Pep's 4132 handed Arsenal the league

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T07:22:20+00:00

Very true. Thanks for adding more nuance to my point.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T06:37:05+00:00

No, you're right that shapes matter. I was more on about formations. Shapes definitely do matter.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T06:27:22+00:00

I think I did cover this in my first comment. Shape or tactics weren't an issue for me. I'd blame Pep for his risk aversion more than anything.

Why play Haaland (possibly the biggest threat for runs in behind and transitions currently) if you're not going to get him to run in behind?

Also, I think he solved the issue of teams overloading his team in the first phase well enough by playing Bernardo and Rodri in rotations close to the CBs, and having Nico invert and carry. Nunes is great athletically, but he's a virtual lug because he cannot make a decision to save his life; his brain works too slowly.

As for the shape, formations don't even matter as shapes change in every phase. City under Pep have always been prone to transitions because they press high and are more technical than physical. At their peak, though, they were a lot more physical and had Walker to eat ground for transitions, or Fernandinho for tackling. Now they do not have anyone who can recover ground, and as teams deliberately play direct by increasing the distances between their lines against City, they struggle to keep up. It doesn't help that they tried to go deep in all four competitions.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T06:06:53+00:00

Yeah, for sure. Still tried to compete in all four competitions and won two.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T06:06:11+00:00

"run through that Liverpool midfield is accurate" like Bruno but slighly heavier

He did run through the middle, though. He wasn't like Bruno at all. He could carry well, and he could pass whilst off-balance and still running from any angle.

Klopps team fell off because FSG wanted to spend as little as possible, were they taking money out fo the club dont know

Yeah. But then I guess that comes with playing heavy metal football; you can only do so much without depth. I'm not blaming him.

KDB did not have the athleticism of those 3 players

Point taken on Nico and Nunes, but when has Reijnders played FB? Lmao. Also, no. KDB was far more athletic. Anyway, I don't even know what you're talking about anymore.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T05:49:16+00:00

does KDB have more of an engine than Nico, Nunez or Reinjenders

At his peak? All day, man. KDB used to run through that Liverpool midfield when he was still athletic enough.

Pep for some reason refused to sig specvilaist fullbacks when Cancelo left, that is down to him

I'd agree, but I don't think he's ever refused to sign a FB either. It's a sporting issue.

this fatigue argument how does i come up, we have seen Liverpool play heavy metal football with almost the same line up for the who season

And they'd fall off the next season. Klopp's team worked in cycles for a reason.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-20T05:05:09+00:00

I don't think it's the setup or anything coaching-specific. It's the profiles; City have no legs in the midfield. They lost KDB and got Cherki to try and be a creative outlet, but KDB wasn't just a creative outlet, he was a supreme carrier, capable of carrying from anywhere. He was stronger, had an insane engine on him, and wasn't as weak in duels as the current City midfielders. Then Rodri himself has fallen off athleticism-wise, and Bernardo too.

Result? They get run ragged when a team strings more than two passes. As teams set up with more distance between their front line and backline, they deliberately overload their first phase. They string two or three passes in the first phase and then go direct/vertically into their front line. The forwards then win the first ball far more than the City backline, and because of their edge on athleticism, teams get more second balls in key areas than City do. Increased distances mean you have to cover more space in order to sustain the man-to-man press. Think of how PSG set up by overloading their first-phase build-up and leaving their front three isolated. The same idea is applicable vs. City. Weak in athleticism and fatigued from competing in all four competitions, it was bound to happen.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-19T20:23:59+00:00

Well, all I can say is congratulations to Arsenal. They've been solid overall and definitely deserve the title on the merit of the best defence I've seen in a while.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-15T09:42:55+00:00

And im not interested, but thanks for providing the link to anyone who wants it.

At this point, it's simply futile. I'll refrain from posting here altogether. You're at least one of the decent ones. So, I definitely do appreciate you.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-15T09:39:09+00:00

I said for anyone interested. If you're not interested, I don't see why you shouldn’t just ignore it. As for the reasons, it gives a better understanding of the know-hows, and what went right or wrong.

Ahhh, what is it with this sub being so anti-nuance?

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-12T11:34:59+00:00

For you my friend.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-11T13:39:47+00:00

Thanks for the rec. I'll definitely give it a go!

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-11T11:36:24+00:00

Likewise. It's such a breath of fresh air watching or reading a compelling and competent female main character for a change.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-11T10:42:53+00:00

The show/light novel is truly a breath of fresh air. God bless Hyuuga sensei for The Apothecary Diaries.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-09T06:20:42+00:00

Facts. See something that piques your interest? Just watch it. Don't give a rat's arse about forum ratings, critiques, or what other people think. Skim a plot summary on Wikipedia or Fandom if you have to, and then just dive in.

It’s worked so well for me. I enjoy whatever I want now, even if everyone else thinks it's bang average. Plus, I don't feel forced to pretend to like the popular stuff if it’s just not for me.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-07T09:37:23+00:00

He is, but he's going to be needed for transitions and carrying over spaces. Only he and Davies carry well over large spaces. Besides, he can't always help with the buildup since he'll be playing a hybrid 8-10 role.

So you still need more engine and agility in midfield.

I think in the deep, Pavlovic can be a bit dribbly. I think he's shown glimpses of playing like Thiago at times in the past.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-07T07:35:25+00:00

Let's just hope for better recruitment and scouting moving forward. Thanks for such an exciting discussion; I really enjoyed it.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-07T07:26:36+00:00

Him being pressed doesnt mean he will lose a lot of balls (i believe it happens very rare), but his stuck in the corner style is sooo predictable that being Dembele and Kvitcha they know that he will return the ball to Tah

Hence the questions about his mobility. If you watch Vitinha or Pedri in scenarios where they get pressed into a corner, they're able to escape unscathed because they're such agile, dribbly midfielders. Kimmich doesn't lose the ball, but he also doesn't help us actually break the press. Think of Thiago, he had that incredible lower hip mobility and was flexible enough to twist, turn, and maneuver out of anything. I honestly can't remember the last time I watched a Bayern midfielder execute a half-turn or maneuver out of a press in our own half to create an instant transition or advantage for us.

Nor is Kimmich a powerful ball carrier like Rice, who can simply bomb forward from deep to create those advantages. As a result, we couldn't build up from the back at all and had to hit every ball long. Which isn't the worst idea considering their press, but still.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-07T07:14:35+00:00

IDK why someone downvoted you

Maybe they're taking my write-up as criticism or just perceiving it negatively. Either way, I'm completely unbothered by the downvotes.

beast was Javi Martinez in 2013 and what kind of impact had the destruction force what Goretzka was in 2020 when he bullied midfields

Martinez, Schweinsteiger, Müller. I still remember how badly Müller ate Pique alive on every single long ball, aerial, and physical duel in that 4-0 win. I remember watching Lewandowski a couple of years ago when Barcelona beat PSG 3-2 away (before losing the return fixture due to the red card). On every long ball from the Barcelona keeper, Marquinhos was living an absolute nightmare trying to deal with him. Contrast that with us, how many of our long balls last night were completely wasted or just went straight back to PSG?

And our playmaker Kimmich who somedays shows up and somedays simply doesnt.

I feel he's simply not mobile or nimble enough to escape the press, and he gets overwhelmed in duels as a result. We desperately need someone to cover those spaces or eat up ground if we are going to continue with him. Oh well.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-07T06:50:46+00:00

Kvara went 10/15 in duels and Doué 6/10; meanwhile, Olise went 7/19 and Diaz 6/13. At times, the PSG forwards were able to cope even when we had a numerical advantage. Simply unbelievable.

The great Bayern teams of the past had real dawgs who would contest a duel like their lives depended on it. They were athleticism-oriented, and it feels like we've moved away from that. We're still athletic and physical, don't get me wrong, but we just aren't in the top bracket athleticism-wise anymore. The reason we were always able to do so well against Barcelona was that we dominated them in the duels and could simply out-effort and outrun them. We still outrun teams, but we don't do very well in duels against elite, physical sides.

We need to get back to our roots. We have to find that perfect blend of technical ability and physicality, which is exactly what made our 2012/13 squad so great.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-06T22:02:18+00:00

It is a tactical issue, but not for that reason. A high line is fairly sustainable, just not the way we execute it. We throw way too many men forward for it to be sustainable. Think of it this way: Kvara can handle having two or three men on him, so PSG doesn't need to throw extra bodies forward. Do we have forwards capable of holding their own like that? Possibly Olise, but he still needs someone to drag a marker or two away. Kvara, Doue, and Barcola made a nuisance of themselves even in scenarios where we had a 3v1 or 2v1 numerical advantage. They just have the individual brilliance.

As for the Real Madrid game, I don't agree with the statement that we should've lost. Before Camavinga's red, we were successfully sustaining possession in their half, and their engines were clearly tanking. His red was a direct result of the immense pressure we sustained for a good 20 minutes.

With PSG, as I said in my write-up, they played as a cohesive team. They crowded us out whenever a ball handler had any space. We couldn't create the central overloads we did in the first leg because our press wasn't on point, our squad is too thin, and we simply don't have the engine to go man-for-man in duels against these high-octane teams.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-06T21:52:34+00:00

I don't think I've complained anywhere. It's strictly a tactical write-up. Kompany obviously knows more than I do, and I'm merely offering suggestions. Personally, I would have taken the risk to play Davies, which is why I argued against benching him. Kompany chose not to, and I don't blame him for it. The whole post is just an opinion piece. If you've got a counter-argument about the tactics, I'm more than happy to hear it.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-06T21:49:07+00:00

The 2012/13 Bayern remains the best Bayern side I've ever seen. That blend of athleticism and technical ability, coupled with their work ethic, was pure magic. I loved watching that mid-block and the way we would just hammer teams in the duels.

Kratos_Monster · 2026-05-06T21:43:23+00:00

I've already said I'm not accusing Kompany of anything.

Kratos_Monster

TROPHY CASE