Media Distrust, Flawed Systems & V*R - Weekly Thoughts

Media Fluff

Another interesting week in the history of Manchester City football club. City lose, so naturally there is talk once more of Pep possibly leaving next summer, in reputable publications too. The Athletic have talked of succession planning though I would have expected some anyway, whether Pep stays 1 or 3 years. Even football365.com consider it an open secret that he is going at the end of the season. They must have excellent sources to think that, and it is telling that Pep’s own words on the matter have been largely ignored by all and sundry.

It’s no coincidence that the talk of Pep leaving surfaces after a defeat and during a bad run. The inference is that he will leave due to failure. That sounds utter tosh to me, but what do I know? Pep had never left a club in that manner before so why now? There is just as strong an argument to suggest he would stay after failure, because he would naturally prefer to leave on a high. And it also ignores two more sensible possibilities. Firstly, I find it unlikely that he would decide to leave so far in advance. When Pep did decide to leave, I suspect it will be a decision made with fairly short notice. That’s not helpful for Txiki et al and their succession planning, but it’s still my belief. Secondly, we falsely assume that his departure will be a football decision. But surely family matters will have as big an influence as anything happening on the pitch? For the prosecution, his wife and child have returned to Spain. For the defence, his other children are settled in Manchester in a good school, and all of Pep’s vibes suggest he feels the same. But then again, if it doesn’t stop raining soon, expect his resignation any day now.

What must also be mentioned here is that many a journalist will say that City get more scurrilous rumours circulated because they do not help themselves. City’s media dealings can rub up many a journalist the wrong way.  They (the club) are seen as difficult to deal with and secretive. That’s not to say that is true, but other clubs are certainly more open, but then they do not get the scrutiny City get. Perhaps this is a natural response to the criticism that has come the clubs way since 2008 and the criticism of the owner and the UAE.
What’s more, these rumours all start somewhere. Is another club behind this? No prizes for guessing who, if so – a rival with a natural distrust at board level that has been apparent for some time.
And all the while, whilst Liverpool media outlets get to sit down with the likes of Jurgen Klopp, those that write most positively about our club (such as a nobody like me) get fuck all access to anything. Not that I am saying I deserve anything, but on a PR level sometimes you wonder about the supposed “professionalism” of those that make such decisions.  As always, it is left to the fans to fight the fires every time the club is criticised, which is on a near-daily basis. And rumours circulate wildly and are not put to bed, because many whose job it is to write about the club feel little inclination to stand up for an institution that doesn’t help them in their daily routine. A nice buffet can only go so far. You may argue, with some justification, that many do not deserve to be helped to spread their brand of journalism, but sometimes you have to look at the wider picture and be the bigger “man”. A more thorough symbiotic relationship would be better for all sides.

The Shackles Off

The game against Dinamo Zagreb was essentially the least important of the season so far, but perhaps the most enjoyable because of it. By the end, I wanted more, I was enjoying it so much. The chance to watch Phil Foden run the show was of course the main attraction, but to watch City return to their destructive best was a nice bonus. Sandwiched around that dreadfully disappointing derby defeat was two comprehensive 4-1 away wins in very different circumstances. What to make of this team? Other than the simple conclusion that it is as talented as ever, but is going through a rough patch right now, for many, many reasons. What team will turn up on Sunday at the Emirates on Sunday is hard to predict, but it’s a game they should win with ease. Perhaps the only certainty is that Phil Foden will not start. He should, but he won’t.

System Flaws

The best teams have dips, bad luck, bad form and become stale. They will bounce back though if everyone is committed to doing so, as everyone at City clearly is. It’s hard to criticise Pep because he is perhaps the most intense, forensic and forward-thinking manager the club has ever had, or perhaps ever will. Everything he does has been thought through, at length. So apart from the valid criticism that he may at times “over-think” things, the other flaw that nags away at me relates to our dependence on certain players, two in particular. We all know the fall-out from one key player, Laporte, being injured. Now it has been widely argued that the problems are exacerbated because Fernandinho has been moved from a DM position, and his role in that position was key to how the team performs.  And that’s what worries me – if the Pep system is so dependent on Fernandinho in DM, then is the system not therefore inherently flawed? If one defender can unsettle the whole balance of a team, then there is something wrong. And that is surely the next stage of the evolution of this team. A team that operates at a high level when you remove one or two of the players, any of them. After all, it has long been Pep’s desire to have two top quality players in each position. Life doesn’t always work out like that, whatever your resources, and that utopia has never been achieved. But this team will flourish once more, to the levels of the very best that is, when it can cope with a long-term injury to any individual player. The planning at the club must ensure we are never in this position again. Harsh, undoubtedly. This is a system that is devastating when it functions properly, as it usually does. How can you criticise a squad that won 198 points over 2 seasons, won an unprecedented domestic treble, won  5 of the last 6 domestic trophies available, and rained 500 goals down on us in under 3 ½ years? But Pep won’t be happy at the situation right now, so we have permission not to be either. All I do know is that the team has shown in recent weeks what it is still obviously still capable of, and the club is in the best hands to push once more for glory in the near future.

The Draw

And so on Monday, City will discover who their opponents will be in the knockout stage of the Champions League. There will be no cries of “fix!” as ~City are unlikely to be drawn against a Malaga Over 65 Walking Football Select XI, but there will be plenty of grumbles if City get Lyon instead, even though they are a team that proved very troublesome for City only last season.  The team to avoid is probably Real Madrid, but who knows what position all the clubs, including City, will be in by the time the matches come around in a couple of months. Dortmund, Napoli, Atletico Madrid and more have had their problems this season too, but are still dangerous opponents. This is a cup competition though, so all bets are off. City are still favourites for the tournament despite being 3^rd in their domestic league and bookies clearly fear the capabilities of a top-class squad in a competition they have never won. The tournament is littered with examples of teams going deep into the competition, or even winning, whilst underwhelming domestically. Real Madrid have won the European Cup 13 times, but only 3 times have they completed a cup/league double. As for Monday, because of the fixed nature, sorry vagaries of the draw, City have a greater chance of drawing Atletico Madrid than any other team, and the least chance of drawing Lyon. Go figure, though the chances only range from 16.97% (Lyon) to 22.4% (Atletico).

VAR

Sigh. What’s the point, eh? It’s hard to throw accusations of corruption around when City suffer from a decision in a game that means little to them. After all, what was the point in trying to deny City victory against Zagreb? This was more a case of incompetence, because there is no reasoned argument as to how a video referee can watch a clip of someone deliberately throwing an elbow at an opposition player, and decide that there is not a case to answer. There is no argument. A system that creates more debate than before, when it was supposed to eradicate such debate, is failing. It’s as simple as that. In the other game in the group, an Atalanta player commits a bad foul whilst on a yellow card, and escapes extra censure, the game poised at 0-0, and with Shakhtar Donetsk only needing a draw to progress. That player goes on to inspire Atalanta to a 3-0 victory, when he should not be on the pitch. So much for video technology making the sport a fairer one.

I’m glad in a way that the red card was not brandished in Zagreb, as we got to see City in full flow against 11 men in the 2^nd half, and against 10 men it perhaps would not have meant as much, or signified anything of note. Nevertheless, the sport is being destroyed, and I do not say that lightly, and I say it as someone who supported the introduction of video technology, and as someone who maintains that it can work. It’s easy to say you’ve fallen out of love with football as your team hits a rough patch (relatively). United fans have turned it into an art form, after all. But when events like this happen virtually EVERY SINGLE game, how are we supposed to enjoy the sport?  The European system has undoubtedly worked better than the farce that is VAR in the Premier League, but this week showed that disgraceful VAR decisions can happen anywhere.