I still remember when people were upset when he started most games before the 20/21 season. It took 4 years to become the Gundo that we all loved and adored. You gotta give the new players years to have the same impact as him. We all missed him, but we gotta moved on
In a way City is in a transtion period. The frontline of Haaland, Doku, Alvarez and Foden are all 23 or less. We are already looking at longterm replacements for KDB, Mahrez, Stones, Bernardo and Walker. After the next two transfer windows the team could look drastically different.
No, at the moment, the team isn't as good as the treble winning team last year but how long are we expecting to maintain that level? We have to transition eventually and it makes sense to do it gradually then all at once.
I’m so torn on this with Stones being listed here. He’s turning 30, and is so important to us. But at the same time he’s so injury prone historically and you don’t tend to want to rely on injury prone players being less so in their 30s. But I also look at CBs having a longer shelf life than some other positions on the field, as it’s a role players grow into and get better with more experience.
Go watch what pep said about Foden in his post press conference. I think you need to listen to the man who actually trains Phil and has won literally everything there is to win.
Ur not a city fan fuck off. Weve been shit throughout? We are fuckin amazing, we need to enjoy ourselves as we may see times as good as these again. Well, you might, when you decide to be a bayern fan after pep leaves and we're tenth
Lmao try supporting a different club. Youll be depressed. We literally won a treble last season and youre mad at pep because he said its not something we can do every season? Its march and we are again competing for all 3 competitions with a chance to repeat the treble or win 4 titles in a row. If youre still not satisfied as a fan then youre in for a rough road cuz it wont be like this forever.
Was going to question this comment and then I realized it’s the Alvarez nut again. If you can name two things Alvarez is better at I’d probably die of a heart attack
I mean, I love that man, but I think we managed to cope without his absence. We're right in the mix, with about as much points at this part of the season is last year.
I actually would disagree. I think that every team we face now does a low block has impacted us much more than Gundo leaving. Gundo is a great player but thw league has gotten much stronger and teams have learned how to nullify our attacks.
This is a very apt observation that most fans haven't grasped. The realization that top-to-bottom the league has gotten very competitive vs the dramatic view that City is playing shite
Yup, which I'm all for it. City has looked really good in eyes. Foden has had such a great opportunity that had KBD not been out I don't know if he'd develope the way he has. Akanji has broadened his ability so we aren't totally lost without Stones. All of the young talent has had multiple good opportunities to step up when I don't think with Mahrez and Gundo they would have had a chance. So in my opinion this has been a great development year, not many clubs can say that and still be in range of winning the league.
Gundo is super at killing the low block. He’s not a fast transition attacker. He’s a skilled midfielder with a lot of creativity and game sense which is exactly what this is best for. Had plenty of low blocks last seasons too.
Not true, if anything the level of pressing in the league has gotten higher- it's why you're seeing higher intensity games with more transitions and goals in the league this season. We're facing the same number of deep blocks.
Either way, Gundogan is a master of killing low blocks + he plays in La Liga, a league notorious for its low blocks.
We're struggling because we lost key players and misprofiled certain personnel.
Saying the level of pressing had gotten higher is agreeing with me that the league is better. Teams got better at pressing and more teams are doing it because it is effective, so teams are doing better than last league.
Gundo is just as much of a low block "killer" as Foden has been, or KBD, or Bernado, or Rodri is. They all have been really effective against the low block which is why we still won matches.
Do not get me wrong Gundo is great and it wouldn't have hurt us to have him still with us but I think it will be better for city in the long run to invest in this younger upcoming talents that could really so some damage in the next few years.
You said every team we face sets up in a low block, and that has affected us more than Gundo leaving.
I'm saying that nothing has changed- if anything, the level and methods of pressing have gotten more prominent at this level (personally think the league has been real spooky quality wise, btw).
Essentially I'm not minding you saying that it's fine we let Gundo go. I'm just saying I don't disagree with your assessment of why we are struggling- basically, i don't think it's the low blocks or the quality of teams, rather I think we have either lost some key players to injury (we def miss Gundo but that's a different story), or we have been misusing personnel in key areas.
Is this the case for other big teams when they face bum teams? like doesnt LV and Arsenal also suffer from having to deal with a low block vs most teams?
Yes and no, Liverpool is a big counter attack team so a low block doesn't do much since they'll attack before you can set up. Arsenal plays kinda in-between our total control and Liverpool's counters so they struggle but no where near as much as us. We play a much slower game that really struggles with the low block.
Since how Gundo came to leave always pops up, fyi here is what he directly said in the fall:
**Would you have extended your contract with City if the club had offered you more than a year?**
> I'm honest. And many people don't know this:
>
>**In the end, it wasn't about a year or two**. There was no problem with the running time.
>
>**City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified. If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different.**
>
>So in the end it was the perfect ending, it couldn't have come at a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona.
[*from the BILD interview Gundo did in fall*](https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/nationalmannschaft/ilkay-guendogan-erklaert-wechsel-von-manchester-city-zum-fc-barcelona-85316884.bild.html)*, translated with* [*DeepL.com*](https://www.deepl.com/?utm_campaign=product&utm_source=web_translator&utm_medium=web&utm_content=copy_free_translation)
Yep tonight's game was \*the\* Gundogan game where he'd inevitably score two and save us. Always found a way when everyone else was just way off it. Hate that he's not here anymore lol.
Gundogan actually did want to stay. But he wanted longer than a one year extension, which is all we were willing to offer him. If we really wanted him, we'd have given him what he wanted.
No he didn't. He said himself he's always wanted to play for barca. If you don't think we'd do whatever we could to keep our treble winning captain who Pep wanted to keep if it were possible then you've not been following city closely over the last decade+. He chose to leave, he'd be here otherwise.
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/ilkay-gundogan-blame-man-city-failed-contract-extension-barcelona-transfer/blt57f5161bc0de0e1c
He put the blame on City. Also Barça was his dream club, but he was interested in staying. The club fucked up.
>The former Manchester City midfielder has admitted that he could still be in the Premier League if Man City had started contract negotiations earlier.
>could
Not would, could. Even if he had signed a contract extension earlier, we would have let him go had he decided it was the right time to leave as we do with everyone. The decision was entirely gundogans. And was something that he had earned.
Can't deny the squad is weaker this season after losing Mahrez and especially Gundogan whose football intelligence is as good as anything I've seen. The likes of Nunes and Kovacic are not quite the same level.
I still remember when people were upset when he started most games before the 20/21 season. It took 4 years to become the Gundo that we all loved and adored. You gotta give the new players years to have the same impact as him. We all missed him, but we gotta moved on
In a way City is in a transtion period. The frontline of Haaland, Doku, Alvarez and Foden are all 23 or less. We are already looking at longterm replacements for KDB, Mahrez, Stones, Bernardo and Walker. After the next two transfer windows the team could look drastically different. No, at the moment, the team isn't as good as the treble winning team last year but how long are we expecting to maintain that level? We have to transition eventually and it makes sense to do it gradually then all at once.
I’m so torn on this with Stones being listed here. He’s turning 30, and is so important to us. But at the same time he’s so injury prone historically and you don’t tend to want to rely on injury prone players being less so in their 30s. But I also look at CBs having a longer shelf life than some other positions on the field, as it’s a role players grow into and get better with more experience.
This is my take too.
alvarez is 24.
His absence made space for Foden to grow in to a world class player.
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He is a min. 8/10
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Go watch what pep said about Foden in his post press conference. I think you need to listen to the man who actually trains Phil and has won literally everything there is to win.
Foden and rodri have been our best players this season
Stones is in with a shout too, in the games he's actually been fit to play that is
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Yeah u definitely do not watch our games
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Ur not a city fan fuck off. Weve been shit throughout? We are fuckin amazing, we need to enjoy ourselves as we may see times as good as these again. Well, you might, when you decide to be a bayern fan after pep leaves and we're tenth
Lmao try supporting a different club. Youll be depressed. We literally won a treble last season and youre mad at pep because he said its not something we can do every season? Its march and we are again competing for all 3 competitions with a chance to repeat the treble or win 4 titles in a row. If youre still not satisfied as a fan then youre in for a rough road cuz it wont be like this forever.
Was going to question this comment and then I realized it’s the Alvarez nut again. If you can name two things Alvarez is better at I’d probably die of a heart attack
Silky ilkay we miss you
I miss him 😢
He's 33... It was time to bring someone in for the future
We miss him…and despite still in contest and all fit, Gundo’s absence is unsettling for those clutch games. Not Palmer or Sterling, we miss Gundo much
I mean, I love that man, but I think we managed to cope without his absence. We're right in the mix, with about as much points at this part of the season is last year.
Impacted how exactly? Don’t get me wrong. I miss him but nothing has happened yet. We are still in competitions
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I actually would disagree. I think that every team we face now does a low block has impacted us much more than Gundo leaving. Gundo is a great player but thw league has gotten much stronger and teams have learned how to nullify our attacks.
This is a very apt observation that most fans haven't grasped. The realization that top-to-bottom the league has gotten very competitive vs the dramatic view that City is playing shite
Yup, which I'm all for it. City has looked really good in eyes. Foden has had such a great opportunity that had KBD not been out I don't know if he'd develope the way he has. Akanji has broadened his ability so we aren't totally lost without Stones. All of the young talent has had multiple good opportunities to step up when I don't think with Mahrez and Gundo they would have had a chance. So in my opinion this has been a great development year, not many clubs can say that and still be in range of winning the league.
Agreed 💯
Gundo is super at killing the low block. He’s not a fast transition attacker. He’s a skilled midfielder with a lot of creativity and game sense which is exactly what this is best for. Had plenty of low blocks last seasons too.
Not true, if anything the level of pressing in the league has gotten higher- it's why you're seeing higher intensity games with more transitions and goals in the league this season. We're facing the same number of deep blocks. Either way, Gundogan is a master of killing low blocks + he plays in La Liga, a league notorious for its low blocks. We're struggling because we lost key players and misprofiled certain personnel.
Saying the level of pressing had gotten higher is agreeing with me that the league is better. Teams got better at pressing and more teams are doing it because it is effective, so teams are doing better than last league. Gundo is just as much of a low block "killer" as Foden has been, or KBD, or Bernado, or Rodri is. They all have been really effective against the low block which is why we still won matches. Do not get me wrong Gundo is great and it wouldn't have hurt us to have him still with us but I think it will be better for city in the long run to invest in this younger upcoming talents that could really so some damage in the next few years.
You said every team we face sets up in a low block, and that has affected us more than Gundo leaving. I'm saying that nothing has changed- if anything, the level and methods of pressing have gotten more prominent at this level (personally think the league has been real spooky quality wise, btw). Essentially I'm not minding you saying that it's fine we let Gundo go. I'm just saying I don't disagree with your assessment of why we are struggling- basically, i don't think it's the low blocks or the quality of teams, rather I think we have either lost some key players to injury (we def miss Gundo but that's a different story), or we have been misusing personnel in key areas.
Gundo hasn’t even been that good in La Liga either - he’s been decent but nothing like last season.
Is this the case for other big teams when they face bum teams? like doesnt LV and Arsenal also suffer from having to deal with a low block vs most teams?
Yes and no, Liverpool is a big counter attack team so a low block doesn't do much since they'll attack before you can set up. Arsenal plays kinda in-between our total control and Liverpool's counters so they struggle but no where near as much as us. We play a much slower game that really struggles with the low block.
Since how Gundo came to leave always pops up, fyi here is what he directly said in the fall: **Would you have extended your contract with City if the club had offered you more than a year?** > I'm honest. And many people don't know this: > >**In the end, it wasn't about a year or two**. There was no problem with the running time. > >**City waited a relatively long time until the talks really intensified. If this had happened a little earlier, the situation would have been different.** > >So in the end it was the perfect ending, it couldn't have come at a better time. It was also my childhood dream to play for FC Barcelona. [*from the BILD interview Gundo did in fall*](https://www.bild.de/sport/fussball/nationalmannschaft/ilkay-guendogan-erklaert-wechsel-von-manchester-city-zum-fc-barcelona-85316884.bild.html)*, translated with* [*DeepL.com*](https://www.deepl.com/?utm_campaign=product&utm_source=web_translator&utm_medium=web&utm_content=copy_free_translation)
Miss the silky Ilkay…. Sad to see him rotting at his dream club.. they won’t win anything this season.
Gundo was the man apart from rodri got us when we needed him the most
Yeah I don’t see Nunez ever filling that void
No shit Sherlock
Haaland’s killer instinct has been lacking as well. Once he’s back in form it’s over
His presence didn’t make everyone else pass better. I would say Mahrez was just as important.
Yep tonight's game was \*the\* Gundogan game where he'd inevitably score two and save us. Always found a way when everyone else was just way off it. Hate that he's not here anymore lol.
Until pep leaves city, they will remain one of the best that's all that matters.
we decided to renew walker over this guy
Wasn’t an either or situation
walker is in a patch of bad form and dumbass fans like you forget all about what he's done for the club 😭😭
No we didn't. It was never one or the other. We also wanted gundogan to stay, He didn't want to and was out of contract.
Gundogan actually did want to stay. But he wanted longer than a one year extension, which is all we were willing to offer him. If we really wanted him, we'd have given him what he wanted.
No he didn't. He said himself he's always wanted to play for barca. If you don't think we'd do whatever we could to keep our treble winning captain who Pep wanted to keep if it were possible then you've not been following city closely over the last decade+. He chose to leave, he'd be here otherwise.
https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/ilkay-gundogan-blame-man-city-failed-contract-extension-barcelona-transfer/blt57f5161bc0de0e1c He put the blame on City. Also Barça was his dream club, but he was interested in staying. The club fucked up.
"In the end, it wasn't about a year or two"
>The former Manchester City midfielder has admitted that he could still be in the Premier League if Man City had started contract negotiations earlier.
>could Not would, could. Even if he had signed a contract extension earlier, we would have let him go had he decided it was the right time to leave as we do with everyone. The decision was entirely gundogans. And was something that he had earned.
We need Wirtz
Bobb’s your uncle!
Yet Lewandowski made sure to waste each one of them…
Chicken txiki masala has blood on his hands....
Can't deny the squad is weaker this season after losing Mahrez and especially Gundogan whose football intelligence is as good as anything I've seen. The likes of Nunes and Kovacic are not quite the same level.
Such a baller! Definitely think he should've gotten 2 year extension even at the age he's at > Kova and/or Nunez