddie. We think the LiVARpool is risible, but we also know it demonstrates our rivals are sad fuckers, clutching at straws, and screaming conspiracy.
Which is kinda funny.

I like the "living rent free in their heads" part of it.

 

[tombrown]

I like the "living rent free in their heads" part of it.

Oh no - The Afield Wrap has recently changed their policy and officially no longer like that expression.

I like the Anfield Wrap, but this was amusing - their grand old guru Neil Atkinson, said in a podcast that he didn't agree with it and freely admitted that Man City were living in his head, and then that week on all the free videos & podcasts (I don't subscribe), one after another each of their presenters declared "Personally I don't agree with 'living in their heads' ", as if it was their original idea to come to that conclusion.

Apologies TAW - love you really, but that little dance did make me chuckle

 

[King Binny]

 

[MomoWASright]

He’s a fucking über cunt.

 

[Stevesquash]

I don't really get it. Who's he trying to fool? He just comes across as an idiot.

Or he has lost it.

 

[hmmmmm1]

Fcuk pep

 

[Treboeth]

Fcuk pep

I don`t know about that.




Even Mrs.Pep moved back home rather than fuck Pep or to look after her"business interests" i.e. she didn`t want Pepe in her business 😉

 

[King Binny]

 

[Insignificance]

David Silva was already there?

 

[Modo]

Sterling and DeBruyne too right?

 

[Red Bird]

Sterling and DeBruyne too right?

I think he was instrumental in getting both (certainly Sterling) as he already knew was coming to City.

 

[King Binny]

 

[mom]

This would have been nice last season when it was literally a two horse race.

 

[lfc.eddie]

It be one horse race after he leaves then.

 

[MomoWASright]

It be one horse race after We beat Leicester on Boxing Day.

Fixed.

 

[Red Bird]

It be one horse race after he leaves then.

Will this be another case of Klopp driving out another manager?

 

[King Binny]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...an-Rodgers-ideal-successor-Pep-Guardiola.html

Not even a full season at Leicester and Rodgers' stock has risen this much.

 

[rurikbird]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/f...an-Rodgers-ideal-successor-Pep-Guardiola.html

Not even a full season at Leicester and Rodgers' stock has risen this much.

He is quickly going from being underrated to overrated. Leicester are in a purple patch; potential suitors would do well to wait until he's had to deal with a bit of adversity.

BTW I think that article isn't true. City are smarter and more strategic then that.

 

[King Binny]

He is quickly going from being underrated to overrated. Leicester are in a purple patch; potential suitors would do well to wait until he's had to deal with a bit of adversity.

BTW I think that article isn't true. City are smarter and more strategic then that.

English media - always creating bandwagon for people to jump on. 😛

I was thinking, if Pep is really on the verge of leaving or won't be staying on long term, surely they would let Arteta know, seeing how he was supposedly brought in to be groomed as a successor?

 

[Red Bird]

He is quickly going from being underrated to overrated. Leicester are in a purple patch; potential suitors would do well to wait until he's had to deal with a bit of adversity.

BTW I think that article isn't true. City are smarter and more strategic then that.

Aye, especially when he has to buy in order to replace key players.

 

[Dreambeliever]

He is quickly going from being underrated to overrated. Leicester are in a purple patch; potential suitors would do well to wait until he's had to deal with a bit of adversity.

BTW I think that article isn't true. City are smarter and more strategic then that.

I’d love them to go for Rodgers. Would guarantee City wouldn’t be good enough in Europe for some time.

 

[manwithnoname]

He is quickly going from being underrated to overrated. Leicester are in a purple patch; potential suitors would do well to wait until he's had to deal with a bit of adversity.

BTW I think that article isn't true. City are smarter and more strategic then that.

No they aren't. They're just cunts who have more money than anyone else.

What's been 'strategic' about what they've done so far? Spend more money than any other club on Earth and hire the best and most expensive manager on Earth.

Wow. They're so fucking clever.

 

[rurikbird]

No they aren't. They're just cunts who have more money than anyone else.

What's been 'strategic' about what they've done so far? Spend more money than any other club on Earth and hire the best and most expensive manager on Earth.

Wow. They're so fucking clever.

Just compare them to their city neighbors to see the difference between spending money well and not so well.

 

[Brizzle]

I’d love him to be told to sell in order to buy.

 

[King Binny]

Just compare them to their city neighbors to see the difference between spending money well and not so well.

And the strategic planning goes beyond Man City. It's the City Football Group. They just purchased their 8th club last month.
City Football Group announce purchase of eighth football club Mumbai City FC

Manchester City have the world in their hands
[article]The greatest get greater.

We witnessed Tiger Woods add to his gargantuan number of majors in golf earlier this year as he pulled on his fifth Green Jacket at the Masters in Augusta. We saw Rafael Nadal, Novak Djokovic and Roger Federer become even more elite in their own elite tennis club. And we took in Manchester City picking up their second Premier League title along with an unprecedented domestic treble of trophies in England on the football scene.

Sport — it seems — knows no boundaries as the last of these achievements is mind-bogglingly tantalising. Manchester City have gone from strength to strength since their takeover from the UAE in 2009. Trophies and titles and landmarks flooded in over the past decade, including a record-breaking 198 points over two seasons against all odds to deny Liverpool their first Premier League title in 2018 and 2019.

A treble may already be out of reach this campaign as City languish nine points behind their red rivals in the standings, but that does nothing to stop the hunger at the club and their owners from achieving more acclaim across the globe.

The Sky Blues and their City Football Group (CFG) owners from Abu Dhabi earlier this week announced an American company — Silver Lake — bought 10 per cent in the company of which the English Premier League champions are the flagship club.

CFG had put down roots in Australia, North America and China since the takeover of the English club back in 2009.


But their whirlwind rise to the top shows no signs of abating as CFG continue to spread their reach.

The move by Silver Lake — along with the franchises in Melbourne, New York City and Yokohama and with Chinese investors — means they have the richest football business in — well — the business, with a with a $4.8 billion price tag.

Not content to rest on their laurels, on Thursday CFG spread their web wider by investing in Mumbai City FC, India’s major team on a domestic level.

This puts them on the global map in a way never seen before.

North America: Check.

Australasia: Check.

Asia: Check.

Middle East: Check.

Europe: Check.

Subcontinent: Check.

The reach of CFG now accounts for almost all of the tappable markets in football.

To have such a market for merchandising and marketing is just one wing of the concept, as any footballing fan knows trophies not chequebooks win over the followers.

The deal on Thursday to acquire a majority stake in its eighth club, Mumbai City in the Indian Super League, marked a major move into Indian football. CFG will become the 65 per cent majority shareholder of the club, alongside existing shareholders, actor Ranbir Kapoor and film producer Bimal Parekh who combined will hold the remaining 35 per cent of shares.

To extend their brand to a new market opens so many windows of opportunity for CFG, from unearthed talent on the field claiming the trophies of the future to TV rights and advertising bringing in the money behind the scenes.

Welcoming the City Football Group to the Indian Super League (ISL), Nita Ambani said: “It’s a landmark occasion that celebrates the remarkable rise of Indian football and brings to life our vision for the beautiful game in India.

“It is a great endorsement of the increasing appeal of Indian football and for all football fans in India, this is a moment to take pride in our football, our culture and the opportunity we present to the world in developing the sport. The power and potential of our youth makes India the most exciting global opportunity in the world today, in every field, and especially in sport.”

If anything, City and CFG look like taking their brand even further.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Khaldoon Al Mubarak, chairman of CFG, said: “We’re very excited. It’s been a wonderful journey over the last 10 or 11 years and I think this transaction (Silver Lake) is a testament to the journey that we’ve undertaken.

This transaction is a testament to the appetite that this group has about the future. When we bring in another half-a-billion dollars of investment into the group and when we commit to keep that investment and not take out any of that, I think that in itself tells you how we see investing and how we see the future. We see this as a growing and attractive business to invest in.

We’ve created the platform for that and I can certainly assure you we’re focusing on the future, on growth and building on the strength that we’ve built over the years.”

Last week it was America. Today it is India. Tomorrow, it could be infinity and beyond for a club, a franchise and a proposition that shows no signs of slowing down.[/article]