Match Day Thread General matchday thread.

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Pep is a top manager. Has a very specific way he wants to play and makes it happen on the pitch more often than not.

His Barca team absolutely dominated. There run of consecutive trophy wins was impressive even for a big side.

And at City he’s won back to back titles and will finish 2nd this season, including a historic quadruple of domestic trophies and league cup wins three seasons running, with the opportunity still to add a consecutive FA Cup and first CL still on the table. All whilst getting a stupid amount of points in the league and playing good football.

If you look at comments from players who have played for him it’s clear they all hold him in high regard and talk about how particular he is as a manager.

Yes he always has a big budget but that doesn’t stop him being a great manager.
 
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Yes he always has a big budget but that doesn’t stop him being a great manager.
I guess its moot now because any manager that displays talent these days will inevitably be snapped up by a big club and will therefore have plenty of money to spend, so its a bit catch 22.
 
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There's nothing clever or attractive about Pep's football. It's just
  1. inherit or buy the best squad in the league so you can dominate possession
  2. immediately foul your opponents when you lose possession
It's anti-football, which is why Pep's teams dominate the tactical fouls stats.
The last couple of seasons Klopp has spent a fraction of what Pep has (starting with a far worse squad) and challenged him, while also commiting the fewest tactical fouls in the league.

https://theathletic.com/1603079/2020/02/18/tactical-fouls-man-city-arsenal-liverpool/

"Liverpool are the most dominant team in English football history, with 73 points from a possible 75. And yet this season’s side is also the most innocent team on record when it comes to tactical fouls: just 74 of 1,911 opposition turnovers have ended in fouls, a rate of just 3.87 per cent."

Messi, Xavi, Iniesta .... here endeth the 'attractive football' argument... <ok>
 
There's nothing clever or attractive about Pep's football. It's just
  1. inherit or buy the best squad in the league so you can dominate possession
  2. immediately foul your opponents when you lose possession
It's anti-football, which is why Pep's teams dominate the tactical fouls stats.
Get ti' ****, you clueless ****ing tool!
How is Pep's method "Anti-football", I thought Jose's method was anti-football, or Pulis' method was Anti-football? <laugh>
So is Anti-football just any sort of football where Liverpool dont win? <doh>

You really are a twat <laugh>
 
Get ti' ****, you clueless ****ing tool!
How is Pep's method "Anti-football", I thought Jose's method was anti-football, or Pulis' method was Anti-football? <laugh>
So is Anti-football just any sort of football where Liverpool dont win? <doh>

You really are a twat <laugh>

Anti-football is constantly stopping the game with fouls when you lose the ball because you know your weak defence and lazy midfield can't handle a counter-attack.
 
Get ti' ****, you clueless ****ing tool!
How is Pep's method "Anti-football", I thought Jose's method was anti-football, or Pulis' method was Anti-football? <laugh>
So is Anti-football just any sort of football where Liverpool dont win? <doh>

You really are a twat <laugh>
I made a point of going to Southampton v Man City as I wanted to watch that anti-football live. Their first half performance was incredible and they were playing at a canter.
 
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Anti-football is constantly stopping the game with fouls when you lose the ball because you know your weak defence and lazy midfield can't handle a counter-attack.

Leaving aside the fact that tactical fouling has been a part of football since inception, having watched Pep's Bayern and City teams countless times, you are talking ****.
Barca maybe, yes, but they started that **** long before Pep, that started under Rijkaard. That's a Barca thing, not a Pep thing.
 
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Leaving aside the fact that tactical fouling has been a part of football since inception, having watched Pep's Bayern and City teams countless times, you are talking ****.
Barca maybe, yes, but they started that **** long before Pep, that started under Rijkaard. That's a Barca thing, not a Pep thing.

So the stats abouts City's tactical fouls are lying?
 
There’s no such thing as anti football when it comes to tactics...there’s many ways to play the game.

it’s horses for courses...I can respect that

Astro is a nob but I think he’s right when he says tactical fouls are anti football and City are the biggest culprits...every ****ing time. You can see the strategy by how they take it in turns. Didn’t pay off for Zinchenko against us tho.
 
So the stats abouts City's tactical fouls are lying?
Who gives a **** about tactical foul stats? <laugh>
What constitutes a tactical foul? To know exactly whether a foul was tactical you would need to be telepathic to be able to read a players intent.
In some cases it is 100% obvious, but in a lot of cases, it isnt.
And since I am unaware of any clairvoyant football stasticitians, I can only summise that the so-called stats you speak of are utter bollocks.
 
yeah I can’t last longer than 10 mins or so of a game before being bored.

I assume Astro is the same and he uses the extra time stat hunting on another tab on his browser

The lag on most streams means my alerts from the Onefootball app give me plenty of time to switch tab and see the play unfold [HASHTAG]#protip[/HASHTAG]
 
Who gives a **** about tactical foul stats? <laugh>
What constitutes a tactical foul? To know exactly whether a foul was tactical you would need to be telepathic to be able to read a players intent.
In some cases it is 100% obvious, but in a lot of cases, it isnt.
And since I am unaware of any clairvoyant football stasticitians, I can only summise that the so-called stats you speak of are utter bollocks.

Of course there's some uncertainty, but the same applies to all stats. When the trend is consistently there over multiple seasons, any benefit of doubt is gone.

Also, it kinda gives it away when you invite an Amazon documentary team into your dressing room and they film you giving out those exact instructions:

Arteta: “David (Silva), Kevin (De Bruyne), Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan), make fouls. If there is a transition, make a foul. If you can do it, better than Gundo, better than the defenders.”
 
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Of course there's some uncertainty, but the same applies to all stats. When the trend is consistently there over multiple seasons, any benefit of doubt is gone.

Also, it kinda gives it away when you invite an Amazon documentary team into your dressing room and they film you giving out those exact instructions:

Arteta: “David (Silva), Kevin (De Bruyne), Gundo (Ilkay Gundogan), make fouls. If there is a transition, make a foul. If you can do it, better than Gundo, better than the defenders.”

Like I said, tactical fouls have been used in football, nay, all sports, since the dawn of time.
Liverpool included.
You are talking trash!
 
Like I said, tactical fouls have been used in football, nay, all sports, since the dawn of time.
Liverpool included.
You are talking trash!

Yes and the stats show Liverpool make the fewest tactical fouls in the PL. Not none, but the fewest.

You are talking trash: "all teams score goals and concede goals so they're all the same, none are any better or worse than others".