Pep Guardiola at again

He comes over here, we his fancy football, if he is not moaning about how many games we play in this country, winter break, league cup, how many subs are allowed, now he is opening up again U'23s should be playing in the Championship or league 1 to get proper game time.

Manchester Evening News

"For the second time in a week, Pep Guardiola has got it completely wrong when trying to discuss what's best for Manchester City.

Last week, he caused an unnecessary storm by calling for more City fans to turn up for the next home game. Supporters, understandably, didn't take too kindly to their manager seemingly taking their loyal support for granted. A clarification, of sorts, was issued by the manager (but no apology) and a line has been drawn under the matter.

Now, Guardiola has risked another controversy by reigniting a debate on introducing Premier League academy sides into the Football League.

They're comments that are likely to go under the radar, namely because Guardiola called popular Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa a 'legend' of the English game. In that assertion, he wasn't wrong.

Before explaining why Guardiola's stance is wrong, it's worth reporting his full answer to the question of how valuable an experience it was for City's academy defence to face physical strikers like Akinfenwa in the Carabao Cup win on Tuesday.

They can have this freedom because they train with us. Otherwise they could not play," Guardiola said. "The better would be every week they could play against Wycombe. Every weekend they could play against this legendary striker for England.
That would be the better development for these players. Not just training with us, the defenders play against Raz, against Phil, against Gabriel, against Riyad, against these kind of players. They should play every day in Championship of League or League One. That should be the best level for English football, that would be the best.

"Not playing against these players who are 17 or 18 or 19 winning 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, 7-0 every single day. This is not, we cannot educate them., that is not good for them.

But I am not here to change anything of this country," he finished, before embarking on a familiar complaint over the fact Premier League clubs can only make three substitutions in a game, rather than five as many other leagues allow.

Naturally, the Akinfenwa comments provide an easy - and interesting - headline from a largely unremarkable win against lower league opposition. Fans should be concerned, though, with Guardiola's decision to bring up a radical restructure of English football. Again.

In short, Guardiola has misjudged another complicated issue, with his Blue-tinted glasses looking only with Manchester City's interests in mind.

Adding under-23 sides to the EFL pyramid would have far more dangerous consequences for the English game than any benefits City would gain. It should be seen as a proposal just as concerning to every English football fan as the European Super League plans were.

There is, of course, a precedent of academy sides playing league opposition in the controversial EFL Trophy. It's a competition City have been relatively successful in since taking part, and the experience of facing professional players rather than fellow teenagers has been undoubtedly beneficial for the youngsters at City.

On the other side of those games, though, is an apprehension from league clubs and a strong unpopularity from EFL fans. Games against academy sides result in consistently low attendances for EFL clubs at a time when they need any penny they can get. Only 860 watched this season's win at Scunthorpe, and 1,802 were at Doncaster for City's defeat on Tuesday. Both were comfortably the lowest attendances of the season for those league sides by some margin.

For a supporter of a league club, playing a Premier League academy holds no appeal, and a night in watching Sky Sports is far more appetising - even in spite of reduced admission prices for those games. Holding such fixtures on a regular basis in a league format would inevitably result in lower incomes for proud, historic league clubs when they need to build support the most.

City only have to look around Greater Manchester to see the perilous financial positions of their EFL neighbours. Oldham fans are in civil war with their ownership and are rooted to the bottom of the Football League, while Rochdale have had to stave off a hostile takeover this summer after relegation to the fourth tier. Bury couldn't survive their own financial problems, neither could Macclesfield, while Bolton and Wigan are only just recovering from serious threats to their own existences

Guardiola's idea would make it even tougher for clubs up against it. Clubs who have given City a number of talented players and staff in recent years, and helped develop some of their brightest youngsters. Clubs who have been more successful than City as recently as the start of the century, and who have bruised the Blues' ego when coming toe to toe on a level playing field in various competitions.

Forcing academy sides into their leagues would be an act of complete arrogance from an elite club who often do well to remember their roots from the same leagues Guardiola would like to rip up and restructure. 20 years ago, it would be City opposing such plans.

It's worth remembering that Guardiola did clarify that he is not here to change anything when raising the issue. But it's not the first time he's brought it up. The idea of 'B Teams' is commonplace in Spain, and Barcelona B was his breakthrough in coaching. It is part of the culture in Spain and has a workable place in a country with a smaller league pyramid than England.

There is also some merit to the ideas. City's youngsters are too good for the academy leagues, and there's not an opportunity to slowly incorporate them into the first team. City have done well to develop youngsters in senior training, resulting in six debuts on Tuesday, and they have used the loan market to develop other talents well.

But what Greater Manchester does not need is more clubs. The struggles of those that are still standing show there are arguably too many already. City's success - and that of United, too, of course - is enough of a competition to these EFL clubs.

If Guardiola really understands City fans, as he claims, he should also understand the passion that exists further afield in lower leagues. Therefore, he should be aware of how dangerous 'B Teams' would be to the EFL pyramid. He can't keep using City's journey through the leagues as evidence of their proud history while simultaneously advocating a plan that would threaten the existence of many clubs in the same position City have been. He can't praise the likes of Wycombe and Cheltenham and Burton while also supporting measures that would make those clubs less competitive.

As the European Super League backlash showed, football fans value the history and tradition of the sport in this country. They won't let the big corporations who sit at the top of the Premier League put that under threat, even if they support one of those clubs.

Maybe City should continue to do what big clubs have always done. Use the EFL to blood their young talent with loans, giving them that regular exposure to men's football, just as Guardiola wants.

Guardiola has identified a problem with a clear solution - help yourself and help the EFL clubs through the loan system at the same time. The game time he wants for his youngsters exists through carefully-planned loans.

Replacing those clubs and providing direct competition to them is absolutely not the answer. Guardiola should know better."

The Premiership teams have already hijacked the EFL cup, hover up all the best talent, how many actually make it?

The Permiership is destroying the football pyamid in this country, clubs chasing the Premiership dream and the riches it brings (to a select few) then we have the yo yo teams who with the parchute payments get promoted and then get relegated , how many clubs have gone into administration chasing the dream?

The FA cup has been de valved by the Premiership, League cup no longer has replays, reducing the opportunity for lower clubs earning a big pay day. They continue to moan about how many games their players have to play in a season, yet the Champions league and Europa League new format, which is expected to start in 2024 will add more fixtures.

I wish he would fook off, not fooling me with his style of football, playing out from the back, how many goals have been conceeded by teams trying to play out from the back? Is he after the title the first team to complete 1000 passes in a match by a english side.

Luckliy for me I am a Mariner and do not have to watch that excrement that City serve up.

If the big clubs want to hoover up young players who would otherwise be turning out for their hometown clubs, it's up to them to make sure that the players get chance to play and develop further. They've rigged the game, it's up to them to find a solution which isn't reliant on putting smaller clubs out of business.

Of course in Spain (or indeed almost any other country) they dont have the depth in the lower leagues like England does in terms of size of clubs, support...etc.

I think sometimes people dont realise how welll supported English lower league football is and how much history goes with it.

I think in Spain below the 2nd level you are in regional football pyramid which looks like a nightmare,

Maybe that explains some of his comments?  

Having U23 in lower leagues would be a disaster.  Of course, they could just play a lot of younger players in his teams or even better stop signing so many???

If he wants his young players to experience mens football, then loan them out to lower league clubs, like they do now. It takes them out of their comfort zone and makes them grow up fast, at the same time helping lower league teams. What works for Spanish football doesn't mean it will work for English football.

If it ain't broke don't fix it

Stop hoovering up 30 youngsters a season and you wouldn’t need somewhere to play them.

If Pep was that bothered about his youngsters getting proper football he would send them out on loan. John McAtee’s younger brother is City’s next big hope. He’s 18 & being touted as the long term replacement to David Silva. But instead of being out getting game time in the Championship like Liverpool’s Harvey Elliott did last season at Blackburn he’s just playing under 23’s and not getting experience of proper men’s football.

Team him up with his brother???

If Peps such an amazing manager why doesn’t he go back to Barca and us all how it’s done now they’re skint and had to sell most of their stars ?

I mean its very simple, if you want your youth players to get experience in mens football, loan them out. Its not complicated is it.

If clubs aren't willing to take the players for whatever reason (I'm guessing wages mostly), the parent club needs to do more to make it an attractive offer for lower league clubs.

Pep has revolutionised how top clubs win games and titles. I know money doesn't necessarily buy titles so he should still be applauded for what he's achieved with Barca, Bayern and City, but I'd love to see him do it with a challenger club rather than the out-and-out moneybags team for that nation.

The greed is phenomenal. Arrogance and selfishness is off the scale. We care about our clubs, for sure, but the vast majority of football fans also care about the game itself.

Some argue that if we had the money Salford had, and we bought our way through the league, we 'wouldn't complain'. I tell you what, I might not complain at the victories and promotions but I'd certainly feel uncomfortable about it. Given the choice, I'd rather we earned success in the more traditional manner. That would give me far more satisfaction.

The whole B Teams thing is ludicrous. You've got three or four teams in tier five of English football capable of getting 8,000+ crowds on a good day. That is utterly insane and off the scale in comparison to just about every other domestic league in the world.

The Premier League has taken just about everything there is to take in domestic football. Now it wants the flipping shirts off our back. Haven't they got enough? Honestly, what have they got to moan about, really? The problem Pep has is of his own club's doing. Through pure greed they've hoovered up all the talent and don't know what to do with their stock, and they want us to make way?

They can intercourse right off.

Quoted from The Yard Dog

He comes over here, we his fancy football, if he is not moaning about how many games we play in this country, winter break, league cup, how many subs are allowed, now he is opening up again U'23s should be playing in the Championship or league 1 to get proper game time.

Manchester Evening News

"For the second time in a week, Pep Guardiola has got it completely wrong when trying to discuss what's best for Manchester City.

Last week, he caused an unnecessary storm by calling for more City fans to turn up for the next home game. Supporters, understandably, didn't take too kindly to their manager seemingly taking their loyal support for granted. A clarification, of sorts, was issued by the manager (but no apology) and a line has been drawn under the matter.

Now, Guardiola has risked another controversy by reigniting a debate on introducing Premier League academy sides into the Football League.

They're comments that are likely to go under the radar, namely because Guardiola called popular Wycombe striker Adebayo Akinfenwa a 'legend' of the English game. In that assertion, he wasn't wrong.

Before explaining why Guardiola's stance is wrong, it's worth reporting his full answer to the question of how valuable an experience it was for City's academy defence to face physical strikers like Akinfenwa in the Carabao Cup win on Tuesday.

They can have this freedom because they train with us. Otherwise they could not play," Guardiola said. "The better would be every week they could play against Wycombe. Every weekend they could play against this legendary striker for England.
That would be the better development for these players. Not just training with us, the defenders play against Raz, against Phil, against Gabriel, against Riyad, against these kind of players. They should play every day in Championship of League or League One. That should be the best level for English football, that would be the best.

"Not playing against these players who are 17 or 18 or 19 winning 4-0, 5-0, 6-0, 7-0 every single day. This is not, we cannot educate them., that is not good for them.

But I am not here to change anything of this country," he finished, before embarking on a familiar complaint over the fact Premier League clubs can only make three substitutions in a game, rather than five as many other leagues allow.

Naturally, the Akinfenwa comments provide an easy - and interesting - headline from a largely unremarkable win against lower league opposition. Fans should be concerned, though, with Guardiola's decision to bring up a radical restructure of English football. Again.

In short, Guardiola has misjudged another complicated issue, with his Blue-tinted glasses looking only with Manchester City's interests in mind.

Adding under-23 sides to the EFL pyramid would have far more dangerous consequences for the English game than any benefits City would gain. It should be seen as a proposal just as concerning to every English football fan as the European Super League plans were.

There is, of course, a precedent of academy sides playing league opposition in the controversial EFL Trophy. It's a competition City have been relatively successful in since taking part, and the experience of facing professional players rather than fellow teenagers has been undoubtedly beneficial for the youngsters at City.

On the other side of those games, though, is an apprehension from league clubs and a strong unpopularity from EFL fans. Games against academy sides result in consistently low attendances for EFL clubs at a time when they need any penny they can get. Only 860 watched this season's win at Scunthorpe, and 1,802 were at Doncaster for City's defeat on Tuesday. Both were comfortably the lowest attendances of the season for those league sides by some margin.

For a supporter of a league club, playing a Premier League academy holds no appeal, and a night in watching Sky Sports is far more appetising - even in spite of reduced admission prices for those games. Holding such fixtures on a regular basis in a league format would inevitably result in lower incomes for proud, historic league clubs when they need to build support the most.

City only have to look around Greater Manchester to see the perilous financial positions of their EFL neighbours. Oldham fans are in civil war with their ownership and are rooted to the bottom of the Football League, while Rochdale have had to stave off a hostile takeover this summer after relegation to the fourth tier. Bury couldn't survive their own financial problems, neither could Macclesfield, while Bolton and Wigan are only just recovering from serious threats to their own existences

Guardiola's idea would make it even tougher for clubs up against it. Clubs who have given City a number of talented players and staff in recent years, and helped develop some of their brightest youngsters. Clubs who have been more successful than City as recently as the start of the century, and who have bruised the Blues' ego when coming toe to toe on a level playing field in various competitions.

Forcing academy sides into their leagues would be an act of complete arrogance from an elite club who often do well to remember their roots from the same leagues Guardiola would like to rip up and restructure. 20 years ago, it would be City opposing such plans.

It's worth remembering that Guardiola did clarify that he is not here to change anything when raising the issue. But it's not the first time he's brought it up. The idea of 'B Teams' is commonplace in Spain, and Barcelona B was his breakthrough in coaching. It is part of the culture in Spain and has a workable place in a country with a smaller league pyramid than England.

There is also some merit to the ideas. City's youngsters are too good for the academy leagues, and there's not an opportunity to slowly incorporate them into the first team. City have done well to develop youngsters in senior training, resulting in six debuts on Tuesday, and they have used the loan market to develop other talents well.

But what Greater Manchester does not need is more clubs. The struggles of those that are still standing show there are arguably too many already. City's success - and that of United, too, of course - is enough of a competition to these EFL clubs.

If Guardiola really understands City fans, as he claims, he should also understand the passion that exists further afield in lower leagues. Therefore, he should be aware of how dangerous 'B Teams' would be to the EFL pyramid. He can't keep using City's journey through the leagues as evidence of their proud history while simultaneously advocating a plan that would threaten the existence of many clubs in the same position City have been. He can't praise the likes of Wycombe and Cheltenham and Burton while also supporting measures that would make those clubs less competitive.

As the European Super League backlash showed, football fans value the history and tradition of the sport in this country. They won't let the big corporations who sit at the top of the Premier League put that under threat, even if they support one of those clubs.

Maybe City should continue to do what big clubs have always done. Use the EFL to blood their young talent with loans, giving them that regular exposure to men's football, just as Guardiola wants.

Guardiola has identified a problem with a clear solution - help yourself and help the EFL clubs through the loan system at the same time. The game time he wants for his youngsters exists through carefully-planned loans.

Replacing those clubs and providing direct competition to them is absolutely not the answer. Guardiola should know better."

The Premiership teams have already hijacked the EFL cup, hover up all the best talent, how many actually make it?

The Permiership is destroying the football pyamid in this country, clubs chasing the Premiership dream and the riches it brings (to a select few) then we have the yo yo teams who with the parchute payments get promoted and then get relegated , how many clubs have gone into administration chasing the dream?

The FA cup has been de valved by the Premiership, League cup no longer has replays, reducing the opportunity for lower clubs earning a big pay day. They continue to moan about how many games their players have to play in a season, yet the Champions league and Europa League new format, which is expected to start in 2024 will add more fixtures.

I wish he would fook off, not fooling me with his style of football, playing out from the back, how many goals have been conceeded by teams trying to play out from the back? Is he after the title the first team to complete 1000 passes in a match by a english side.

Luckliy for me I am a Mariner and do not have to watch that excrement that City serve up.

Do you have sky tv at home ?

i'll have my say on pep , he's a great manager in everybodys eyes except a few me included , barcalona at the time had all the dollar to buy anybody bayern couldn't fail man city couldn't fail but in my eyes he failed until wins champs lge & he knows that all this talk is just designed to take heat off him after shite result against saints , if he wants his u23s to get lge experiance easy loan them out for nothing on the proviso they play if not 24 hr recall on them , p.s send us james mcatee i know a city fan who reckons he will be better than foden

Fûck off Guardiola

After watching that Man City documentary you just realise how many coaches and anyslsts they have. The manager just looks like the guy who picks the team and does the press conferences.

When they were in the 1st Div not so long ago don't think they would have liked playing Man utd u23...

Next he’ll be moaning about supporters not turning up …….. oh hang on 😉

He’ll be at PSG before you know it, all this is about engineering his departure.

Despite having a seeming bottomless pit of cash at the clubs he had managed it has been a long time since he won the Champions League, which is the real yardstick of success at these clubs.

Be interesting to see how he would do when managing a club that couldn’t splash out £100 million on a player.

Quoted from RonMariner

Despite having a seeming bottomless pit of cash at the clubs he had managed it has been a long time since he won the Champions League, which is the real yardstick of success at these clubs.

Be interesting to see how he would do when managing a club that couldn’t splash out £100 million on a player.

To his credit, I would argue that no individual signing at Man City has been gratuitous in the context of the modern era, with the possible exception of Jack Grealish. Other than that, he’s never spent more than £70m on a player and they haven’t gone down the route of signing ready made superstars - De Bruyne for is example is regarded as a truly world class player today but they got him from Wolfsburg where he wasn’t really a household name on the global scale.

All that said, I agree with you. With the resources at his disposal at City he should have won a Champions League by now - Liverpool and Chelsea have done it. If you look back at his time at Barca where he did win it twice, the squad he inherited in 2008 included Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Eto’o, Pique and Puyol to pick out just a few. You can only work with the hand you’re dealt with, but as hands go that’s pretty fortuitous.

I think it would be foolish to suggest that he’s not a top manager, but he still has a lot to prove in my opinion. Both Guardiola and Klopp will be remembered as two of the greats of the Premier League era, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Thomas Tuchel were to go on to have even better pound for pound achievements.

great tactician. keep your mouth shut on B Teams

Quoted from Hagrid

great tactician. keep your mouth shut on B Teams

I think his team selection for the CL final v Chelsea would question that 🤣🤣

And didn’t he go out the previous season by trying to over complicate his team selection?🤣

Quoted from louth_in_the_south

I think his team selection for the CL final v Chelsea would question that 🤣🤣

And didn’t he go out the previous season by trying to over complicate his team selection?🤣

everyone makes mistakes though mate, even the best

No one becomes the best without making mistakes and learning from them.

Has Pep learnt anything? He had 3 seasons at Bayern after taking over when they were Champions League champions and failed in all 3 attempts to win the trophy again. They won it since he left.

He’s now at City and has had 5 Champions League failures and counting during a spell where English clubs are having a period of dominance in Europe overtaking Spain in last 3 seasons. 5 Champions League & 4 Europa League finalists (2 winners in each) in 5 seasons Pep has been in England.

He’s under pressure and it’s showing.

He’s right that young players need proper game time but he’s wrong (in my opinion) of how it should happen. The loan system is there to be used by teams to get their players competitive game time and should be utilised as such. What is wrong is having a squad of 50+ when only 24 (?) can be named to play in the premier league that season. Football at the top level is broken and you only have to look at the wage of 1st and 2nd year professionals that aren’t even near the main squad to see that.

Think he struggles a bit when the pressure is on and wouldn’t be surprised if he’s walked by Xmas

On this occasion Guardiola has got it wrong if he's insinuating a future B team incentive like they have in Spain.

End of the day he has players out on loan in the EFL so why not send more guys out? if the kids who played the other night including McAtee's brother are not in his immediate first team plans than loaning them out would be the sensible option.

According to Wiki, they've got the following out on loan in the EFL...

Gavin Bazunu (Pompey), Ben Knight (Crewe), Claudio Gomes (Barnsley) Yeboah Amankwah (Accrington), Matt Smith (Hull), Lewis Fiorini (Lincoln), Morgan Rogers (Bournemouth), Callum Doyle (Sunderland)

In fairness to Pep and City they do get absolutely slaughtered in the media and on social media, there seems to be such a negative bluster around them all the time. The empty seats jibe being one, whilst most ignore Spurs having 30,000 less than capacity against Pacos the other week, United have had similarly low attendances in recent time against less fancied opposition in the early rounds.

I remember the brief blip they had when the dropped out of the Premier League in 1996,  where they spent 3 years in the old Division 1, and even a year down in Division 2 winning the play-off final against Gillingham the following year after us. I remember them coming to Blundell Park and they made the place rock, they packed the Osmond every time and sang all the way through, 30k + at home in old Div 2 for that 98/99 season says it all. Such a decent fan base and honestly very modest even now. Always were very complimentary about Town and the difficulties of coming here. Still remember Alan Pouton levelling late on after we had threatened all game, good memories.

People seem to forget that they've always been a big club, as well as a founding member of the Premier League but hammer home about these empty seats and waffle on like the year they spent in the third tier was where they originally came from. I've always thought well of them, and it's just the United/Liverpool/Arsenal apple cart that was upset when they were bank rolled.

They are in an extremely privileged position these days and are a million miles away from games with us, but as a Premier League team I always find them the less of the evils, so ironic people call them Plastic and yet we even in Lincolnshire everyone seems to support United and Liverpool still  

I think what he wants is his best young players to play together in a more competitive way than they are now, so they learn to play together the way he wants them to, rather than them going individually to teams scattered far and wide, playing different systems.

Problem is that there is nowhere for them to play in that way and that's how it should be. Shoehorning them into more competitive leagues is of no benefit to anyone, other than them, so bollox to you Pep and all the other bleating managers of vast unwieldy squads.

You and other far too wealthy clubs created this one sided problem, so live with it.

Quoted from GollyGTFC

Has Pep learnt anything? He had 3 seasons at Bayern after taking over when they were Champions League champions and failed in all 3 attempts to win the trophy again. They won it since he left.

He’s now at City and has had 5 Champions League failures and counting during a spell where English clubs are having a period of dominance in Europe overtaking Spain in last 3 seasons. 5 Champions League & 4 Europa League finalists (2 winners in each) in 5 seasons Pep has been in England.

He’s under pressure and it’s showing.

This has always been my take on Pep. Of course he’s seen as an innovator and perhaps to some extent he is but literally any fornicator would’ve won everything with that Barcelona side. They’re some of the greatest players to grace the game with an innate desire and will to win.

Pep doesn’t always learn and his own arrogance can be his down fall. How he never won the European cup with Bayern only he knows, similar with City. He was too arrogant and his ego probably cost him last years European cup too. Tuschel was there six months and out thought him and did a job on him making city look average in that final.

Pep will believe in a B team model because that’s essentially where he came from but it just isn’t something needed here or something that would add anything…just because top flight clubs harvest players and create enormous squads.

Gone by xmas his body language says we've no chance of winning champs lge without kane , only spent 1/2 billion so far on players , try hacking it at clubs with no bottomless pit , so overrated it's not true

Gone by xmas his body language says we've no chance of winning champs lge without kane , only spent 1/2 billion so far on players , try hacking it at clubs with no bottomless pit , so overrated it's not true

Fuckoff back to Barca Pep. We don’t want you here

Quoted from bawarmy

Fuckoff back to Barca Pep. We don’t want you here

I agree because I think Hurst will do a much better job for us.

Quoted from Poojah

To his credit, I would argue that no individual signing at Man City has been gratuitous in the context of the modern era, with the possible exception of Jack Grealish. Other than that, he’s never spent more than £70m on a player and they haven’t gone down the route of signing ready made superstars - De Bruyne for is example is regarded as a truly world class player today but they got him from Wolfsburg where he wasn’t really a household name on the global scale.

All that said, I agree with you. With the resources at his disposal at City he should have won a Champions League by now - Liverpool and Chelsea have done it. If you look back at his time at Barca where he did win it twice, the squad he inherited in 2008 included Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Henry, Eto’o, Pique and Puyol to pick out just a few. You can only work with the hand you’re dealt with, but as hands go that’s pretty fortuitous.

I think it would be foolish to suggest that he’s not a top manager, but he still has a lot to prove in my opinion. Both Guardiola and Klopp will be remembered as two of the greats of the Premier League era, but it wouldn’t surprise me if Thomas Tuchel were to go on to have even better pound for pound achievements.

Only £70million

70million isn’t a lot in the modern game but he’s spent that a fair few times over and has spent more money on defenders than Branson has trying to make himself important…

Pep is a good manager, of that their is no doubt but his failure to win the European cup since leaving Barca when lesser managers and to some extent, teams with far lesser squads is an issue. His own arrogance was the issue in last years final and Tuschel exploited that.

Perhaps it’s his charisma, the cool persona he has or the foreign sleekness to him but for whatever reason, the media love him. City win one big game yesterday and it’s just the same rhetoric we get year on year about how amazing city are, that they’re unstoppable, their brand of football is difficult to play against and so on…as if they’re the only team that play that way.

He won the European cup at Barca but I stand by the comment that I reckon anyone could’ve done that with that squad he inherited.

City are still desperately trying to drink at the top table with Liverpool, Utd (although they’re currently bobbins), Real, Bayern, and other winners of the European cup but they’re struggling to get there…for Pep my personal view is that his failure to win it at Bayern is a bigger failure (I know they seem to get to countless European cup finals and lose), he should’ve won it with them…

Will he ever get there with City? Perhaps, where does he go from city? Who knows…