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4 minutes ago, McCormick said:

I don’t think the position/ play-style you played as a player necessarily determines your philosophy as a manager. Pep was a dm, Howe was a cb etc.

Zidane is an extremely pragmatic and defensive first manager.

 

Seemingly his management approach takes more from his time under Italian management than his own playing style.

 

Pep's style is similar to his own style of football as a player though. His seeming disdain for physical prowess is far beyond any totaalvoetbal philosphy.

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What system best suits England? 

 

GK: Pope,  Ramsdale

Fullback: James, TAA, Trips, Chilwell 

CB: Tomori, Stones, Dier, Mings,  Burn 

CM: RIce, Bellingham, Phillips 

ACM: Mount, Maddison, Smith Rowe

LW: Foden, Sterling, Grealish

RW: Saka, Sancho, Bowen

ST: Kane, Toney, Tammy, Wilson 

 

WIth 2-3 of those as reserves/backup and or dropping out for someone I didn't name. 

 

Seems tailored for a 4-2-3-1 for me where Kane has that freedom to drop in and release the wide forwards but also has central assistance from a true #10 who can shoot from deep or be truly creative and you have the stability of the double pivot to control the centre and drop in to see the offensive fullbacks push up. Finally Tomori is the fastest and best in-form CB England have. 

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22 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

 

Disdain for physical prowess? 

I genuinely think ultimate-Pep ball has zero athleticism. And height/strength is something he's forced to have in the PL.

 

For a couple seasons he would often talk about his team lacking "verticality". Only having Sterling and KDB that can play "a vertical game". And I would think to myself, that's not an unexpected bug - you've got so many funds that you have designed a team that is slow purposely. He replaced Sane with Mahrez, Sterling with Grealish. Window after window not bringing pace into the side.. Jesus to Haaland basically. Height and power is largely only brought in at CB and DM. 

 

He's brought in Haaland and I think he's done so because of the failures in Europe and that the deal is too good to miss out on. But you can see, he's not a natural fit for that system. I think Kane would be a more natural fit.. with the same physical limitations. And then he sold the rest of the pace in the attack as if not go overboard with athleticism in the team.

 

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Hmm, see what you're saying, but I would say they are pretty athletic. They can run all day and press to a high level for 90 minutes. On the ball they're very decisive and sharp. The lack of pace might be more to do with the fact that they dominate possession in 90% of their games.

 

Open to debate on the Haaland thing. Not sure you can say that someone who is going to end up with 5 great chances and 1-2 goals a game isn't suited to their system. You could equally argue that it's a sign that the system isn't as rigid as everyone likes to think. 

 

That said, I love Pep so I am biased :lol: I guess you might be right about how his play would be in theory vs the PL.

 

 

Edited by AyeDubbleYoo

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3 minutes ago, AyeDubbleYoo said:

Hmm, see what you're saying, but I would say they are pretty athletic. They can run all day and press to a high level for 90 minutes. On the ball they're very decisive and sharp. The lack of pace might be more to do with the fact that they dominate possession in 90% of their games.

 

Open to debate on the Harland thing. Not sure you can say that someone who is going to end up with 5 great chances and 1-2 goals a game isn't suited to their system. You could equally argue that it's a sign that the system isn't as rigid as everyone likes to think. 

 

That said, I love Pep so I am biased :lol: I guess you might be right about how his play would be in theory vs the PL.

 

 

 

Athleticism is not a key attribute he looks for in most of his players. 

 

Going from an Aguero - Sterling - Sane frontline to a Grealish - Gundogan - Mahrez frontline isn't by happenstance. The wingers... purposely slow down the game rather than quicken it. It's purposely a slow moving team that suffocates opposition when in possession. In midfield it's the same.. athletic enough to compete at the highest level but no more. Rodri has replaced Fernandinho - Rodri is less athletic than a prime Fernandinho (although he is good in the air/big which was key to his signing). 1 reason for City having that poor season was Rodri new into the side and struggling with the physicality of the league. He was too easily turned, a split second too slow and teams could get onto City and run at the backline. He's much improved and is a brilliant player. But that aspect is still an achilles heel of that team that you can sometimes play too fast for Rodri and get on the defence - we did it at home. I think Busquets is closer to his ideal DM (not athletic) than a Fabinho.

 

Maybe Dias aside, none of the defenders are quick.  We've seen at Barca, he would play a 5'9 CB if he could. 

 

In contrast - I think of ultimate Klopp ball. Everyone is quick, powerful, strong, big, hard runners. 

 

Haaland - I didn't mean to convey that he wasn't suited as if it wouldn't work. He's big, fast, strong, loves playing on the counter, minimal touches to goal. That doesn't sound like a Man City player. You can see him bringing something different to that team - being different. You could see it early, the City players weren't playing him in quickly enough. As you say, it's evolving and they ahve already started to play faster and feed him in earlier.

 

But this is a move to win. Not because Pep necessarily wants a more direct, fast team. He could have had an attack of Sterling - Haaland - Jesus but he doesn't want to go that far.

 

That's what I think anyway. It's interesting to see what type of side Howe builds. From such a low base being "good" improves us so it's hard to tell. We are fast, pressing, counter attacking team but that's largely because of the pre-existing personnel. That's why I thought the James Maddison transfer was so interesting, he doesn't fit naturally into our shape or general style of play. So how does Eddie want us to play?

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Considering our recent form and lack of goals, you really should be giving as much game time as possible to other squad players, plus they've been on decent form. 

 

Poor decision to go with the same team, even if we win tonight your not really learning anything about the other players who may be needed at a critical point. Imagine Kane gets injured in the first game, Toney is getting thrown in at the deep end. 

 

 

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