Skip to main content

Pep Guardiola Insists Man City Documentary Was Not Disrespectful After Mourinho Jibe

Pep Guardiola has insisted no disrespect was meant to Jose Mourinho in their new documentary series following the latter's comments last week.
  • Author:
  • Publish date:

Pep Guardiola has insisted no disrespect was meant to Jose Mourinho in their new documentary series following the latter's comments last week. 

The Manchester United boss is referenced several times in the Cityzens' Amazon-produced, eight-part series All or Nothing: Manchester City, which followed the Catalonian's side as they went on to lift the Premier League trophy and the Carabao Cup last season. 

The first episode includes a section on the Old Trafford manager's decision to sell Kevin De Bruyne at Chelsea, who went on from being an unfancied fringe player in west London to one of the most influential players in England's top-flight at the Etihad Stadium. 

Meanwhile, Mourinho's "park the bus" tactics are highlighted on several occasions, with footage of City's fans mocking the Red Devils' style of play included and narrator Ben Kingsley unfavorably comparing it to Guardiola's high-press and possession-based philosophy. 

On Friday, ahead of his side's defeat to Brighton & Hove Albion, the Manchester United boss took a swipe at their 'noisy neighbors', claiming Man City“can buy all the top players but [they] cannot buy class.”

And asked for a reaction to Mourinho's comments, Guardiola agreed with his fellow manager, although insisted to The Independent that disrespecting the ex-Real Madrid and Chelsea coach was not their intention. 

“That is true, you cannot buy class. I agree with him, with Jose, you cannot buy class,” he said. “I think we lived an amazing season last season, there were cameras. We did it for ourselves.

“I don’t agree with Jose in terms of being disrespectful to them. This was not our intention, just to film what happened last season.

“But I think we are a club that is trying to grow, to try to win titles, like all the big clubs in the world and we did it for ourselves, for the fans, to see what happened in our locker room. But from the beginning, the players, everybody in the club, said we are doing it.

“Of course the opponents are there but it’s his opinion, it’s Jose’s opinion. Another guy is going to say: ‘We like it [the documentary].’ Another guy will say no. It’s simple like that. But I agree with him, class you cannot buy.”