The Man City Thread*******

Hans Moleman wrote:

Croftman wrote:

Would love to see Pep at a place like Arsenal where there's serious work to be done but not bottomless pockets to buy players. Be interesting to see how he'd get on

I'd love to see Guardiola stick around and try and rebuild a new team at the same club after an unsuccessful season, if that's how this season pans out for City. Like his last season at Barca, I think he will walk after this one.

You could well be correct, but I wouldn't be so sure.

I think the point about PG is that he likes (needs?) a challenge. But now that he's ticked off Barca and Bayern from his list, unless he fancies Italy, or maybe PSG(?), the challenge of building a new City team to take on Liverpool might actually appeal most?

Remember, Ferguson built at least 3 great teams during his time at MU, and Wenger a couple at Arsenal, so maybe PG wants to emulate them, at a club where he's otherwise entirely comfortable and secure? If nothing else, winning the CL with a second club would please him and his employers, even if the fans might be less impressed.

Edited by Territorial - 10 Dec 2019 at 1:44pm

Possible last 16 opponents - Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Napoli

pre Madonna wrote:

Roberto Baggio wrote:

Possible last 16 opponents - Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Lyon, Napoli

I could have told ya that two years ago.

Why didn’t you do a bet then on all those teams to finish second in their groups?

Boo hoo, teams from the best leagues in Europe have made the last 16, give over

It’s a pity Lokomotiv Moscow or Club Brugge didn’t make the last 16 alright

Be edge of the seat stuff in seeing how many they get spanked by over two legs

Edited by Roberto Baggio - 11 Dec 2019 at 11:15pm

I didn’t

You aren’t happy that all the teams in the CL last 16 this season are from the richest leagues

I don’t think it’s that big a deal.

Poor enough group stage but should be good come the knockouts

I can’t keep you up any later, you’ve a busy few days ahead of you

Moving to France on Friday

Is your point not more to do with the competition that team that I like play in?

Modern sport is predictable, and the first rounds of a lot of competition are merely shadow boxing exercises until the latter stages when it livens up and matches are more competitive

The point is that the teams who have made the last 16 have done so because of transnational structural advantages that have turned the Champions League into a Super League in all but name, with a few crumbs being thrown to the less wealthy nations.

The reason the teams who have made it have done so has less to do with the innate brilliant of their management and a lot more to do with the fact they are able to hoover up whatever talent they want, because they are in the Champions League basically every year and are all but guaranteed to be there again next year, seeing as they are generally able to take advantage of the financial advantages of repeat admission to the Champions League.

If you are manager of Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Paris St Germain, Liverpool or Man City and aren't able to finish in the top four of your league, then beat a couple of poorer teams in the group stages, probably including one with 10% of your turnover, you should be sacked for gross misconduct.

At least half of the teams in the last sixteen most seasons are known before the competition starts. The only groups with any real excitement are the ones where you end up with three teams from England, Spain, Germany and Italy, and that's only because of Platini's change that the champions of the top eight countries are seeded. I wouldn't be surprised if the format is changed again in a couple of years so every group only has two teams from the top four countries, ostensibly to ensure "competitive balance" but more to make sure that the ladder that is currently halfway out of the water is pulled the whole way up into the helicopter, and every other f**ker below is left as lunch meat for the sharks.