How did Pep win league manager of the year?

[freethedevil]

Team a, most expensive club/most talent -> 98 points

team b, not even top 4 in net spend in their own league -> 97 points

[HIF]

Because his team won the league and he was the better manager.

Bringing the price of players into it to defend Liverpool is quite funny. Going on that criteria perhaps Dyche deserves manager of the year.

[Baphomet]

Net spend is a peculiar thing to bring up in a managerial debate. There are merits to taking Klopp over Pep, sure, but it has nothing to do with spending. Both have extraordinary world class squads with quality of both youth and experience, and Liverpool have recruited very well after some major departures (those major departures being why their net spend looks leaner), so it's petty to quibble on that. We're not talking about Stevenage Borough here, it's Liverpool.

It's not like the NBA where Steve Kerr could be replaced by a bag of orthopedic shoes and still win those titles with GSW. Keeping that City team so motivated and focused over the course of multiple seasons is miraculous, and something that every City manager before him failed at. Man United are proof that spending a lot of money doesn't guarantee you anything, you need a coach like Pep to organise the players, kick their arses or massage egos when necessary.

Klopp has done a similar job, and if Liverpool win the league this season he will most likely win it, and deserve to. But last season Pep was the better domestic manager, imo.

[freethedevil]

Net spend is a peculiar thing to bring up in a managerial debate. There are merits to taking Klopp over Pep, sure, but it has nothing to do with spending. Both have extraordinary world class squads with quality of both youth and experience, and Liverpool have recruited very well after some major departures (those major departures being why their net spend looks leaner), so it's petty to quibble on that. We're not talking about Stevenage Borough here, it's Liverpool.

We can also look at wage bills. By any measure, liverpool aren't stevenage, but they're a long way off from man city's resources so for them to essentially match them in the title race while winning a gauntlet to win the ucl is the more impressive acheivement imo from a management standpoint. The starting 11's are somewhat comparable, the squad's really aren't in totality. And large sample sizes like the premier league favor the deeper squads. And frankly we should acknowledge the broadstroles in their respective careers at this point. We saw this at dortmund where again, before dortmund overacheived, everyone agreed bayern were heavy heavy favorites and then once elevated to performing on a similar level as pep's side, we get "ah well, they're good players too!". Yes they're good players, no they aren't being held in the same regard as city's if they're playing for a lesser manager.

It's not like the NBA where Steve Kerr could be replaced by a bag of orthopedic shoes and still win those titles with GSW.

Uh, what? The warriors aren't inning anything without kerr establishing their motion offence in 2015. In NBA coaching, I'll give you that once you establish a system, you can get away with missing rs games, but you still have to establish the system.

Keeping that City team so motivated and focused over the course of multiple seasons is miraculous, and something that every City manager before him failed at.

Do we think klopp would struggle to keep his players motivated? This "he can keep his players motivated" only ever comes up as a argument for managers who have access to greater resources. Many managers are good at motivating their players, it's not a valid reason to dismiss the obvious context of pep having access to signoficantly greater resources thana manager whose team is performing on a similar level.

Man United are proof that spending a lot of money doesn't guarantee you anything, you need a coach like Pep to organise the players, kick their arses or massage egos when necessary.

But the comparison here isn't man united, it's Liverpool. Do you not think klopp could organize players like pep does? Klopp has also kicked arses, and he was able to keep a team that lost a ucl final motivated for a b2b run.

Klopp has done a similar job, and if Liverpool win the league this season he will most likely win it, and deserve to. But last season Pep was the better domestic manager, imo.

I suppose if we consider the treble sure, but surely klopp's league campaign was more impressive if we jusdge things in the context of the season. Rather odd to consider a previous season pep already won plaudits for when considering the latest one.

[danfantastk32]

Team a, most expensive club/most talent -> 98 points

team b, not even top 4 in net spend in their own league -> 97 points

I'm with you. I think Pep is a massively overrated wanker of a coach. Here is his with defensive issues, and a squad not shining with it's usual trillion-dollar luster. Is he able to get anything extra out of them? Is he able, through shear ingenuity, and 'outside-the-box' thinking able to turn the ship, and salvage the season to some extent? Hell no. Of course not. He quits...says the EPL was not his focus. Why hell.....I remember him saying the league was a joke a couple years back. Beyond easy to master.....boring really.

He's a trust-fund baby. Along with Jose. Give em the "Yankees" and they look like genius. Take a couple pieces out, and they fold like a cheap house of cards. Pepe has been able to do NOTHING with that team once the wheels started coming off. And I'm talking straight up embarrassing NOTHING. "I though you were a good coach" - type NOTHING with the team.

Arrogant trust fund coach.

[The_Brecht]

Man City won the league, the fa cup, the carabao cup and the community shield.
That's four trofees.

[danfantastk32]

Man City won the league, the fa cup, the carabao cup and the community shield.
That's four trofees.

I mean, hey....the guy is obviously a great coach. I think he's a massively arrogant wanker....but there is no denying the case of trophies he's won. I believe Man-City set a record for most points in the prem a couple years back. I tend to be a little hyperbolic at times, but there is no denying his pedigree.

BUT......

There's no denying the squad he has. So maybe he could show a SHRED of humility??!??! Just sayin

Alot of your plans 'work out' and look really intelligent, when you've got the squads he's been able to throw on the field. I think my critique is quite fair: that when things have gone south this season, he's been powerless to do anything about it. The stable of premium race-horses he gets to throw out there are a little banged up.....so it's a lost season. He aughta be able to back that massive arrogance up with some 'magic'.

[The_Brecht]

But the question was: "How did Pep win league manager of the year?"

[SgtPepper]

^^I agree with much of that. In many ways Pep is the Gordon Ramsey of football. His style relies on having superior players at every position before producing something gaudy which regularly underwhelms in chaotic or continental situations. I think his Bayern side exemplified this more than his City side, where he took one of the best balanced side and made them about Spanish possession football at the expense of goal difference. It does take unique knowledge and vision to take rarefied technical skills and turn those into stylistic advantages, but it's more important to use whatever talent you have pragmatically and get the best results with them. I think Ancelotti had more strategic vision than Pep despite the fact the latter is clearly the better technical coach.

But to the debate, it's easy to see that his club dominated the domestic comps and that is usually what dictates such ratings.

[HIF]

He managed to play an adult team in all competitions and win most of them.