Guardiola admits Manchester City players pushed him to the brink in new documentary

Pep Guardiola told Manchester City players he wanted to quit and threatened to “kill” them if they ended the season unhappy, in an extraordinary dressing-room speech shown in a new Amazon Prime Video documentary.

The four-part film, Beautiful Obsession, examines the Catalan manager’s final two years at Manchester City and includes footage from November 2025, shortly after the team’s 2-0 defeat by Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League.

Guardiola lost his temper in the dressing room following the loss, accusing his players of failing to show the competitive mentality he expected from them.

“Guys, this is a disgrace, I’m absolutely fed up,” he said. “All of you have to adopt the mentality of proving that I am the best. I will prove to that failed manager that I am better than the others. It is a competition between you, and where was that competition today?”

The manager then turned his anger towards himself, saying he was disappointed by the lengths he had gone to in an attempt to make his squad feel secure and confident.

“I feel sad, I feel disappointed in myself because of the stupid things I have tried to do to make you feel safe, protected and confident,” Guardiola said. “I feel like an idiot.”

The film shows the speech becoming increasingly severe as Guardiola described the personal effort he had invested in the players and warned that another manager could replace him.

“I arrived here at eight o’clock in the morning, guys. I spent long hours trying to reach your hearts, and when I fail, I get extremely frustrated,” he said. “You do not give anything back to me. Do you know what will happen? You will get another manager.”

He then issued a threat in language his players were not accustomed to hearing from him.

“If I see one unhappy face at the end of the season, I will kill you,” Guardiola said. “If I see even one of your faces complaining about something when I make decisions, I will kill you. For goodness’ sake, work harder, do better, live better lives.”

The documentary also presents the emotional strain Guardiola was experiencing away from football. During a painful exchange, he criticised the squad for what he described as a lack of courage, commitment and desire, and connected their performances with difficult circumstances in his family life.

“You can lose, and I defend you a lot, but this lack of courage, passion, love and desire to win is unacceptable,” he said. “I am living my life, I am going through my divorce, and my family is far away from me because of all of you. And what do I get in return? This shameful performance. It is a disgrace, guys.”

Guardiola ended the address by saying the team’s display had left him exhausted, empty and isolated, while again suggesting that he wanted to resign.

“For goodness’ sake, I have had enough,” he said. “When I see this performance, I feel exhausted and empty. I want to quit. I feel alone. When you play like this, I feel alone. You will not see me tomorrow.”

The footage provides an unusually candid account of the pressure behind the scenes at Manchester City and shows Guardiola’s frustration spilling beyond tactical criticism into a wider reflection on his relationship with the squad and the personal sacrifices he believed he had made for the team.