Pep Guardiola at City next?

Floyd said:
Shaw wouldn't be starting for City? Behave.
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Kolarov offers more getting forward and is solid defensively, in this City side which has a huge emphasis on the ability of the fullbacks to provide an attacking threat, Kolarov starts ahead of Shaw.

Rooney in Paris said:
I suppose others have made the point before, but I'm quite sure that what Pep loves above all is money, and that's why I've always been pretty sure he'd go to City.
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Last season United had the highest wage bill in the Premier League. van Gaal is paid substantially more than Pellegrini. Wherever Guardiola goes, you can guarantee he'll be paid a ridiculous amount just as he currently is at Bayern. His move is not going to be influenced by money, whoever wants him will pay him what he wants.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
I'm sure he's just as much a 'money boy' as Mourinho, and if he signs for City, that will only reinforce my impression.

And there's nothing wrong with that.
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To think Pep is about the money is not really to understand Pep at all much less comparing him to Mou
 
BobbyManc said:
Last season United had the highest wage bill in the Premier League. van Gaal is paid substantially more than Pellegrini. Wherever Guardiola goes, you can guarantee he'll be paid a ridiculous amount just as he currently is at Bayern. His move is not going to be influenced by money, whoever wants him will pay him what he wants.
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Yep definitely, but my post came in the context of conversations about stature of the club, prestige and so on. I don't think that will be much of a factor for Pep, and I don't think Utd will be his preference. He'll go to City where he'll be paid shit loads (probably as much or more than at Utd or Chelsea), where the squad is strong and settled and where more importantly he'll get the financial backing he wants.

I made the comment in reaction to some of the posts here suggesting he might have the romanticism of a Klopp, and Pep does have that very 'clean' image in world football compared to Mourinho for example, and I think it's completely false. He backed the 2022 Qatar world cup bid after all.

And again, being focused on success and money when you have a career in management and a bit less on the romantic side of the sport is absolutely fine.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
Yep definitely, but my post came in the context of conversations about stature of the club, prestige and so on. I don't think that will be much of a factor for Pep, and I don't think Utd will be his preference. He'll go to City where he'll be paid shit loads (probably as much or more than at Utd or Chelsea), where the squad is strong and settled and where more importantly he'll get the financial backing he wants.

I made the comment in reaction to some of the posts here suggesting he might have the romanticism of a Klopp, and Pep does have that very 'clean' image in world football compared to Mourinho for example, and I think it's completely false. He backed the 2022 Qatar world cup bid after all.

And again, being focused on success and money when you have a career in management and a bit less on the romantic side of the sport is absolutely fine.
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Why would City pay him more? United pay Rooney more than City pay any of our players, plenty of who have considerably more quality than him, so you're kidding yourself if you think City would automatically just pay him more than anyone else.

You're also looking at this from a blurred perspective. I'm willing to accept the 'romanticism' that comes with managing an established and historic club like United. However, you also need to be able to see things differently, and see the romantic element in managing a club with no history of note in European competition, that is still eclipsed by many English clubs in terms of success, and going there and creating a legacy. Besides, the romantic element is pretty low down most people's lists, what's more important is his chance of success and relationship with the people at the club. If he goes to City it will be because Txiki has persuaded him and he is convinced he can achieve historic success with the club, not because we decided to chuck him a couple more million than anyone else.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Toure is an attacking midfielder and a quality one. City sometimes misuse him by playing him as a central midfielder when he's no longer one.

Kompany is overrated by many but still an excellent defender. They've been imperious at the back this season when he's played.

It seems you haven't set the bar too high by the phrase "world class" anyway when you include the likes of Gundogan and Cech who didn't even play much last season. Gundogan has done well this season but had a terrible injury which kept him out causing doubts over how good he will continue to be. So far he's done well but a top top player already? Hummels makes it but Kompany doesn't?
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Doesn't Toure play at CM like all the time? And while he might still work as an attacker in the PL I doubt that would be true once he faces a well organized (continental) side.

Also discussing what constitutes a world class player is a topic that can fill several pages on its own, so I think it's a bit pointless to use it in this context.
 
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Theonas said:
It's easy to see why a team that sits so deep, keep it as tight as Atlético does can potentially make its defenders and midfielders look better by simply providing them with more help than one like City that players with a couple of passengers every game and that plays such a high risk type of football. .
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Atletico most definitely do NOT sit deep unless they are forced to by teams like Barca. Their defensive cohesiveness comes from the fact that they defend and press from the front and they are well drilled and organised. The full backs have full license to bomb forward and Godin occasionally goes on a rampage forwards.
 
prarek said:
Atletico most definitely do NOT sit deep unless they are forced to by teams like Barca. Their defensive cohesiveness comes from the fact that they defend and press from the front and they are well drilled and organised. The full backs have full license to bomb forward and Godin occasionally goes on a rampage forwards.
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We might have differing views on what constitutes sitting so deep but the point I was trying to make still remains. They are more drilled and organised and it is easier for defenders and midfielders to stand out and shine in a system like that. Compare that to City and they're much more gung ho and risk takers. It's a bit like us with Fletcher, Park, O'Shea and co in those years. To sum it up, I don't think Godin, Juanfran or Luis Filipe would do a better defensive job at City the way Pellegrini has them playing.
 
Theonas said:
We might have differing views on what constitutes sitting so deep but the point I was trying to make still remains. They are more drilled and organised and it is easier for defenders and midfielders to stand out and shine in a system like that. Compare that to City and they're much more gung ho and risk takers. It's a bit like us with Fletcher, Park, O'Shea and co in those years. To sum it up, I don't think Godin, Juanfran or Luis Filipe would do a better defensive job at City the way Pellegrini has them playing.
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You might have a point there. Although i'd say Godin is comfortably better than anything City have. The point still stands though.
 
PedroMendez said:
Their back 4+1 is better and their midfield is a lot more solid, despite missing big names. City does have better attacking players, but Atletico have various very good options. Additionally two of City´s key players are very injury prone and Atletico have a lot more promising talents in their ranks. If you actually judge players by their performance and not just by their name, Atletico have a superior squad.
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Their back 4+1 is better, but City's attack is far better.

Also, defensive organisation does make a big difference. Atletico are absolutely superbly organised. Simeone is one of the best around at this. That's not to say that they just sit deep all the time and nullfy. Rather that they are just a very well managed and well-drilled team. City on the other hand whilst probably having lesser personnel in that area (equal at CB) are an average defensive "unit". Their defensive organisation is, for example, far worse than ours as well while there isn't that much difference in quality of personnel there either.
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prarek said:
You might have a point there. Although i'd say Godin is comfortably better than anything City have. The point still stands though.
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I never been a fan of Kompany and I think that Godin is the best old fashioned defender around if you know what I mean. Defenders are only as good as how compact their teams play in the modern game though. Good ones can look brilliant if their team hogs possession (Piqué, Mascherano, Martinez, Boateng) or if their teams play very compact (Miranda, Cahill) and great ones can look average like Terry did under Villas-Boas. I think you get where I'm getting at though. :)
 
prarek said:
You might have a point there. Although i'd say Godin is comfortably better than anything City have. The point still stands though.
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On paper, Kompany and Otamendi is a pretty great first choice duo to have as well. In fact, you should be able to get by having Mangala and Demichelis step in when needed too. But City rely so much on individual quality in defence rather than collective solidarity. Heck, we used to get away under Sir Alex with all sorts of permutations and combinations in defence.
 
amolbhatia50k said:
Their back 4+1 is better, but City's attack is far better.

Also, defensive organisation does make a big difference. Atletico are absolutely superbly organised. Simeone is one of the best around at this. That's not to say that they just sit deep all the time and nullfy. Rather that they are just a very well managed and well-drilled team. City on the other hand whilst probably having lesser personnel in that area (equal at CB) are an average defensive "unit". Their defensive organisation is, for example, far worse than ours as well while there isn't that much difference in quality of personnel there either.
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I agree that context matters. The best example has been Chelsea with Terry+Cahill. In the right setup both looked far better than they actually were. The same applies to some extend for Atletico and their players. That said it also goes the other way around: City usually uses far more attacking players and gives them lot more freedom (e.g. the freedom to stroll around and not help the defense), which helps them to look better.
 
BobbyManc said:
Besides, the romantic element is pretty low down most people's lists, what's more important is his chance of success and relationship with the people at the club. If he goes to City it will be because Txiki has persuaded him and he is convinced he can achieve historic success with the club, not because we decided to chuck him a couple more million than anyone else.
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That's exactly what I said.

I dont agree with the parallel between building a dynasty (which I doubt he'd do anyway) and the 'romantic' side of football, that's just being ambitious. Nothing romantic about that.
 
Rooney in Paris said:
That's exactly what I said.

I dont agree with the parallel between building a dynasty (which I doubt he'd do anyway) and the 'romantic' side of football, that's just being ambitious. Nothing romantic about that.
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But you're suggesting Guardiola's only going to City for money. That's quite clearly not the case seen as there a handful of clubs who could all offer him what he wanted financially.
 
BobbyManc said:
But you're suggesting Guardiola's only going to City for money. That's quite clearly not the case seen as there a handful of clubs who could all offer him what he wanted financially.
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All banter aside, City is a great club for any manager. Eventually the best address in England at the moment. The board only works in the back-round and they always seem to back their manager. Overall the squad is good and they can easily sign a couple of new players when a new manager arrives.
Chelsea don´t have the same financial pull and we don´t have the same individual quality at the moment.
 
BobbyManc said:
But you're suggesting Guardiola's only going to City for money. That's quite clearly not the case seen as there a handful of clubs who could all offer him what he wanted financially.
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I'm suggesting the romantic aspect and prestige won't play a part in his decision.
 
PedroMendez said:
All banter aside, City is a great club for any manager. Eventually the best address in England at the moment. The board only works in the back-round and they always seem to back their manager. Overall the squad is good and they can easily sign a couple of new players when a new manager arrives.
Chelsea don´t have the same financial pull and we don´t have the same individual quality at the moment.
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City are establishing a fantastic infrastructure and must be a dream to work with on a fiscal level (for the moment anyway) but I think you're overstating their pull here. Compared to United and most other top level BPL clubs their average attendance and atmosphere are dire and I don't think many elite managers would be too enamoured with working in an environment like that if they had another choice, plus you're ignoring the added draw London gives clubs like Chelsea over both United and City.
 
MrPooni said:
City are establishing a fantastic infrastructure and must be a dream to work with on a fiscal level (for the moment anyway) but I think you're overstating their pull here. Compared to United and most other top level BPL clubs their average attendance and atmosphere are dire and I don't think many elite managers would be too enamoured with working in an environment like that if they had another choice, plus you're ignoring the added draw London gives clubs like Chelsea over both United and City.
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that is indeed ture. I didn´t take London into consideration. That said I doubt that many manager care about their attendance/atmosphere. I also have my doubt that Chelsea have the same budget as City.
 
Theonas said:
I never been a fan of Kompany and I think that Godin is the best old fashioned defender around if you know what I mean. Defenders are only as good as how compact their teams play in the modern game though. Good ones can look brilliant if their team hogs possession (Piqué, Mascherano, Martinez, Boateng) or if their teams play very compact (Miranda, Cahill) and great ones can look average like Terry did under Villas-Boas. I think you get where I'm getting at though. :)
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Kompany in particular gets exposed by City's inability to shore up a midfield. In a less renegade set-up, he'd look a lot less vulnerable.
 
MrPooni said:
City are establishing a fantastic infrastructure and must be a dream to work with on a fiscal level (for the moment anyway) but I think you're overstating their pull here. Compared to United and most other top level BPL clubs their average attendance and atmosphere are dire and I don't think many elite managers would be too enamoured with working in an environment like that if they had another choice, plus you're ignoring the added draw London gives clubs like Chelsea over both United and City.
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3rd highest average attendance in the Premier League. How on earth is that dire compared to the other top clubs?
 
do.ob said:
Destroy the system from the inside!!! Fight the power!!
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*shrug* no idea, i really don'T know shyte about the catalan-spanish relationship. I mean i do know that it is not exactly tension free, of course, and i know Pep has publically been politically active in that matter. But it isn't as if no catalan players ever were members of the national side. The article in question:
http://www.abendzeitung-muenchen.de...uer.342e00cc-b7c0-4b08-a18e-246eeebc6c8f.html
is written by a guy called "Sebastian Raviol" - sounds spanish to me, but he actually is from Kralsruhe. May have spanish roots. His point is that Pep kept football and politics always very far apart from each other, had ambitions to coach a national side before (Brazil for 2014) and may have come to the conclusion that a spanish coach should coach the spanish side. Also Del Bosques exit is timely.
 
I don't get why if Chelsea are supposedly are making a 'late' push for him, why aren't we/it being discussed by the media? I'd like to think we are but if we aren't, then that's just stupidity.
 
BobbyManc said:
3rd highest average attendance in the Premier League. How on earth is that dire compared to the other top clubs?
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Another figure inflated by City's kind and generous owners with their 40000 subsidised season tickets or are you going to argue that we're all imagining those routinely empty seats and relatively laughable trophy parades?
 
BobbyManc said:
3rd highest average attendance in the Premier League. How on earth is that dire compared to the other top clubs?
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A little misleading. Sunderland probably feature high on this list too on account of having a larger than most stadium. Doesn't mean they're a particularly well supported club or that you don't often see swathes of empty seats at their games.

I'd also take the club's official attendance figures with a pinch of salt. It's based on tickets sold rather than bums on seats. I'd wager the average attendance rate circulated officially by the club is about 98%, neglecting to mention that 10,000 of those were sold to the Abu Dhabi Blue Plastics corporation at a price vastly inflated beyond their value to compensate for the tickets the club has to throw away for peanuts to actually get people in the gates.

I'm joking of course, but the point is, club's official attendance figures are worthless, and yes, even United's!
 
FC Ronaldo said:
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Ya I have always thought Arsenal will be perfect for him, maybe with Wenger moving to DoF position. Doubt Guardiola has balls for that though. He will go for the club which will be more likely to give success.
 
LARulz said:
I don't get why if Chelsea are supposedly are making a 'late' push for him, why aren't we/it being discussed by the media? I'd like to think we are but if we aren't, then that's just stupidity.
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He's obviously been for the taking and willing to come to Manchester if City do get him, which means we've messed up our approach because there's little City offer that couldn't have been negotiated away by us. We're a farce if that's the case.
 
That kicker article sounds very very certain. They're not speculating at all, they're basically saying 'He's going there, end off'. They claim they have their information from reliable english insider sources, normally they only publish an article like that if they're 99% sure.
 
BobbyManc said:
But you're suggesting Guardiola's only going to City for money. That's quite clearly not the case seen as there a handful of clubs who could all offer him what he wanted financially.
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Agreed, City's pull might have been all about money for certain players but for Pep I think it's primarily the presence of Txiki and the fact that City have been after him for years now.

He has to basically pick between an old historic footballing institution with a massive fan base and a much better run football club with better players. Either way, money is not going to be the deciding factor.
 
PedroMendez said:
that is indeed ture. I didn´t take London into consideration. That said I doubt that many manager care about their attendance/atmosphere. I also have my doubt that Chelsea have the same budget as City.
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Guardiola is on record as saying he is attracted to the atmosphere at United, I believe.
 
He is City bound. I think that can be said with about 95% certainty.

Anyone who is questioning the attractiveness of managing City this summer is being stubbornly biased behind reason.

They have a very good, currently under-performing, squad. Comfortably has the most talent in the league in it.

Second, they have the dream owners with unlimited resources and a desire for success that they are showing no signs of changing, both short and long term.

Pep, with City's money, will be able to attract the absolute top bracket of player to the club. 2 or 3 top additions and they can rival the big euro 3.

Currently, it looks like United are flat footed and aren't chasing Pep. He may have considered us, though we are in a fairly dire state, in terms of the quality of our squad. We need huge investment in to the team. Several top players in today's market will cost an absolute fortune. I am sure we will fall short of the amount we need to spend, though we will invest. We are a for-profit business. City are not.
 
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