An upcoming collection on Amazon Prime examines the narratives surrounding Pep Guardiola’s final two years at Manchester City.
Manchester City supporters have been treated to numerous documentaries chronicling their achievements under Guardiola. This latest production focuses on their dramatic downturn and promises to captivate the club’s supporters.
City Studios, the organisation’s internal production company, has created an unvarnished examination of the 2024/25 and 2025/26 campaigns under Guardiola, chronicling the stunning collapse following four straight championships and the subsequent fight to restore the side to championship calibre. It provides extraordinary access to dressing room exchanges and boardroom discussions alongside remarkable behind-the-scenes accounts.
The footage proved compelling enough for Amazon to acquire distribution rights, and given the misery Guardiola’s team inflicted on opponents, viewers beyond City’s fanbase are likely to find these instalments compelling. Spanning eight episodes, the series explores how the Premier League holders’ season unravelled and the subsequent recovery attempt.
With the complete collection launching on August 19, here are some standout moments captured throughout.
Walker clashes with Guardiola at Anfield
To illustrate the series’ quality, look no further than the heated exchange between Guardiola and Kyle Walker at Anfield. The club’s then-captain escalates rapidly, accusing Guardiola of raising his name in every conversation. When the manager points out that perhaps this relates to his captaincy duties requiring accountability, Walker fires back by repeating that Guardiola never wanted him to be captain. Thirty seconds later, an emotional Guardiola tells his captains he will depart if they wish him to.
These scenes provide compelling context for Walker’s departure midway through the campaign and Guardiola’s subsequent decision to hand-pick his captain for the first time during his City tenure. Though conveniently, it also serves as a vivid demonstration of why results deteriorated so severely.
De Bruyne overwhelmed
After Walker’s departure, Kevin De Bruyne suffered a devastating blow later in the campaign when informed his contract would not be extended following nine years at the Etihad. The Belgian responded with considerable distress, prompting chief executive Ferran Soriano to alert chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak that the player remained unhappy and urging that his departure be handled with maximum dignity.
A subsequent exit interview with club media sees De Bruyne asked what his family would miss most. The club legend begins responding but cannot continue, becoming emotional while explaining his children do not wish to depart and that he is no longer making football choices solely for himself.
Having arrived at City before any of his children were born, it serves as a powerful reminder that footballers possess human emotions and the enormous salaries they earn during their careers do not alter how they experience situations like anyone else.
Cherki draws criticism
The second episode includes numerous recruitment discussions as Hugo Viana is formally introduced to club hierarchy as successor to Txiki Begiristain. Rayan Cherki emerges as a candidate to fill De Bruyne’s void, though concerns about his temperament surface. These reservations stem from reports circulating approximately a year earlier.
Viana and Begiristain receive one negative assessment but gradually become persuaded this represented an isolated incident. As chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak gathers additional information, he grows determined to proceed before rival clubs identify the opportunity.
With City committed to completing the transfer, an entertaining moment occurs during Cherki’s medical examination revealing aspects of his character.
Guardiola’s marital split surfaces repeatedly
Guardiola references his divorce frequently. Extremely frequently. His trusted assistant Manuel Estiarte cites this to account for shifts in Guardiola’s conduct around a particular period, and the manager raises the subject during multiple dressing room addresses. One recurring element throughout the series involves revealing the more personal side of Guardiola during his concluding two seasons at the club in ways never previously witnessed.
Estiarte explains that previously he never needed to enter the locker room to address the players. Only on a single occasion. Only once. Because they were concerned as Guardiola appeared anxious, melancholic, and unlike himself. Only Estiarte understood the cause.
He told the squad they needed to comprehend that they were not dealing with a manager who might occasionally display impulsiveness, intensity, or volatility.
They were interacting with a person going through a divorce. This remains a sensitive matter he preferred to avoid discussing extensively, though it proved essential for the group to perceive Guardiola not merely as a manager but to witness his human side for the first time, given that ultimately he is indeed human.
Guardiola confronts players after Leverkusen and displeases hierarchy
City’s home fixture against Leverkusen represented a pivotal moment in the 2025/26 season. Guardiola made wholesale changes to provide squad players with an opportunity to demonstrate their ability, only for them to produce a poor display that damaged the team’s prospects; chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak informed Soriano afterward that his frustration over this unnecessary gamble ran so deep he had been unable to contact the manager for several days.
Guardiola’s frustration erupts in the dressing room afterward as he condemns the performance as shameful, berates the players for offering nothing in return despite his personal sacrifices, and makes clear he will not tolerate any player resentment over being excluded in future.
During an extraordinary address, he indicates players will soon have a different manager. He insists he cannot be concerned about selection while worrying about player satisfaction. Any sign of discontent following his decisions would not be tolerated.
Guardiola’s future plans
This question has persisted since Guardiola announced his departure. Those close to him doubt he can settle into retirement, and individuals involved in selecting Italy’s next manager certainly indicated he may already be eager to resume work, though documentary footage suggests the former City manager might require longer than anticipated to return, prioritising personal matters.
He admits uncertainty about his plans, acknowledging it would be challenging to return to the profession. His current mindset suggests returning would prove difficult. He needs to revitalise various aspects of his private life.
Regarding his career, he has discovered he must rediscover himself through different pursuits. Simply observing time passing represents his goal. In Catalonia this concept carries a specific meaning, describing a state of disengagement. That represents one of his primary objectives.
A Beautiful Obsession launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK and Ireland on 19 August 2026.