Yes, good point. I can't hate this City team nearly as much as I hated the ManU teams of the Ferguson era.
I don't dread going up against a really good team who we can beat on our day (and did) nearly as much as I dreaded what the referees might do to us (and did) at Old Toilet. Not to mention knowing that they would kick us off and pitch and get away with it (and did) if they knew we were better than them.
Pep's team, for all the cheating off the field, are an honourable team on it.
Couldn't agree more. A bit of diving, rotational fouling, putting pressure on the ref.... this is what smart sides do. Some call them 'the dark arts'. More fool us if we refuse to join in and choose to play at a disadvantage.
Kicking opponents from the first whistle, safe in the knowledge that the ref will bottle every decision until your opponent responds and then at some stage give you a ridiculous penalty, is rather different.
City are not the Corinthian Casuals. But I would rather watch them, and rather play against them, than Ferguson's United.
He's very clever. Knows exactly how to prevent the counter attack without getting booked.
But again, the difference is he understands where the line is and knows exactly how to work it. United changed where the line was for them, or removed it altogether.
That said, Rodri and City do occasionally get away with murder.