Quote Originally Posted by HCZ_Reborn View Post
Having Neymar, Mbappe and Messi in your squad doesn’t mean you have the best team it means you have an expensive forward line

They don’t have any particular quality in midfield. And they dominate in the French league anyway


The two strongest teams in Europe by squad are Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Bayern have dominated the Bundesliga for years not because they’ve always had the best coach but because they have the strongest team.


A good coach can make s difference and a bad coach can be a drag factor of course. I’ve already accepted that it’s possible for a good coach to get players who shouldn’t be in the top 4 in there with Eddie Howe, but this is more of an outlier than the best teams winning things.

The argument I’ve made this season is that if Guardiola was coaching Arsenal we’d be where we are now, and if Arteta was coaching city they would be where they are now. Guardiola isn’t a tactical genius, he’s capable of the same mistakes and over reliance on one way of playing that Arteta is.
I'm not sure you watch PSG from the assertions you keep making about them, because quite often its the supporting acts that catch the eye, and people have recognised it, thats why players like Hakimi and Donnaruma ( who did not even make the WC) have both gotten into the FIFA pro 11(voted by 65k professionals evey year) and Neymar hasn't. In the last 2 years, no team has been represented more than PSG in that lineup ....but hey, lets not take awards, achievements and accolades for it, lets go with our opinions!

Anyway lets get back to these shores. You say Pep isn't a tactical genius (mootable) and over relies on sticking to the same system like Arteta...but surely their must be evidence to show that the latter is actually true?

We've played Citeh 3 times this year, twice in quick succession and recently. We setup the same way against City in both games in the league, though it could be argued he slightly tweaked it in our first meeting in the FA cup where he pulled a surprise and started Tierney instead of Zin (we all know how that affects our shape). Besides that, it's been like for like in all 3 games with pretty much the same players and his signature shape.

However Citeh did not use the same shape against us in any of the 3 games we played them. If you don't believe me please read it on the web as its just a search button away.

The closest Pep came to keeping his signature shape was in the first game, that was the only game he started and played his preferred 3 at the back. Funnily that was the only game on paper we stayed competitive (1-0 ), despite fielding a weakened side

Now, here are some links to show you how Pep specifically altered his shape to face us in the subsequent 2 games.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.the...o-beat-arsenal

https://www.sportbible.com/football/...63048-20230426

https://www.skysports.com/football/n...-man-citys-way

If you still don't believe he altered his team to face us, just look at the sides he played immediately after 2 league games (Forest and Fulham), he immediately reverts to type (and the usual personnel) plays his favoured 3-2-4-1 ( or 3-2-5 if you prefer).

Logically anyone would think its the guy with the second best squad (according to you anyway) that would be adapting to play the head honcho, but the overwhelming evidence shows its been the other way round.

And in case you are wondering why Arteta behaves this way, it seems he's of the same school of thought as you, as he clearly doesn't believe that changing tactics within a game does much, he prefers to put the onus on the players. I can't find it now, but there is a direct quote where he says he knew Citeh was going to try something different but he didn't see the need to change things around or respond as he just has to "trust in the players". A pathetic kop out IMO.

I'll edit my post once I find the quote

So in short, no, I don't believe the two managers are the same (or similar) and would achieve the same results if switched around. If I am being honest, it could go either way for anyone of them.....but if you've seen my post history, you'll know I prefer managers who aren't rigid and immediately respond to changes within a match. My preference.