Pep Guardiola confirmed move to Bayern

Turtwig

smileyj1987 wrote: »

You could argue Imbrahovic was a decent signing 16 goals in 29 games . David Villa has 28 in 62 games . So he did sign two fairly ok strikers but Imbrahimovic might go down as failure over price and the fact he lasted one season .

Jesus! How could I forget Villa? He was probably one of Pep's best signings. I know he's struggling to regain fitness now, but in the first half of the 2010/2011 season in particular he was absolutely lethal.

Andersonisgod

happydayz182 wrote: »

Ya he has a good base and the team isnt exactly strugglin this year which has me thinking..has Pep ever actually made a good signing? Alves is the only one that comes to mind

Meanwhile Villa, Mascherano, Keita, Adriano and Piqué are all scratching their head.

inforfun

Rekop dog wrote: »

I see Frank Rijkaard was sacked as Saudi Arabia manager today, remember when he was linked to all the top jobs after his time at Barca...

Prime example that it doesnt really matter who you put in as a manager at Barca.
So he won titles with Barca.

Now the rest of his "palmares":
Underperformed with Holland in Euro2000 (disastrous subs in the 1/2 final vs Italy)
Got Sparta Rotterdam relegated for the 1st time in their history and they have so far not recovered from that.
Now SA boots him out after finishing 3rd in a group with Australia, Oman and Thailand which meant being out of the WC2014.

As for Guardiola. One of the best if not the best choice he could make. Wouldnt get the time to built at any English club bar maybe Arsenal.
Bayern is one of the very few top teams in Europe where the owner(s) and/or board of directors are not complete idiots.

In Summary. Pep is overrated and Barcelona don't actually need a manager!

gimmick

Courtesy Flush wrote: »

Barcalona havent exactly missed him. Maybe hes not as great as everyone thinks , we shall see

Reason being is he put structures and a phjilosophy in place. Vilanova was with him every step of the way as well, so the transition has been very smooth. Tito has made some very small changes, tweaks even, to Peps winning formula. So far so good.

happydayz182 wrote: »

Ya he has a good base and the team isnt exactly strugglin this year which has me thinking..has Pep ever actually made a good signing? Alves is the only one that comes to mind

And he didn't actually sign Alves. Alves was signed before Pep was confirmed (publicly at least). But I am Mascherano plus all the others mentioned like Adriano and Villa etc show his signings have been more hit than miss. The big misses being Chrygnsky and Ibra (despite his decent scoring return. Hleb was not signed by Pep IIRC.

happydayz182 wrote: »

Ya but thats 60 million euro plus Eto'o and 30 million so they would have to be have some sort of goal return. Ibra didnt fit and Villa isnt in the side anymore. It'l be interesting to see how is in the transfer market because hes never really had to use it before .

The price was Laportas fault, not Peps. Villa, as you may have heard, had a career threatening leg break 13 months ago. He is being used as a squad player at the moment as he is most likely not 100% match fit at yet.

rarnes1 wrote: »

In Summary. Pep is overrated and Barcelona don't actually need a manager!

Haha. Yup. Thats basically it

Peps brief will be rather basic at Munich - win the CL.

Interesting to see will he have patience with Robben who is, imo, the most frustrating player I have ever watched.

inforfun wrote: »

Prime example that it doesnt really matter who you put in as a manager at Barca.
So he won titles with Barca.

Now the rest of his "palmares":
Underperformed with Holland in Euro2000 (disastrous subs in the 1/2 final vs Italy)
Got Sparta Rotterdam relegated for the 1st time in their history and they have so far not recovered from that.
Now SA boots him out after finishing 3rd in a group with Australia, Oman and Thailand which meant being out of the WC2014.

Do you know the shambles Barca were in when Rijkaard took over? You realise he was almost sacked on a number of occassions, but it was the time he was given to get it right that made him a success. Sure, he lost the run of it at the end, but he did a job not many would have been able to do.

And I am not sure which manager can make sure his team dont miss a hatful of penalties in a match in reference to the Euro2000 semi with Italy. Holland bottled that match, plain and simple. Rijkaard was very much a rookie at the time as well, let that not be forgotten.

Corvo

gimmick wrote: »

Reason being is he put structures and a phjilosophy in place. Vilanova was with him every step of the way as well, so the transition has been very smooth. Tito has made some very small changes, tweaks even, to Peps winning formula. So far so good.



And he didn't actually sign Alves. Alves was signed before Pep was confirmed (publicly at least). But I am Mascherano plus all the others mentioned like Adriano and Villa etc show his signings have been more hit than miss. The big misses being Chrygnsky and Ibra (despite his decent scoring return. Hleb was not signed by Pep IIRC.



The price was Laportas fault, not Peps. Villa, as you may have heard, had a career threatening leg break 13 months ago. He is being used as a squad player at the moment as he is most likely not 100% match fit at yet.



Haha. Yup. Thats basically it

Peps brief will be rather basic at Munich - win the CL.

Interesting to see will he have patience with Robben who is, imo, the most frustrating player I have ever watched.



Do you know the shambles Barca were in when Rijkaard took over? You realise he was almost sacked on a number of occassions, but it was the time he was given to get it right that made him a success. Sure, he lost the run of it at the end, but he did a job not many would have been able to do.

And I am not sure which manager can make sure his team dont miss a hatful of penalties in a match in reference to the Euro2000 semi with Italy. Holland bottled that match, plain and simple. Rijkaard was very much a rookie at the time as well, let that not be forgotten.

Take a bow son, take a bow.

Rubber_Soul

gimmick wrote: »

Reason being is he put structures and a phjilosophy in place.

Just curious, but what were these structures and philosophies he put in place? If you mean the philosophy behind their tiki-taka football then surely the majority of the credit has to go to Johan Cruyff who introduced it to the club and revolutionised their academy based on the Ajax model?

Corvo

StarshipPooper wrote: »

Just curious, but what were these structures and philosophies he put in place? If you mean the philosophy behind their tiki-taka football then surely the majority of the credit has to go to Johan Cruyff who introduced it to the club and revolutionised their academy based on the Ajax model?

True, but their pressuring of the ball (which plays a huge part in their success) was definitely perfected during Guardiola's reign

DoctorGonzo08

Griffin1988 wrote: »

True, but their pressuring of the ball (which plays a huge part in their success) was definitely perfected during Guardiola's reign

Is that aspect of their game not more attributed to Del Bosque and the national setup?

dfx-

Jernal wrote: »

I think the ballsiest thing Guardiola did when he started at Barca was let Messi go play in the Olympics when Barca were playing in the Champions League Qualifiers. The club, iirc, had won a court case that prohibited Messi from going, Guardiola was then appointed into his position and gave the fingers to everybody and said Messi could go.

Wasn't it Messi himself who brought that court case? It's a very interesting point for those who say the Olympics isn't considered the top of the game that the best player of the era wanted that medal ahead of the CL.

I think the ballsiest thing he did at Barcelona was get rid of Yaya Toure and investing his faith and trusting his judgment in Busquets.

Zebra3

Griffin1988 wrote: »

If he does want to manage in England he is surely looking at United.

On what basis do you make that claim?

Corvo

Zebra3 wrote: »

On what basis do you make that claim?

In that if he wanted to manage in England, both the Chelsea and City jobs are up for grabs.

Could be Arsenal of course.

Or Liverpool

Davaeo09

DoctorGonzo08 wrote: »

Is that aspect of their game not more attributed to Del Bosque and the national setup?

No, Del Bosque owe's allot of his success to this Barca side to be fair, it would be unfair of Barca to claim that there national team coach who seems them for a tiny fraction when compared to the club staff they encounter on a daily basis, influenced there play style more, if at all.

jacool

rarnes1 wrote: »

In Summary. Pep is overrated and Barcelona don't actually need a manager!

Agreed.
So over-rated that Manchester United, Manchester City, Chelsea and Bayern Munchen (among others) were all interested in signing him.
The first named club will be ready in 2016 again I'd say to take on this completely "lucky" manager

Davaeo09

dfx- wrote: »

I think the ballsiest thing he did at Barcelona was get rid of Yaya Toure and investing his faith and trusting his judgment in Busquets.

That was hardly a last minute decision though, lets not forget Pep coached the guy at Barca B.

Rubber_Soul

Griffin1988 wrote: »

True, but their pressuring of the ball (which plays a huge part in their success) was definitely perfected during Guardiola's reign

Absolutely, Im not trying to deny his achievements or his ability as I think he's a fantastic manager but people speak about him as though he revolutionised Barca from top to bottom, when the truth was that the structure was already in place.

Corvo

StarshipPooper wrote: »

Absolutely, Im not trying to deny his achievements or his ability as I think he's a fantastic manager but people speak about him as though he revolutionised Barca from top to bottom, when the truth was that the structure was already in place.

Evolution instead of Revolution

gimmick

StarshipPooper wrote: »

Just curious, but what were these structures and philosophies he put in place? If you mean the philosophy behind their tiki-taka football then surely the majority of the credit has to go to Johan Cruyff who introduced it to the club and revolutionised their academy based on the Ajax model?

Indeed Cruyff implemented a long term plan, but it was Pep who truly made it work. Look at the previous managers - there were not too many La Masia players there. Under Guardiola he brought through 25 players to varying levels of success (I am including Pique and Fabregas here, so feel free to say 23). He showed that the structure within the club was good enough to both challenge and succeed.

As mentioned, the pressing and his 6 second rule where parts of Peps influence. Barca defended in their opponents box at times pushing the defence into mistakes and then scoring goals. You see a Barca player lose the ball, and the opponent is descended on like a bunch of rabid dogs would a flailing sheep, get the ball back ans score.

Pep implemented some serious discipline into the squad. It is reckoned Messi could very easily have gone the way of Deco and Ronaldinho as he was quite close to both. Pep got rid of them as more or less his first acted. Ballsy. Eto'o and Ibra also fell foul of Peps ruthless streak.

DoctorGonzo08

Griffin1988 wrote: »

In that if he wanted to manage in England, both the Chelsea and City jobs are up for grabs.

Could be Arsenal of course.

Or Liverpool

??? What are you on about? Benetiz has just taken over at Chelsea, with the exception of nonesense rumours Mancini and Wenger are in no threat of losing their jobs, and neither is Rodgers for that matter. If he wanted a move to England, he would either have to wait for a vacancy or look further down the table.

Davaeo09 wrote: »

No, Del Bosque owe's allot of his success to this Barca side to be fair, it would be unfair of Barca to claim that there national team coach who seems them for a tiny fraction when compared to the club staff they encounter on a daily basis, influenced there play style more, if at all.

We're talking about the philosophy. I was always under the impression that that style was introduced by Del Bosque and taken on by Barca as a result.

I think there is far too extreme beliefs on Pep on either side. I think after a year at Munich you will see it settles somewhere in the middle.

inforfun

gimmick wrote: »

Do you know the shambles Barca were in when Rijkaard took over? You realise he was almost sacked on a number of occassions, but it was the time he was given to get it right that made him a success. Sure, he lost the run of it at the end, but he did a job not many would have been able to do.

And I am not sure which manager can make sure his team dont miss a hatful of penalties in a match in reference to the Euro2000 semi with Italy. Holland bottled that match, plain and simple. Rijkaard was very much a rookie at the time as well, let that not be forgotten.

Yes i know, Rijkaard was not more than Johan Cruijff's sockpuppet.


Well, if you are 0-0 against 10 of Italy have missed 2 penalties in the match you dont want to go to penalties.
So who will you bring on the pitch to force a 1-0? Aaron winter or Pierre van Hooijdonk?
Rijkaard chose his pal Winter.

I really liked Rijkaard as a player and even as a person despite him being an Ajax player but he hasnt a clue when it comes to managing.

But this about Guardiola. If anything, it will bring more attention to the Bundesliga, attention it deserves.

gimmick

As I said, Rijkaard was a rookie during Euro 2000. It would be like judging Sam Allardyce on his period at Limerick.

Anyway, you are right. Back OT

I wonder with this early announcement will Pep be working behind the scenes in preparation for taking over? Like will he be asking Heynkes to try things certain ways once the league is wrapped up etc to prep the players for his own style come July.

pickarooney

inforfun wrote: »

Prime example that it doesnt really matter who you put in as a manager at Barca.

It's a prime example that it doesn't really matter who you put in charge as manager of Saudi Arabia.

Corvo

DoctorGonzo08 wrote: »

??? What are you on about? Benetiz has just taken over at Chelsea, with the exception of nonesense rumours Mancini and Wenger are in no threat of losing their jobs, and neither is Rodgers for that matter. If he wanted a move to England, he would either have to wait for a vacancy or look further down the table.

Hold on. It was widely reported that Roman Ambramovich saw Pep Guardiola as his number one managerial target. He was invited ionto his private yacht to trash out a deal long before Villas-Boas was appointed, but when this failed he turned to the Portuguese manager.

The whole reason that Benitez was appointed was as a stop-gap while Ambramovich waited on Guardiola made a decision. What he probably didn't predict was that he would sign a contract mid-season with someone. Again, it was widely reported that Guardiola would make a decision in the summer, not Christmas time.

And are you trying to tell me that if Guardiola's agent - Maria Orobitg, actually apporached either Chelsea or Manchester City, they wouldn't take him in a shot? One of the most sought after managers in world football and they would turn around and say "Oi, Pep, hold on to the summer. Benitez might just come good here"

Arsenal or Man United may be fancied because they are the sort of club that Guardiola obviously finds attractive (strong structure, good youth academies, a patient boardroom etc.). As I said, if he wanted to manage in England (which he has been quoted as saying various times) then why wouldn't he just join Chelsea? He must have his eye on another job.

I mentioned Liverpool in jest. Sam Allardyce would probably turn that lot down at this stage.

smileyj1987

Griffin1988 wrote: »

Arsenal or Man United may be fancied because they are the sort of club that Guardiola obviously finds attractive (strong structure, good youth academies, a patient boardroom etc.). As I said, if he wanted to manage in England (which he has been quoted as saying various times) then why wouldn't he just join Chelsea? He must have his eye on another job.

I mentioned Liverpool in jest. Sam Allardyce would probably turn that lot down at this stage.

The bit in bold applies to Liverpool more then any club in the league right now . Liverpool have the best acamdemy in the EPL right now , even Guardiola admitted during a radio interview that it's the second best in the world behind La Masia . Thats because two of his good friends Borrell and Segura came in and sorted out our academy .
Strong Structure we have very little debt and have decided to ship out the dead wood to save on wages . We have also got alot more partners on board to sponsor us so its becoming better each day and our Managing director is great in this area .
Patient boardroom ours don't seem to meddle at all in club affairs and only seem to do it when it is time to act .

Red Crow

smileyj1987 wrote: »

The bit in bold applies to Liverpool more then any club in the league right now . Liverpool have the best acamdemy in the EPL right now , even Guardiola admitted during a radio interview that it's the second best in the world behind La Masia . Thats because two of his good friends Borrell and Segura came in and sorted out our academy .
Strong Structure we have very little debt and have decided to ship out the dead wood to save on wages . We have also got alot more partners on board to sponsor us so its becoming better each day and our Managing director is great in this area .
Patient boardroom ours don't seem to meddle at all in club affairs and only seem to do it when it is time to act .

How do Liverpool have the best academy in the Premier League right now? What players have they produced? In the past 15 years I can only think of Gerrard and Kelly who have made more than 50 appearances for the club. Even from the current crop you couldn't call Suso or Sterling as Liverpool developed talent.

I wouldn't particularly rate any academy in the UK in comparison to Barcelona because Barca soak up such a vast area that they don't have competition to sign young talent. Whereas there are far more football clubs in the UK than Spain so it makes it hard to have a good academy.

I'm not really sure about the whole relevance of this at all.

smileyj1987

Eli Manning wrote: »

How do Liverpool have the best academy in the Premier League right now? What players have they produced? In the past 15 years I can only think of Gerrard and Kelly who have made more than 50 appearances for the club. Even from the current crop you couldn't call Suso or Sterling as Liverpool developed talent.

I wouldn't particularly rate any academy in the UK in comparison to Barcelona because Barca soak up such a vast area that they don't have competition to sign young talent. Whereas there are far more football clubs in the UK than Spain so it makes it hard to have a good academy.

I'm not really sure about the whole relevance of this at all.

It was brough up by somebody that seemed to try and say we had no chance of ever having guardiola as our manager that he would only view united or arsenal as suitable clubs .

What about Carragher and Owen they where also graduates .

Well as it stands right now we have had more players in the last 2 years that have started for the first team then any other club in the EPL . I would class Sterling as our graduate who's to say he wouldn't have pulled a micheal johnson if he had of stayed at QPR . We took a risk but it looks like it will pay off .
Right now we seem to be churning out players at high rate and a few of them look like they could go on to be great players .
The thing that has helped achieved this is the fact we play in the next gen tournament and it gives the players the chance to play against academies through out Europe .

Zico

Bayern are fairly trigger happy with their managers too. Not an easy job by any means.

DoctorGonzo08

Griffin1988 wrote: »

Hold on. It was widely reported that Roman Ambramovich saw Pep Guardiola as his number one managerial target. He was invited ionto his private yacht to trash out a deal long before Villas-Boas was appointed, but when this failed he turned to the Portuguese manager.

The whole reason that Benitez was appointed was as a stop-gap while Ambramovich waited on Guardiola made a decision. What he probably didn't predict was that he would sign a contract mid-season with someone. Again, it was widely reported that Guardiola would make a decision in the summer, not Christmas time.

And are you trying to tell me that if Guardiola's agent - Maria Orobitg, actually apporached either Chelsea or Manchester City, they wouldn't take him in a shot? One of the most sought after managers in world football and they would turn around and say "Oi, Pep, hold on to the summer. Benitez might just come good here"

Arsenal or Man United may be fancied because they are the sort of club that Guardiola obviously finds attractive (strong structure, good youth academies, a patient boardroom etc.). As I said, if he wanted to manage in England (which he has been quoted as saying various times) then why wouldn't he just join Chelsea? He must have his eye on another job.

I mentioned Liverpool in jest. Sam Allardyce would probably turn that lot down at this stage.

The first two paragraphs are solely based on media outlets such as the Daily Mail, so I would take it with a pinch of salt.

As for City, his agent approached them and also had a press release that Pep would only go to Man City and he would wait till offered. Trying to incite an approach which never happened.

What have Utd or Arsenal produced in the last number of years that puts them so far ahead of the rest of the leagues academies?

And you finish up your argument with a dig at Liverpool? That's really clever. IMO opinion Pep would offer nothing to the clubs you've mentioned at this stage. Ferguson and Wegner are a no brainer why it would be a huge risk and step backwards. Benitez and Mancini have both proven themselves to be good managers with their success at different clubs, and Rodgers I think is doing quite a good job in turning round a former sinking ship.

Pep has a list of trophies under him from Barca with several arguments against him. He inherited Rijkaards team, Madrid were in restructure, He had some of the worlds greatest players come through the academy at the one time. Be they true or not they are questions. He had to move somewhere else to build his reputation, but because of his success he can't go backwards. I think Munich is the perfect move for him to try and prove he is a great manager. I think if he had tried to go to England, it would finish him. And I'm pretty sure he knew that too.

Andersonisgod

DoctorGonzo08 wrote: »

The first two paragraphs are solely based on media outlets such as the Daily Mail, so I would take it with a pinch of salt.

As for City, his agent approached them and also had a press release that Pep would only go to Man City and he would wait till offered. Trying to incite an approach which never happened.

What have Utd or Arsenal produced in the last number of years that puts them so far ahead of the rest of the leagues academies?

And you finish up your argument with a dig at Liverpool? That's really clever. IMO opinion Pep would offer nothing to the clubs you've mentioned at this stage. Ferguson and Wegner are a no brainer why it would be a huge risk and step backwards. Benitez and Mancini have both proven themselves to be good managers with their success at different clubs, and Rodgers I think is doing quite a good job in turning round a former sinking ship.

Pep has a list of trophies under him from Barca with several arguments against him. He inherited Rijkaards team, Madrid were in restructure, He had some of the worlds greatest players come through the academy at the one time. Be they true or not they are questions. He had to move somewhere else to build his reputation, but because of his success he can't go backwards. I think Munich is the perfect move for him to try and prove he is a great manager. I think if he had tried to go to England, it would finish him. And I'm pretty sure he knew that too.

Let's ignore the obvious. He inherited a team in rapid decline. He immediately shipped out the negative influences (very brave moves). He got all of his squad onside straight away with his philosophy. Xavi and Iniesta had laboured for a while under Rijkaard while Messi was being corrupted by the playboy lifestyle of Ronaldinho and Deco, while today you see 3 of the greatest players of their generation before Pep that didn't look like it would happen. You do realise that under Manuel Pellegrini Madrid achieved their highest total number of La Liga points ever, only to still be beaten by Guardiola's Barcelona. Who was Busquets before Pep? Who was Pedro before Pep, infact Barcelona were willing to sell Pedro before Pep intervened. Pique is now one of the great centre backs in world football, before Pep he was a Man Utd reserve. This isn't to mention the likes of Thiago, Tello, Montoya, Cuenca ect. Who we all gave a chance to. Please remember that not every Barcelona manager has used the La Masia academy to even half the effect that Pep has.

I think Germany is the perfect move for him too. A less intrusive media, a football culture that is more technical, a league in which tactics play a greater role than in the hustle and bustle of the Premier League. He inherits a hugely talented team but with a core of players that have failed to win the big prizes, they failed at the European Championships, they failed at the World Cup and they bottled it in two Champions League finals. Pep arrives in Munich a born winner, a proven champion, if anyone can turn around the fortunes of this Bayern Munich side it is Pep Guardiola.

DoctorGonzo08

Andersonisgod wrote: »

Let's ignore the obvious. He inherited a team in rapid decline. He immediately shipped out the negative influences (very brave moves). He got all of his squad onside straight away with his philosophy. Xavi and Iniesta had laboured for a while under Rijkaard while Messi was being corrupted by the playboy lifestyle of Ronaldinho and Deco, while today you see 3 of the greatest players of their generation before Pep that didn't look like it would happen. You do realise that under Manuel Pellegrini Madrid achieved their highest total number of La Liga points ever, only to still be beaten by Guardiola's Barcelona. Who was Busquets before Pep? Who was Pedro before Pep, infact Barcelona were willing to sell Pedro before Pep intervened. Pique is now one of the great centre backs in world football, before Pep he was a Man Utd reserve. This isn't to mention the likes of Thiago, Tello, Montoya, Cuenca ect. Who we all gave a chance to. Please remember that not every Barcelona manager has used the La Masia academy to even half the effect that Pep has.

I keep hearing this 'Philosophy' argument that Guardiola apparently invented. This is complete nonesense. The truth is the style of play was implemented by Cruyff when he came to Barca and it continued to develop under subsequent Dutch coaches Van Gaal and Rijkaard. It was during Guardiola's tenure that the most success was got out of the system, but this was after a long time of instilling a style of play from the roots of the youth teams and coaches right up to the first team. The fact is that Guardiola did nnot invent this style and immediatley reap rewards. Hence why Barca continue to play the style after Guardiola has left.

Van Gaal brought through Xavi & Inesta, Rijkaard brought through Messi, Guardiola brought through Busquets & Pedro. I'd argue that Van Gaal introduced more impact from the youth team. Before Pique was brought to Barca, he was a kid, so obviously not a Utd First Choice CB. And I don't think Pique is considered to be in the top 10 in his position.

I am not saying, like most, that Guardiola did nothing, far from it. But to say he single handedly brought the success to Barca is plain fiction. It is the result of two decades of work.

Red Crow

smileyj1987 wrote: »

It was brough up by somebody that seemed to try and say we had no chance of ever having guardiola as our manager that he would only view united or arsenal as suitable clubs .

What about Carragher and Owen they where also graduates .

Well as it stands right now we have had more players in the last 2 years that have started for the first team then any other club in the EPL . I would class Sterling as our graduate who's to say he wouldn't have pulled a micheal johnson if he had of stayed at QPR . We took a risk but it looks like it will pay off .
Right now we seem to be churning out players at high rate and a few of them look like they could go on to be great players .
The thing that has helped achieved this is the fact we play in the next gen tournament and it gives the players the chance to play against academies through out Europe .

You aren't churning out anyone. You can't sign a player and throw him through your academy for a year or so and then claim him as a product of the academy. Liverpool paid half a million for him upfront.

Sorry but your delusional if you think the Liverpool academy is the top in the UK.

smileyj1987

Eli Manning wrote: »

You aren't churning out anyone. You can't sign a player and throw him through your academy for a year or so and then claim him as a product of the academy. Liverpool paid half a million for him upfront.

Sorry but your delusional if you think the Liverpool academy is the top in the UK.

He signed in 2010 and we did pay a half million up up front . but he has spent over 2 year in our academy so we did have a big say in moulding him as a player .

Would you hold Guardiola in high regard ? This is his opinion of the LFC academy

Pep Guardiola declaro "la academia del Liverpool es la unica que puede competirle a "La Masia" del Barcelona FC."

Translated :
the Liverpool Academy is the only one that can compete against 'La Masia' of Barcelona FC

Red Crow

I'm not disputing what Pep said but Its been a golden generation of talent in Spain for the past couple of years with some great players coming through a lot of their academies. My point is that Barcelona engulfs such a huge stream of youth in Spain it's no surprise that they have had huge success. They are the biggest club for hundreds of miles in that region and the spread of talent they have available to them allows them to cherry pick youth sides at a very young level.

Barcelona's receipe for success is no mystery. The fact is that no academy in England can compete with that and certainly Liverpool's academy isn't anywhere near that standard and certainly isn't the best in the UK. It's also hardly surprising that Pep backed up the work of two of his friends. It's not as if Pep knows or has experienced it.

Gbear

Eli Manning wrote: »

I'm not disputing what Pep said but Its been a golden generation of talent in Spain for the past couple of years with some great players coming through a lot of their academies. My point is that Barcelona engulfs such a huge stream of youth in Spain it's no surprise that they have had huge success. They are the biggest club for hundreds of miles in that region and the spread of talent they have available to them allows them to cherry pick youth sides at a very young level.

Barcelona's receipe for success is no mystery. The fact is that no academy in England can compete with that and certainly Liverpool's academy isn't anywhere near that standard and certainly isn't the best in the UK. It's also hardly surprising that Pep backed up the work of two of his friends. It's not as if Pep knows or has experienced it.

The seeds fo La Masia were truly sown nearly 20 years ago. What we're seeing at Liverpool is the very start of that process.

If Pep is speaking glowingly about it then that's because he thinks it correct at a structural level. He'd obviously say that because he's probably buddies with the coaches and it was built to mirror Barca's but there's more than an element of truth to it.

It's completely irrelevant how many players an academy produces in a short space of time. What's important is that it has the structure to produce in the long term, even if it won't come to full fruition for 20 years.

I think this is a great move for Pep. The Bundesliga is the 3rd biggest league in the world and it looks like it's only going to get better.
There was some mention on the Guardian's Football Weekly podcast yesterday that Bayern have cash reserves of €270m. If Pep gets someone like Neymar to come to Bayern then that could be huge for the Bundesliga as a whole.

As the Spanish league goes down the toilet in the next few years the German league could well step into the place vacated by it.

Pro. F

DoctorGonzo08 wrote: »

I keep hearing this 'Philosophy' argument that Guardiola apparently invented. This is complete nonesense. The truth is the style of play was implemented by Cruyff when he came to Barca and it continued to develop under subsequent Dutch coaches Van Gaal and Rijkaard. It was during Guardiola's tenure that the most success was got out of the system, but this was after a long time of instilling a style of play from the roots of the youth teams and coaches right up to the first team. The fact is that Guardiola did nnot invent this style and immediatley reap rewards. Hence why Barca continue to play the style after Guardiola has left.

Van Gaal brought through Xavi & Inesta, Rijkaard brought through Messi, Guardiola brought through Busquets & Pedro. I'd argue that Van Gaal introduced more impact from the youth team. Before Pique was brought to Barca, he was a kid, so obviously not a Utd First Choice CB. And I don't think Pique is considered to be in the top 10 in his position.

I am not saying, like most, that Guardiola did nothing, far from it. But to say he single handedly brought the success to Barca is plain fiction. It is the result of two decades of work.

Rijkaard's Barca team's style was nothing like the high pressing, quality possession style that Pep brought to the team. I agree with you that Pep didn't invent the style and that the roots had been laid by Cryuff and Van Gaal first, but Pep definitely changed the first team's style of play dramatically when he became manager.