Now you cannot really be too critical of Pep Guardiola or his Manchester City team. He has them bossing games and they win the majority of their fixtures with a flamboyance most sides would kill for.

Yet if I had one concern and criticism of the Pep Citizens era it would be that the English Premier League champions don’t seem to have a Plan B.

For example look at the forward options. You’ve got Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus. Both are clinical, speedy and classy forwards that come to life when they the ball gets into the final third.

Both can be prolific and will take a lot of their chances but they expect the same kind of ammunition. Nice through balls and good accurate low crosses into the box.

Now the only issue I’ve got is if teams find a way to play well against City then Pep can’t call upon a new face to enter the field and change the team’s way of playing.

The Sky Blues have struggled in their opening two Champions League games. They lost at home to Lyon and were toiling against Hoffenheim and only quick thinking from David Silva at the end secured them a victory in Germany.

Last season Jurgen Klopp worked out the best way to beat Man City and his Liverpool side recorded three wins out of four against Pep’s team. The Reds convincingly thrashed City and dumped them out of the Champions League. City also lost two other games in Europe last term.

Personally I think they miss that Edin Dzeko type. A player that can come on a rough up defenders and give the attacking line an aerial threat.

Maurizio Sarri also loves playing attack minded possession football but he manages to do that with having a tall striker in Olivier Giroud who expertly links up with the other forwards, can hold it up and can bully defences. Pep doesn’t have that type at the Etihad.

All the midfielders and creative attackers also seem a bit samey, all fantastic but a bit like clones of each other.

I suppose it all depends on what Pep Guardiola and the Man City hierarchy want to achieve at the club this term.

Maybe the Champions League isn’t a priority. We know Pep can be stubborn and believe that Plan A always works. Maybe the team want to finally win a second Premier League title in a row.

They can win any tournament given their talent but I just feel it could be harder if they don’t have a distinct Plan B.

That being said my CV doesn’t quite compare to Pep Guardiola’s, so I’d trust he knows what he’s doing!

Posted on October 2nd, 2018 by scott
Filed under: Article