Pep Guardiola ‘spiralling’ like Drake after rap battle with Klopp?
It’s not often Pep Guardiola is compared with a rap artist, but there are parallels between the Man City boss and Drake…
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Could Pep be football’s Drake?
To those with little or no interest in the world of rap music, bare with me. It’ll all come back to footy in a bit.
Earlier this year, one of the biggest (possibly the biggest) rap battles took place between two of the biggest artists in the genre. In one corner, representing the U.S.A, was 5’7 Kendrick Lamar. In the other corner, representing Canada, was 6’1 Drake. After some incredible back and forth flurries, Kendick Lamar came out victorious and is the current reigning king of rap.
Because Drake has had such a spectacular run over the last 15 years, most experts say all he needs to do is drop some great material and he’ll be alright again. Except, since losing the battle, Drake has dropped up to 20 tracks and none of them have done the numbers he usually does. Some of them have been good, but most of them have been trash. It’s looking like Drake will no longer be the dominant entity he once was in the genre.
I say all that to say this: I keep hearing pundits and experts say because Pep Guardiola has been so dominant and because he’s so talented, he’s guaranteed to get things back on track again at Man City. The truth is, he really might not.
It’s possible that experts are underestimating the psychological toll that having the bottom pulled out from under you so suddenly can take. When you start to question yourself and nothing seems to be working, it might just be a wrap (pun sort of intended). That’s not to say Pep has suddenly lost his ability to take a team to championship titles again. But it’s possible he won’t be able to take THIS team to another championship title again. Like how Drake could find success in another genre, just not in rap.
Another thing to consider is this: how many times have we seen a manager coaching a top level team turn things around when things have gotten this bad. Rafa at Pool, Wenger at where else, Klopp at Dortmund, Mourinho’s second stint at Chelsea, Rodgers at Pool, and countless managers at top level clubs across Europe—all could not turn things around after such terrible slumps. And this is one of the worst slumps because it’s so sudden, which might add other negative, irreparable dynamics to the situation.
Having said that, if I had to place a bet, I’d put money on Pep turning things around. But I’d still be nervous because I just don’t buy this narrative that he definitely will. Especially if he starts spiralling like Drake has (if you haven’t seen the clip of Pep’s security having to stop him from fighting a Liverpool fan, do yourself a favour).
Seyi, LFC
READ: Pep Guardiola, Ruben Dias embarrassed as Juventus prey on rudderless Man City
…I’m starting to think Klopp announcing his retirement was the ultimate 4D chess move. It planted the seed of doubt into Pep’s head: “Is it really worth the heartache to rebuild the team?”
Why not have a little sabbatical and then take up a cushy director of strategy gig in the City Group?
Once the seed is planted, the roots take hold, and you watch Jurgen living his best Red Bull fuelled life, it is very hard to ignore…
Thanks Jurgen, best going away gift ever!
Kieran Malone (Insert witty comment)
What’s going on?
Sure I’m not the only one to have thought this but could the City decline be down to the players/manager finding out something regarding the charges being brought against them? A lot of them simply seemed not to care tonight and Guardiola is acting stranger than usual. Or is it that the players resent being known as Rodri FC?
Stu AFC Illinois
Pulling the ladder up
Spurs are trying really hard to win this season’s “not a serious club” trophy but Man City and Man Utd have seemingly noticed and decided they’re not even going to let them win that.
Ian
House call from Dr City?
So you are all aware of Dr Tottenham and his legendary ability to help those in need. Well, a new dashing Dr has joined the practice – Dr City.
Last night he conducted a house call for an Old Lady. She has not been herself recently but after this visit from Dr City she feels on top of the world again.
This is a busy time of the year for the good doctors and Dr City has an out of hours appointment on Sunday with a close neighbour but not sure even Dr City can help this very troubled patient.
Aido ((Dr) Kildare, Ireland
Hoodwinked by the Champions League
Over the last few rounds of the Champions League, I’ve increasingly been hearing/reading that people ‘like’ the new format. My prediction is that the pendulum will now be sharply swinging back in the opposite direction, when the same people realize they’ve been hoodwinked.
Teams have now each played 6 games. As a reminder, this is how many matches it used to take to decide who would qualify from 4 team groups. And funnily enough, as it happens, 6 games has also been enough to clearly show us which 26 teams have any realistic chance of qualifying: only PSG and Stuttgart have a realistic chance of breaking into the top 24.
This means that we are about to watch two additional rounds of CL fixtures in January, for no reason whatsoever, other than to determine which teams will need to play in an additional round-of-not-quite-32 in February, prior to finally reaching the round of 16.
Putting all teams in a single table is not the problem. This part has been a breath of fresh air. Not playing the same 3 teams home-and-away is great. But having 8 group stage games is a waste of time. And sure, the additional playoff round will likely feature at least a few interesting fixtures, but it will also be full of lopsided blowouts.
The obvious solution would be to keep the good (single table) while getting rid of the bad (2 extra group stage matches, possibly also the playoff round). That will never happen because bloating the competition with additional fixtures, to generate additional revenue, was the entire point of the change. Like I said, hoodwinked!
Oliver (loved watching Stoke’s throw-ins, loving watching Arsenal’s corners) Dziggel, Geneva Switzerland
(Look, we hate this new format but cannot deny that PSG v Man City in January is sexy – Ed)
Spurs are just a beautiful mess
There are two lines I love from Jim (THFC) -.
‘Levy became chairman in 2001 at a time when the PL was dominated by financial juggernauts.’
The 2000/01 league finished Man Utd, Arsenal, Liverpool, Leeds and Ipswich as the Top 5. Spurs finished 12th in the interest of fairness.
Who are the financial juggernauts at this stage?
Worth noting Abramovich didn’t buy Chelsea until 2003, Shinawatra didn’t buy City until 2007 so neither of those clubs met that criteria. Ironically, City got relegated that season too.
Spurs (€-23.29m) had a higher net spend than Man United (€-1.83m), Arsenal (€-6.78m), Liverpool (€-14.40m), and Ipswich (€-5.40m) that summer.
Only Leeds (€-40.82m) met that criteria and we know full well, Leeds financial mismanagement would set them back for a generation.
Spurs weren’t crying poor that season, let’s not rewrite history. I do concede that Levy became Chairman in Feb 2001 but had been on the board since December 2000.
‘There was a financial gulf between the top 4 and the rest. While the ‘big’ clubs raked in huge windfalls from the CL and the uneven share of TV money, Spurs had well and truly missed the PL gravy train.’
Three clubs went into the Champions League that season not four. The following season Newcastle made it in. Liverpool didn’t make it the following season, so even the concept of a “Top 4” didn’t really exist. It was either United or Arsenal as Champions from 95/96 to 03/04 with a mix of 6 clubs finishing in the top 3. So maybe a Top 3 but more realistically a Top 2.
So.
Spurs fans, you have lost more in the league than you have won this season. You are both sublime and dreadful. Your fan base has talked a BIG game for years, and you’ve got a league cup since 2008 to show for it. You have delusions of grandeur but nothing to back it up.
Collectively, you are all Spursy together (from fans to the boardroom) and that is ok. Embrace the truth, don’t rewrite history to tell a different story.
You are a beautiful mess, and that’s ok. Some clubs are just a mess.
Barry (Perth)
More Saudi anger
Good grief Infantino doesn’t half boil my p*ss. What a sanctimonious pile of sh*t. They don’t even bother to try and hide the blatant rigging now, just hand over the rights to the money. F*** what made football great in the first place, we want to make it like virtual reality where we can all skip around in Giaanni’s wa*k basket of a Vision.
Yes, football for all, but that is not what FIFA are doing. They are actually taking it away from the masses and selling it to the highest bidder. Football is owned by FIFA, it is the people’s game – but what say do the people have in how it is governed? Where is the outrage? Are we now desensitised to the corruption? Was Qatar a mere ice breaker?
I can’t believe FIFA didn’t look at the joy that was the Euros in Germany and see that football is best when held in countries built by football. Not for football. The stadiums (for Saudi) look like dream scapes, yes, amazing designs but virtual, desanitised, visions that will suck any authenticity out of the game. They look like something off Zwift.
Football feels less and less like the game I loved.
Tom (‘cos no-one in my house cares!)
USA, USA
Weston McKennie scored for Juventus today against Man City; he was assisted by Timothy Weah. That’s surely the first UCL goal scored and assisted by USians. What a world, what a world.
Chris C, Toon Army DC
