Baldrick’s cunning plan.

[john68]

Sorry mate but I just don't get that ego shit.
It would be far better for Pep's ego if he actually won the CL and far better for Pep's reputation to break that long dry spell and become seen as unquestionably the top dog.at the top table again.

We got a clue to Pep's mentality in an interview not long after he arrived.
When asked about how mant titles he expected to win by some thicko journo, he answered that trophies were secondary. It was about performance, nothing more, nothing less. "If the performances were good enough, the trophies would follow."
When questioned about a poor result (I think v Burnley) He answered that he was happy. That the performance had been good and the players had done everything asked of them. He accepted that sometimes a good performance didn't get the winning result, though usually it would.

Pep is a football creater, a dreamer, a designer, it is what drives him. The search for perfection and then the search to improve on that.
The danger is that sometimes ideas that feel so perfect in the head are unrealistic and often ineffective when taken onto the pitch.

I am certain that Pep will by now have forensically studied the game, but unlike we fans who respond with anger, frustration and criticism. Pep will be minutely seeking how that failed and what he needs to do into the future.
I also think he will not discard what he did but seek to improve what he didand I am certain that if he ever answered our questions, he would have good, if impractical reasons for doing what he did.

[carl_feedthegoat]

I am certain that if he ever answered our questions, he would have good, if impractical reasons for doing what he did.

Doubt it mate , Baldie has rarely , if ever, told anyone the truth since hes been here......whether that was to fuck over the press ? we will never know but the fact is
he bull shits all the time.

[ayrshireblue]

His idol, Cruyff, is quoted as saying that the performance is the main thing and usually the result will follow but if it doesn't then you have the good performance to take away. If the main thing is victory and that doesn't come then you have nothing to take away from the game.

[Harry Dowd scored]

I have listened to multiple City podcasts and read a lot of opinions about the lineup for the final and the overwhelming agreement of all was that the side that beat PSG should start with only some discussion on whether Ferna or Rodri starts. Even here almost everyone said that Ferna should start for his style of play, experience and leadership.

However Baldrick had a cunning plan to trick Tuchel, so he starts with none of them and to top it all, he starts with the most out of form player we’ve had this season. I don’t think I need to name him. When it was clear to all that it’s not working and we were a goal down, he didn’t make any changes until well into the second half and it wasn’t the obvious change we were all shouting for. No he brings on another out of form player in Jesus and leaves our top striker who scored 2 goals last week on the bench and also the hat trick hero of a couple of weeks ago. And that was a forced change because of KDB’s injury !!

Finally Ferna is introduced in the 64th minute and we begin to have some control of the game but alas it was too late as Chelsea dug in and played the game of their life. They had the lead and would not let it go. Aguero came in the 77th minute but unfortunately he could not produce a miracle again and it was heartbreaking to see him in tears at the end.

I’m writing this in the morning here in Sydney having had hardly any sleep as the game was at 5 in the morning our time and I have still a long day to go through with this fuckup of a match on my mind. I apologize for the length but I just had to spill it all out and you guys are the only ones who will really understand my pain. Cheers

Excellent evaluation of another Pep fuck up, only just got back from my daughters place in Bantry Ireland, that performance fucked up a lovely weekend, even son in law who isn’t a big football fan, more for GAA could see the the no DM fuck up, and, of course the most out of form player we have.
Thing is with these constant fuck ups in the CL leaves me with the thought of never being confident that we will win, no matter who we are playing, Lyon is a classic example of over thinking what should be a simple, pick your best team and go and win the game.
To say how good a season we have had, I think there has been to many occasions when I have felt bad after a defeat, the rags, chelsea in the cups, Leeds and Leicester early on in the season, ah well, we are the Champions and with that comes expectations grrrrrr

[john68]

I am certain that if he ever answered our questions, he would have good, if impractical reasons for doing what he did.

Doubt it mate , Baldie has rarely , if ever, told anyone the truth since hes been here......whether that was to fuck over the press ? we will never know but the fact is
he bull shits all the time.

I don't doubt that Pep bullshits regularly. All managers do depending on which audience they are trying to address.
I said he would have had his reasons...I didn't say those reasons were thebest, nor that I would agree with them.

We agree he is a top coach and many of his decisions have been massively successful for us.
I also agree that on Saturday, he was not just wrong...he was very very wrong and fucked up.

[RodneyRodney]

1. No DM implies a commitment to attack ; therefore
WHY is our leading scorer, who just returned to the team
on the f* bench ? It's the last game of his career with us,
he deserves to start for that alone, plus he's match fit and confident,
with 3 goals in 3 apps !!
Bloody shabby decision both to Kun and the team . Omitting
Kun and having Harry in some sort of vague "false 9" role
left us with no-one making runs behind their defence and
very little goal threat, as we saw.

2. For Ed's through ball , around the 15th minute I think, the
one Sterling botched, I'd at least back Kun to control it and
get some sort of a shot away.

3. Gundo is not a DM ; we've tried him there in the past and
he wasn't that good at it. Much more effective and more goal
threat in a more advanced role. Absolutely no sense or logic
in Pep's choice. As with Kun, it's (probably) Fernandinho's last
game for us , and for what he's given us over the years , he
deserves to start. Would he have prevented the goal ? He would
have certainly played a part in closing the gaps down and making
it a lot harder for Havertz to get his shot away. Also , he would have
given our attacking echelon much more confidence, to the degree that
Chelsea would have been under more pressure and possibly unable to
create Havertz's chance in the first place.

4. Mahrez produced buggerall in the 1st half ; why not Ferran for him in the 2nd ?
Or Gabby for that matter ?

I think this season, we've season Peak Pep, and I think after Saturdays
fiasco, the writing is on the wall for him. Very faint writing at the moment,
but its there, nonetheless. The Sheikh & Khaldoon are no mugs , and they
brought Pep here to win a specific pot . He's shown by his brainstorms
that he just ISN'T the guy to do that, and probably never will be . Saturday
was his best chance to win it since his Barca days , and he botched it again.
I think it's the beginning of a downward trajectory ; in ten years we'll be seeing him
in the same light we see Mourinho now.

Succession planning will have commenced , and candidate identification will be in progress.
I'm not saying he's going to get the flick just yet - these guys don't work like Roman.
I think disappointment with the way things went will be registered at his end of season
review ; there may be increased levels of scrutiny and reservation applied to any
signings he wishes to acquire ; it'll be made clear - in subtle ways - that he hasn't
got a blank canvas, and he isn't a protected species any longer, and that certain expectation
levels will apply from now on. Pep's got a lot of credit with the owners and the fans - but
he blew a fair wad of it on Saturday.

I think they'll give him next season - to monitor his results alongside those of potential successors
- and then we'll see. I won't be suprised if it's "Muchas Gracias y Adios" at the end of his contract.

[salford city]

^^A lot of good points in there Rodders- the key ones being that he will be under renewed scrutiny for the first time here. Yes he has credit and deserves to be lauded for his achievements but the reverse is also true and he will be left in no doubt of that in his end of season review - quite rightly

[Mainerdwasmychurch]

Well said Rodders.......I just cannot get this result out of my system......I sit here working from home just talking to myself at how much of a right royal fuck up pep made.......the team for the final was probably one of the easiest pep would ever have to make......another point to add to what Rodney said is just how much did that blindside the players....maybe the performance said it all....is it any wonder the media are full of stories of players wanting away.......the biggest game some of them will ever play.....and for many of them only the once and they sit down for the team selection and pep does that to them...!!!.......I despise player power nowadays but I think it’s gonna take pep and his team every ounce of man-management they have to get these players back on side.......

[nottsblue]

1. No DM implies a commitment to attack ; therefore
WHY is our leading scorer, who just returned to the team
on the f* bench ? It's the last game of his career with us,
he deserves to start for that alone, plus he's match fit and confident,
with 3 goals in 3 apps !!
Bloody shabby decision both to Kun and the team . Omitting
Kun and having Harry in some sort of vague "false 9" role
left us with no-one making runs behind their defence and
very little goal threat, as we saw.

2. For Ed's through ball , around the 15th minute I think, the
one Sterling botched, I'd at least back Kun to control it and
get some sort of a shot away.

3. Gundo is not a DM ; we've tried him there in the past and
he wasn't that good at it. Much more effective and more goal
threat in a more advanced role. Absolutely no sense or logic
in Pep's choice. As with Kun, it's (probably) Fernandinho's last
game for us , and for what he's given us over the years , he
deserves to start. Would he have prevented the goal ? He would
have certainly played a part in closing the gaps down and making
it a lot harder for Havertz to get his shot away. Also , he would have
given our attacking echelon much more confidence, to the degree that
Chelsea would have been under more pressure and possibly unable to
create Havertz's chance in the first place.

4. Mahrez produced buggerall in the 1st half ; why not Ferran for him in the 2nd ?
Or Gabby for that matter ?

I think this season, we've season Peak Pep, and I think after Saturdays
fiasco, the writing is on the wall for him. Very faint writing at the moment,
but its there, nonetheless. The Sheikh & Khaldoon are no mugs , and they
brought Pep here to win a specific pot . He's shown by his brainstorms
that he just ISN'T the guy to do that, and probably never will be . Saturday
was his best chance to win it since his Barca days , and he botched it again.
I think it's the beginning of a downward trajectory ; in ten years we'll be seeing him
in the same light we see Mourinho now.

Succession planning will have commenced , and candidate identification will be in progress.
I'm not saying he's going to get the flick just yet - these guys don't work like Roman.
I think disappointment with the way things went will be registered at his end of season
review ; there may be increased levels of scrutiny and reservation applied to any
signings he wishes to acquire ; it'll be made clear - in subtle ways - that he hasn't
got a blank canvas, and he isn't a protected species any longer, and that certain expectation
levels will apply from now on. Pep's got a lot of credit with the owners and the fans - but
he blew a fair wad of it on Saturday.

I think they'll give him next season - to monitor his results alongside those of potential successors
- and then we'll see. I won't be suprised if it's "Muchas Gracias y Adios" at the end of his contract.

Excellent post and well reasoned summary. And I think you aren't far off the money regarding Peps tenure

[PeterParker]

1. No DM implies a commitment to attack ; therefore
WHY is our leading scorer, who just returned to the team
on the f* bench ? It's the last game of his career with us,
he deserves to start for that alone, plus he's match fit and confident,
with 3 goals in 3 apps !!
Bloody shabby decision both to Kun and the team . Omitting
Kun and having Harry in some sort of vague "false 9" role
left us with no-one making runs behind their defence and
very little goal threat, as we saw.

2. For Ed's through ball , around the 15th minute I think, the
one Sterling botched, I'd at least back Kun to control it and
get some sort of a shot away.

3. Gundo is not a DM ; we've tried him there in the past and
he wasn't that good at it. Much more effective and more goal
threat in a more advanced role. Absolutely no sense or logic
in Pep's choice. As with Kun, it's (probably) Fernandinho's last
game for us , and for what he's given us over the years , he
deserves to start. Would he have prevented the goal ? He would
have certainly played a part in closing the gaps down and making
it a lot harder for Havertz to get his shot away. Also , he would have
given our attacking echelon much more confidence, to the degree that
Chelsea would have been under more pressure and possibly unable to
create Havertz's chance in the first place.

4. Mahrez produced buggerall in the 1st half ; why not Ferran for him in the 2nd ?
Or Gabby for that matter ?

I think this season, we've season Peak Pep, and I think after Saturdays
fiasco, the writing is on the wall for him. Very faint writing at the moment,
but its there, nonetheless. The Sheikh & Khaldoon are no mugs , and they
brought Pep here to win a specific pot . He's shown by his brainstorms
that he just ISN'T the guy to do that, and probably never will be . Saturday
was his best chance to win it since his Barca days , and he botched it again.
I think it's the beginning of a downward trajectory ; in ten years we'll be seeing him
in the same light we see Mourinho now.

Succession planning will have commenced , and candidate identification will be in progress.
I'm not saying he's going to get the flick just yet - these guys don't work like Roman.
I think disappointment with the way things went will be registered at his end of season
review ; there may be increased levels of scrutiny and reservation applied to any
signings he wishes to acquire ; it'll be made clear - in subtle ways - that he hasn't
got a blank canvas, and he isn't a protected species any longer, and that certain expectation
levels will apply from now on. Pep's got a lot of credit with the owners and the fans - but
he blew a fair wad of it on Saturday.

I think they'll give him next season - to monitor his results alongside those of potential successors
- and then we'll see. I won't be suprised if it's "Muchas Gracias y Adios" at the end of his contract.

Excellent post and well reasoned summary. And I think you aren't far off the money regarding Peps tenure

Just want to add something there. Did Lahoz affect his team decision?
I've never heard a coach plan his tactics based on the ref.

[Outcast]

1. No DM implies a commitment to attack ; therefore
WHY is our leading scorer, who just returned to the team
on the f* bench ? It's the last game of his career with us,
he deserves to start for that alone, plus he's match fit and confident,
with 3 goals in 3 apps !!
Bloody shabby decision both to Kun and the team . Omitting
Kun and having Harry in some sort of vague "false 9" role
left us with no-one making runs behind their defence and
very little goal threat, as we saw.

2. For Ed's through ball , around the 15th minute I think, the
one Sterling botched, I'd at least back Kun to control it and
get some sort of a shot away.

3. Gundo is not a DM ; we've tried him there in the past and
he wasn't that good at it. Much more effective and more goal
threat in a more advanced role. Absolutely no sense or logic
in Pep's choice. As with Kun, it's (probably) Fernandinho's last
game for us , and for what he's given us over the years , he
deserves to start. Would he have prevented the goal ? He would
have certainly played a part in closing the gaps down and making
it a lot harder for Havertz to get his shot away. Also , he would have
given our attacking echelon much more confidence, to the degree that
Chelsea would have been under more pressure and possibly unable to
create Havertz's chance in the first place.

4. Mahrez produced buggerall in the 1st half ; why not Ferran for him in the 2nd ?
Or Gabby for that matter ?

I think this season, we've season Peak Pep, and I think after Saturdays
fiasco, the writing is on the wall for him. Very faint writing at the moment,
but its there, nonetheless. The Sheikh & Khaldoon are no mugs , and they
brought Pep here to win a specific pot . He's shown by his brainstorms
that he just ISN'T the guy to do that, and probably never will be . Saturday
was his best chance to win it since his Barca days , and he botched it again.
I think it's the beginning of a downward trajectory ; in ten years we'll be seeing him
in the same light we see Mourinho now.

Succession planning will have commenced , and candidate identification will be in progress.
I'm not saying he's going to get the flick just yet - these guys don't work like Roman.
I think disappointment with the way things went will be registered at his end of season
review ; there may be increased levels of scrutiny and reservation applied to any
signings he wishes to acquire ; it'll be made clear - in subtle ways - that he hasn't
got a blank canvas, and he isn't a protected species any longer, and that certain expectation
levels will apply from now on. Pep's got a lot of credit with the owners and the fans - but
he blew a fair wad of it on Saturday.

I think they'll give him next season - to monitor his results alongside those of potential successors
- and then we'll see. I won't be suprised if it's "Muchas Gracias y Adios" at the end of his contract.

I wouldn't play Aguero out of sentiment, he's alway been a thorn for Chelsea, he looked sharp against Everton, I genuinely feel he would have made the difference, their defence wouldn't be able to handle him for 90 min, he would have caused havoc and opened spaces for others.