During a remarkable tirade directed at his squad, Pep Guardiola came out with something only he could say, telling players that when he says hi, they should say hi back, and when he hugs them, they should hug him in return.
During his decade at Manchester City, there were countless moments when Guardiola himself was too occupied or preoccupied to acknowledge those around him, yet when he did give his full focus to colleagues, they certainly noticed. As Amazon would understand, it was all about the moments that mattered.
These eccentricities drew Oscar-winning filmmaker Kevin Macdonald to create a four-part series in unfamiliar territory. Macdonald does not follow football and faced criticism from his Arsenal-loving relatives for working with their rivals, yet Guardiola proved too compelling a figure to overlook.
Amazon Prime subscribers can stream all four episodes of the Pep Guardiola docuseries A Beautiful Obsession, documenting the former manager’s last two seasons at Manchester City, at no extra cost when it arrives on August 19.
The former City manager had unintentionally snubbed Macdonald three times when the director was commissioned to shoot a commercial for Audi in Munich more than ten years prior. Guardiola was meant to appear in the advertisement, yet not only failed to attend the filming but missed two rescheduled sessions as each attempt coincided with a Bayern Munich loss.
This resulted in a triple fee for Macdonald, and when the two finally connected in Manchester it secured Macdonald’s involvement in the four-part Amazon series launching on Wednesday, covering the manager’s concluding two years at the Etihad. Even for someone with minimal interest in City or the sport, Guardiola proved captivating enough to appeal to anyone.
Macdonald told the Manchester Evening News that if you picture Al Pacino portraying a football manager, that is who Pep is. He described Guardiola as possessing complete intensity, full emotion, and being completely genuine, seemingly unable to be anything other than himself in the moment. Macdonald noted there is a wonderful segment in episode three where Guardiola questions why he should constantly be happy, which transforms him into an excellent subject to film as he displays his emotions so openly.
Macdonald explained that when you include the squad and larger group surrounding Guardiola, they become affected by his emotional candour. He was intrigued by observing all the players before and after and considering them as performers in an extensive human drama. Macdonald acknowledged that is a cliché regarding football but that is what he pursued in the film, attempting to create something exploring what winning and losing entails and the human element involved rather than debating tactics.
Macdonald observed that Guardiola openly displays his emotions and remains so emotionally engaged in a manner that is uncommon in any sport with a masculine character. There is something genuinely tender about him that proves really notable and surprising. Macdonald described him as someone who raises his voice and yells but then desires to embrace and weep, being remarkably exposed. Macdonald believes you can observe his personal magnetism and the respect the players hold for him, which is the essential element.
It should be noted that all the shouting and embraces and tears are produced and released by the club. Macdonald originally intended to enter the dressing room himself with recording equipment but soon recognised that this hindered authentic responses and the genuine human conduct he sought.
Every piece of dressing room footage across more than two hours of content originates from Jon Deaux and his internal team at City Studios, after which choices were made to share conflicts with former and current players publicly. City likely wisely acknowledge there exists a broader viewership to witness everything going awry for their successful operation, yet the tension displayed proves remarkable and even more so when considering this essentially constitutes club-produced media.
In an era where most clubs scarcely acknowledge opposition goals on social platforms, City have revealed considerably more of their weaknesses than necessary, and Amazon have eagerly embraced presenting that content. With no one exempt from being admonished and Guardiola’s marriage breakdown a central topic throughout the episodes, it is hardly surprising the series has dominated headlines in publications ahead of its Wednesday release.
Macdonald explained that if you are attempting to narrate a story and provide it with a character journey, that is what having an external perspective like his enables him to accomplish, and he found himself in a fortunate position where they simply stated here is this footage, handle it as you see fit.
Macdonald described how they considered transforming this into a programme that is not a typical football programme, noting the benchmark is substantial as numerous football programmes have already been produced and questioning how to differentiate and how to provide it with a narrative.
Macdonald said that is what they aimed to focus on throughout the episodes, crafting narrative content that hopefully even those who are not City supporters will want to view because Pep represents an extraordinary individual and you become so emotionally involved with him and he proves so multifaceted that you feel compelled to continue observing him and his exchanges with the team.
Macdonald noted that the footage from the changing room sits at the heart of what this is and constitutes remarkable content because the internal team had cultivated such confidence from Guardiola and the players permitting them to be present for such emotionally charged moments. He observed that proves incredibly uncommon in any documentary nowadays that individuals will permit a camera when difficult situations arise and circumstances become chaotic.
Macdonald said that element particularly excited him about this opportunity, explaining that during the 1970s and 80s, crews would have been capturing all of this but within a more media-regulated era it grows increasingly challenging.
Macdonald remained unaware that Guardiola would depart at the conclusion of the previous season when filming commenced, although he now believes certain aspects of the Catalan individual likely knew in advance in order to initially consent to the interviews and subsequently reveal themselves so honestly within them. Guardiola certainly never avoided discussing the possibility of departing right from the beginning, and did not hold back from the significant transformation in his life following his divorce.
A transformed Guardiola subsequently sat down for one concluding interview, however, enjoying the Barcelona sunshine weeks subsequent to leaving the position. He had recently returned from observing Scotland at the World Cup and bantered with Macdonald that they were seeking a fresh manager and he would appreciate all the golf courses north of the border.
Guardiola then discussed needing to prioritise his private life and introduced the concept that he might never resume managerial duties, and Macdonald observed how different the individual before him already appeared without the everyday drama and performance that accompanies a managerial role, quieter, more contemplative, calmer.
Even if Guardiola could not secure the ideal conclusion he and City desired during his final campaign overseeing the team, the ending displayed the imperfections of the individual and of genuine existence rather than the extraordinary statistics he has achieved throughout his managerial career. As the club bids farewell to their most accomplished ever manager and embraces Enzo Maresca, the Amazon series serves as a timely reminder that football and existence prove complicated and unforeseen.
Macdonald observed that if they had triumphed in everything and then Guardiola departed it would have constituted the ideal narrative but in an odd sense he believes it is fitting, and he understands certain individuals at City held different views on this, that they lost the final match. He suggested that in a sense, that is the path Guardiola has traversed where victory no longer holds such significance to him and he can proceed with his life without concern regarding success or failure.
Macdonald noted that Guardiola mentions at the conclusion that far too much importance gets placed on winning when you recall the defeats, and it almost appears as though he has reached a form of acceptance. Macdonald added that the reality proves more intriguing than fiction, and in the Al Pacino version of this, they would have won.
A Beautiful Obsession launches exclusively on Prime Video in UK and Ireland 19 August