Made me chuckle.
Especially Teddy.
z
Made me chuckle.
Especially Teddy.
z
Glenn Hoddle LOVING it tonight!
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Yeah but can he do it on a cold Tuesday night at Stoke?
Tomiyasu out for the rest of the season it seems (he was on crutches). Saliba injury minor.
'Against stupidity, the gods themselves struggle in vain' - Schiller.
Excellent performance tonight and always satisfying when you beat the opposition and the officials.
It’s strange you know, as fans were not arsed about Champions League football next season. The pundits, media and commentators go on about ‘they’ll be desperate to make top 4 after such a good season’ and I understand that’s the narrative they need to build but on the ground here it just isn’t the case.
Our current squad is barely big enough to compete in the league (Matt Ritchie still gets minutes!) and our aim this season was to not be involved in a relegation battle. We need to bring in quality in the summer to create competition for places but I / we worry that playing in another tournament this early in our development phase will compromise the quality for quantity to ensure the squad is big enough to cope with the number of games.
It has been a quite unbelievable season in lots of ways and everyone’s expectations have been exceeded to this point. Our owners seem to be sensible, level-headed and highly professional and I trust they’ll make decisions for the good of the club and for the right reasons. They haven’t put a foot wrong yet but will make some mistakes and that’s fine, we’ll learn and move on.
Champions League might help attract better players though so it’s a tough one.
But I’d argue that the CL is better, much better than the Thursday Cup . Less disruption for the team and , dare I say it, the fans . Crap kick off times can really affect atmospheres which transmits to the players .
You know by now that I don’t like the Champions League but I definitely prefer the kick off arrangements.
Anyway , we need more dirty Arab teams in the mix 😉
Just taken a look at the relegation issue and there could be any three from nine at the minute. It’s crazy down there and that will make a really good end to the season for the neutral .
I guess Spurs don't want top 4 then. What the heck kind of substitution strategy was that from Conte - gave away the game.
Man City definitely weaker with Haaland in the team..........
Lol
Lesson for Arsenal in terms of what to do in Cup comps - play your best players from the start, get the game won and then take them off. Instead of playing a weak XI and needing to sub on your best players to turn around a match
City are playing perfect football at the moment. Absolutely irresistible.
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Goal six is just ridiculous!
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I've been saying for a while that I preferred City's way of playing before Haaland. I'll admit I should have waited for Haaland to settle in before making that assessment
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He is and he has to be the best coach in world football.
Conte saying what everyone thinking
Besides his mad brain farts when it really counts, Pep really does set out to win every game . He’s a genius in football terms .
The international break couldn’t have come at a worse time for City because we’d beat Arsenal, Liverpool and Utd one after another if we played them tomorrow. :)
It’s great to see KdB and Foden back at the top of their game .
Maybe Spitty Carragher had a point when he suggested Haaland had picked the wrong team .
Why is Pep a genius ?
He’s got to go to a non money club or someone struggling and make a real impact for me to be classed as anything near a genius.
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That is the old argument heard time and time again. Other managers have gone to money clubs and had nowhere near the success Pep has everywhere he has been.
As begrudging as it may with my opposition fan cap on, be the man is one of the best managers I have seen.
On a separate note Conte doesn’t give a damn.
https://youtu.be/4XGT4YJdfiA
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Name somebody better ?
Then tell us all of another manager who is constantly evolving , who has at least three styles of football under his belt .
The entire football pyramid has followed Guardiola and his system of playing out from the back since his arrival on these shores. He consistently turns players around from their perceived roles, turning them into something else, generally with great success.
And yet, it’s all about the money, right ?
All managers are constantly evolving.
Ancelloti has played at least 5 systems in his managerial career.
Guardiola didn’t invent playing out from the back either. Ajax and the eastern bloc sides were doing it the 70.
He’s obviously a good manager but genius and the rest of the superlatives are very OTT.
He’s been to 3 top clubs and spent 1.8 billion on players isn’t it ?
Gone out in the Champs league in every big game where non of his ‘3 systems ‘ have worked with both Bayern and City.
He’s obviously a high level manager but genius and the rest of the superlatives are very OTT.
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100% correct. There isn't anyone better. Not only does he maximise a player's potential in their recognised position, he also challenges them to be great players in other positions. He's completely redefined the game in this country. Yes it helps when you're dealing with the best players but that doesn't guarantee success. Many coaches have failed despite being given massive amounts of money to spend.
At Newcastle we have to deal with constant speculation about players we're interested in but we'd all rather have Pep than any player.
Many coaches have failed ? Who else has spent a billion on a top side in the same amount of time as Guardiola ?
You don’t think Klopp, Conte, Ten Haag etc would be at City’s level if they spend a billion quid on the team in the next few seasons ?
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See, your very first sentence undermines any deluded fantasy you might have.
Klopp still plays the same high intensity hoof ball he’s always promoted so he definitely doesn’t evolve .
The money aspect you constantly hold on to in your ever changing narrative is tedious at best. Klopp spends, Conte spends, Ten Haag spends . Show us a five year net spend that you’ve consistently battered on about and justify your position again .
Pep, Ancelotti, Klopp, Mourinho. These are IMHO the top 4 managers globally and 1st to 4th by rank based on the order I listed them.
Just below this you have a group including Conte, Tuchel, Ten Haag, Scaloni, Flick, Mancini etc
You also have the young guns who could break into that elite group such as Howe, Arteta etc.
IMHO of course
So all managers aren’t constantly evolving ?
Liverpool don’t play the gegenpress anymore.
Hoof ball ? Liverpool this season are 2nd in the league for passes ( city number 1 ).
I’m not hanging on to money am I, he’s spent 1 billion pound on a side since he’s been there. It’s factual.
If any of the top 5/6 teams spend a billion on players in the next few years they will win the league.
If he’s this football genius how is he spending 1 billion on a team and still losing every crunch game In the champions league ?
Surely after that much spent on players and with his multiple ways of playing ( 3 ). combined with elevating players his has surely he should be winning these games in the champions league ?
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Pep is obviously a brilliant manager, but I'd like to see him say go to Newcastle and see how long it would take them from where they are to leavmgue winners (with ffp being followed etc)
Every week it changes and almost impossible to say who's going down.
If we hadn't beaten wolves yesterday I would've been even more convinced of relegation.
Us and palace were the worst form side out of the bottom nine last week, we are now the best going on the last five games.
Evertons late draw meant Forest slipped two places and now look in trouble with their poor goal difference.
It could be goals against that could be the deciding factor this season.
Just watched the Conte interview in full - double wow!!
He’s right in that the culture throughout the club is one of failure. Mediocrity and failure from top to bottom. I feel I have the right to say that as my club is exactly the same. Years and years of failure. Now, leadership and culture is set by those at the top of the organisation and they make it really simple and really clear to everyone how everyone can contribute to that. This is the vision, this is how you personally contribute and when we all do that to the best of our ability, this is what we can achieve.
City have that but it took several years to achieve. Cultural change on that scale takes on average five to seven years to begin to show returns. That’s what Newcastle have started to implement throughout the club but it’s going to take years. Spurs will only begin that journey once the ownership changes I’m afraid and that doesn’t look likely any time soon. I feel your pain Spurs fans as my whole life as a Newcastle fan has been like that with the exception of the John Hall years.
Fulham going full Tottenham in the FA Cup.
Last edited by ryanb741; 19th March 2023 at 19:15.