Yeah City squad depth is the best and I don’t think anyone debates that.
Chelsea also have better squad depth than Liverpool and United probably do also.
City’s record in the domestic cups in testament to that.
Still, I feel like people act as if Pep just brings in Messi/Neymar/Mbappe and that’s it. Where as to me he takes quality players and extracts every ounce out of them in a cohesive and sustainable system.
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Yeah, there’s a reason Bayern practically begged him to stay despite him not winning the CL.
Not really a fan of it but if he wins the CL and PL playing mostly with no #9 it’s a further testament to his ability as a coach.
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Mane Firmino Salah front three
Trent and Robertson full back
Henderson in a Fernandinho role.
Elite action man can do everything centre back.
I mean yes poor poor Klopp how did he do it. Can’t see Guardiola making any of it work.
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Oh I am sorry, I forgot the memo where we can only appreciate a manager if he has 11 Joey Bartons in their team.
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Still, Guardiola disappoints given he has got the resources and the players, that he didn’t dominate the CL as well. Yes he won it in the past with Barca. But with City he is underperforming in that regard.
Which positions Guardiola not as the best in my opinion.
Yeah Klopp reached 2 CL finals with a limited squad while Pep took 5 years to reach one.
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Barca with Pep: 2 CL’s in 4 years
Barca since Pep: 1 CL in 9 years
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Yeah with arguably the best club team the world has ever seen…
Where are his CL titles after that?
Real Madrid meanwhile won the CL 3 consecutive times.
Guardiola is one of the very best, but I cannot herald him as the best since he is disappointing in certain aspects of the game.
Yeah of which one he lost due to comical goal keeping from Karius and the other one he won and as a bonus he put our arch nemesis to the sword.
Hate or like Klopp. He did very well.
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Yes for which calling him 2nd best manager (behind Klopp) is more than enough compliment.
People act as if we are calling him a poor manager or something.
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Remember when Emery lovers thought Tuchel was worse because he won less trophies at PSG?
:ozil:
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Liverpool’s first team is literally incredible ffs. What the fuck are you going on about.
Who denied that?
I think it’s completely disingenuous to say Klopp did it with a limited squad when I would say during that two year period 6 of their first team were comfortably the best in the league in their position. With arguments to be had with others such as Fabinho.
Player such as Keita, Gigi, Matip, Gomez, are also good quality footballers to have in the fold. By no means slouches any of them.
If your able to week in week out play the best front three in the league and by far the best defence in the league with no injuries to any key players for a whole season that’s a recipe for winning trophies.
Obviously an incredible manager one of the best but I find it absurd to not recognise how lucky Klopp got.
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The true measure of a manager is league titles.
Cup competitions are good but one off games can go either way depending on injuries, mistakes, which team you draw, refereeing decisions etc.
In a league, every team has to play every other team twice so, by that standard, Guardiola has to be the best.
I still think Klopp is a top manager but Guardiola plays great football and gets the most trophies.
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I am too lazy to look-up the amount of trophies Guardiola won with City, but the point is still there. Could Guardiola do what Klopp did at Liverpool with a squad not as deep as he has got now.
Wherever Guardiola went he had the best of the best at his disposal and that is all nice and still requires skill to make them perform, but it doesn’t show me he is actually the best
Ferguson I think is better than him as Ferguson managed to win leagues with United squads which were in transistion or nearing the end of a cycle. Whereas Guardiola more often than not relies on peak player performances.
Is it more impressive to take an Ajax side of which the 11 starters combined are worth as much as 1 City player, to the semi finals of the CL or reach the semi finals with City?
I’d like to see Pep take on a real challenge. Then we can see what the man is made of. Now it is a bit easy to herald him as the best as the best is what he has at his disposal most of the time.
I think they have a similar amount of match winners in both teams.
Liverpool have Salah, Mane, Allison and VVD while Man City have Sterling, De Bruyne, Ederson and Aguero.
There are some very good players in both sides but if you look at who Guardiola has bought, none of them were recognised as world class when he bought them, in fact some of the defensive signings were functional rather than top quality, but Klopp spent a lot on VVD and Allison.
Guardiola has turned several very good players into elite players and I think Klopp has done the same but I’m fairly sure that Guardiola hasn’t spent more on a player than we spent on Pepe.
What he has done is get a squad, full of very good players that he can rotate, that work in his system.
There’s not a lot in it but I just think for a manager to win so many titles in so many top leagues in Europe, playing the best football, just swings it in his favour.
But I do think Guardiola could have done what Klopp did at Liverpool with the same players.
So you knew Liverpool had 6 players who were best in the league on August 2018?
I don’t think VVD & Allison were considered world class before they joined Liverpool as well.
Guardiola’s defensive signings had big reputation when he bought them. Stones was a popular gem and Laporte was always considered one of the best center backs.
Guardiola took 5 years to get into CL final with City & its superior squad. Why do you think he would have replicated 2 CL finals with Liverpool?
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What is this point your trying to make?