Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book

The Pep Revolution: Inside Guardiola’s Manchester City

Rate this book
The only authorised story of Pep Guardiola's triumphant reign at Manchester as close to Guardiola as you can get.

'Write about everything you see. Be as critical as you like.' This is what Pep Guardiola told the journalist Marti Perarnau in 2013, when Perarnau arrived to spend a season as an insider at Bayern Munich. In the ten years since, he has followed Pep Guardiola across Europe, and since 2016 has been a fly on the wall at Manchester City, where Guardiola has broken records and revolutionised the Premier League with his radical managerial style.

This is the long-awaited, access-all-areas story of Pep Guardiola's time at Manchester City, telling every twist and turn of their journey to the top and providing the definitive lessons of Guardiola's leadership. The only true insider account, it's an essential read for any football fan, and any reader in search of the lessons of one of sport's great leaders.

512 pages, Hardcover

Published August 15, 2024

96 people are currently reading
298 people want to read

About the author

Martí Perarnau

14 books58 followers
Martí Perarnau Grau (Barcelona, 7 de març de 1955) és un periodista i exatleta català. Durant la seva etapa esportiva va participar en els Jocs Olímpics de Moscou 1980, en la modalitat de salt d'alçada.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
73 (34%)
4 stars
68 (32%)
3 stars
51 (24%)
2 stars
14 (6%)
1 star
4 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Stephen.
2,183 reviews464 followers
July 14, 2025
informative insight into the management of pep guardiola of man city over the years and granted access which make it interesting a different viewpoint
Profile Image for Juan Ángel Martínez.
36 reviews
December 19, 2024
El mejor libro de fútbol que he leído hasta ahora. Un retrato minucioso e íntimo de las aventuras de Pep Guardiola como entrenador del Manchester City. El libro engancha por varios motivos. En primer lugar, porque Martí Perarnau es un excelente escritor, sobre todo en el ámbito futbolístico. Digamos que es una voz autorizada, y el lector lo nota. En segundo lugar, porque la historia cuenta con información de primera mano. Información sacada del vestuario, de los propios protagonistas. Uno, leyéndola, se siente como en el lugar de los hechos. En tercer y último lugar, porque Pep Guardiola es una de las figuras más influyentes de este siglo en el mundo del fútbol. Así, sin más. Esto último ya es un argumento de peso para que cualquiera se anime con esta lectura.
Profile Image for Gustavo Bonilla.
8 reviews
December 30, 2024
One star because there is no choice for half one star...
Review a “Dios salve a Pep” de Marti Perarnau

Al terminar de leer “Dios salve a Pep” de Marti Perarnau, me di cuenta que no habia aprendido mucho de Pep, ni tampoco de porque hay que pedirle a Dios que le salve. Es una coleccion de vinetas, que basicamente son mini reportajes de eventos o partidos. Se puede obtener mayor informacion acompanado quizas de mas reaccion visceral, viendo los mismos eventos en YouTube, o los que tienen acceso a los partidos en un DVR, que leer lo que basicamente parecen narraciones de eventos, masticadas y regurgitadas en papel.

No he leido sus libros anteriores, pero si usan la misma formula en su composicion, seran en mi opinion, una perdida de tiempo leerles porque hay muy poco del hombre en estas paginas que aporten a lo que se conoce del Mister publicamente. Ni interes morbido de mi parte, sino creo que cualquier lector espera un acercamiento del hombre hacia lo terrenal donde moramos el resto de los mortales. Para tener tanto acceso a un hombre tan privado, como reportero, o como “biografo”, dejo escapar una oportunidad. O quizas sea el acceso al hombre mas importante que la obra de reportarle. En fin, deja mas dudas sobre el objetivo, y pocas preguntas de las que estoy seguro sabe que debio hacerle.

Upon finishing “God Save Pep” by Martí Perarnau, I realized I hadn’t learned much about Pep, nor why we should ask God to save him. It’s a collection of vignettes, essentially mini-reports on events or matches. One could get a stronger reaction from watching the same events on YouTube than reading what essentially feels like transcriptions on paper.
I haven’t read his previous books, but if they follow the same formula in their composition, they would, in my opinion, be a waste of time because there’s very little in these pages about the man himself that adds to what is already publicly known about the coach. It’s not out of morbid curiosity, but rather a desire for the man to come closer to the earthly realm where the rest of us mortals dwell. Despite having access to such a private man, as a reporter or “biographer,” the author let an opportunity slip away. Or perhaps access to the man was more important than the work of reporting on him. Ultimately, it leaves more doubts about its purpose and raises a few of the questions that I’m certain the author knew he should have asked.
Profile Image for Jack Stirling.
2 reviews
September 15, 2024
Did I learn a lot? Yes

I had really high hopes for this but found it a bit stodgy.

Did I enjoy it? Not really. Some of the translating is a bit iffy to say the least and makes it quite charmless. It’s also littered with misprints & incorrect facts at points that are really easily sorted.
Profile Image for Richard Burns.
2 reviews
January 29, 2025
I was so excited to buy this book. I am a Manchester City fan and season ticket holder and I loved Perarnau's books about Pep's time at Bayern Munich. Unfortunately this book let me down in a big big way - I gave up halfway through. The insight is good but the book is absolutely riddled with factual errors. Three examples below:

1. There is reference to a penalty save by City goalkeeper Ederson. This is followed by an assertion that 'Of the last 10 spot kicks, City had saved 11'. Doesn't make any sense!

2. In another section Perarnau talks about records City were trying to break. On one page he references City playing for the most goals scored record, and breaking it with their 106th goal. Then a couple of pages are dedicated to them chasing down 100 points. When they get the 100th point, Perarnau refers to it as the 100th goal. I had to read back three pages to see what I'd missed but it's just very clumsy writing and seemingly not proofread.

3. In one section after City lose an FA Cup semi-final (with a few pages dedicated to it), Perarnau then writes how happy Guardiola was that City had won to reach the cup final.

My suspicion is these are all translation errors but for this to get through any edit to be published is incredibly disappointing. Those above are just three examples, there are many more. References to games being at home when they are away and so on and so on.

If you're just interested in Pep but don't know a lot about City maybe this won't bother you. If you're a City fan and you lived through this era and remember the details, avoid this book.
Profile Image for Èric Prim.
25 reviews5 followers
February 15, 2024
El Barça a l'exili explicat vist des de dins en les set temporades que Guardiola l'ha comandat. Tot i les set-centes pàgines és un llibre molt amè gràcies a la manera en què s'expliquen els set anys, tots des d'una perspectiva diferent. El que és més difícil de digerir és que el bartorosellisme ens ha robat per sempre més el millor futbol que havíem vist mai. Que la vida els hi faci pagar car.
Profile Image for Stuart Bird.
48 reviews
September 5, 2024
The relationship between Pep and Perarnau stuck me as almost identical to that of Mr Burns and Smithers, with Perarnau as the fauning yes man who can never see his idol as anything less than magnificent. He view of Guardiola is best summed by a three word quote "God save Pep"

After victory at Old Trafford pep is quoted as saying "and we did it using eight players I inherited from last season!" as if he'd been left a collection of crocks and bums rather than what was an excellent, experienced (albeit aging) squad full of internationals

The are multiple references to the failure of the city board to properly back Pep in the transfer window in both his first and second seasons, despite significant spending.


Never one to pass up a chance at self promotion, Perarnau gifts members of the city coaching staff with a copy of his previous book. Why he needs to tell us this is unclear

The relative failure of the first season is blamed on the club letting pep down by only buying his 5 of the 10 players he wanted. That he wanted an almost entire new team is does not appear to strike Perarnau as unreasonable. The mentality of the players is also cited as a reason why city lost big games, especially in Europe. Pep himself is absolved of any of this


Mention is made of the rough treatment and bad fouls the city played are subjected to as well as referring decisions that don't go their way. There's nothing on fernandinho's notorious tactical fouling nor any controversial referring decisions that go city's way

There are some interesting tidbits like the fact that at 17 Sancho wanted a guarantee of a first team place in any new contract.

Perarnau is very good on the tactical side of the game and clearly understands Peps philosophy and is able to communicate this fairly well. After a while, however, the rentlenless wave of numbers and stats gets a little tiresome

When there are shortcomings in Peps team, these are blamed on the players rather than the manager: "There no doubt that the execution of these fundamental principles has. Ot been perfect. City's players still have to improve their collective organisation and psychological maturity"


Champions league victories are presented as peps tactical triumphs (eg using Bernard Silva as a false 9 to defeat Real Madrid at the Bernabau). In contrast, the fefeat by Lyon is presented as a series of errors by the players. No suggestion that pep's tactics or player selection were in any way culpable. Going out to Dortmund in 2021 is blamed on the players suffering from nerves.which mens they forget their master's key principles. For the home game against Dortmund Perarnau stresses that Pep stuck to the game plan they all knew and picked the players in the best form in their best positions, so as not to add extra pressure. The subtext here seems to be "see, Pep didn't overthink this one, it's all on the players". It is suggested that the players are terrified of the memories of previous champions league defeats on a subconscious level.

The Chelsea UCL final, pep drops both rodri and fernandinho in favour of Gundo as the pivot, a move that was obviously a mistake and is the classic "pep has over thought it again" example. Ahead of the game two unnamed players tell Fernandinho that they have guessed the lineup and there are doubts amount the squad about it. Pep talks to his assistants and they decided "actually we were right all along" and double down on the Gundo selection. According to Perarnau the plan against Chelsea doesn't work but it's not because of the Gundogan selection. He's even watched the game twice and Gundo doesn't make a single error. So pep is not to blame. Guess who is? That's right the players.. Perarnau tells us that just because City lost doesn't mean that Pep got it wrong. Ok mate.


.





This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Author 8 books8 followers
October 1, 2024
As seen with his previous books, Pep Confidential & Pep Guardiola: The Evolution, Marti Perarnau's extensive access allows for a truly alternative viewpoint on the first seven seasons of the Guardiola Era at City. Perarnau, himself, shares with Guardiola and his staff an extremely philosophical outlook on football, and his knowledge of the game and all the tactical intricacies that have developed and evolved since the 1860s seeps throughout the book.

Learning of Pep's thoughts, ideas, fears, and doubts throughout the 2016-2023 period truly enables the reader to look back on those years with a refreshed perspective, considering the triumphs and failures, and the moments of glory and heartbreak, with an understanding of just what Guardiola and his staff were trying to build along the way.

My only criticism of the book is that it is littered with factual and statistical errors throughout. I am not suggesting that Perarnau has purposely written falsehoods, I more mean that there are glaringly obvious errors that an editor should have noticed, particularly during the translation. They are errors that any knowing City fan would be able to spot, in relation to events during the period in which the book covers and prior to it. Aside from those errors, this is still a tremendous book, and one I would recommend not just to Blues but to any football fan with an appreciation of Guardiola and even to those who feel differently, and we all know there are plenty of those.
Profile Image for Daniel.
257 reviews1 follower
March 16, 2025
As a football fan, I found The Pep Revolution to be a thoroughly enjoyable and insightful read. Martí Perarnau does a great job of peeling back the curtain on Pep Guardiola’s relentless drive for innovation, tactical mastery, and obsession with perfection. The book brilliantly highlights how Pep has continually reshaped Manchester City, taking them to new heights and revolutionizing the way football is played in the Premier League.

What I particularly enjoyed was how the book dives deep into Guardiola's mind—his methods, his vision, and his never-ending pursuit of improvement. For anyone curious about what makes one of football's greatest managers tick, this book offers a privileged view.

That said, there were moments where the author's bias toward Manchester City felt a little overwhelming. While understandable given the subject, this favoritism sometimes took the shine off what could have been a more balanced narrative. And, as an Arsenal fan, I must admit—every time the book took a dig at Arteta’s Arsenal, my gut twisted a little! It’s a reminder that while football analysis can be fascinating, allegiances do color how we perceive these stories.

All in all, it’s a must-read for those interested in the tactical side of football and the genius of Pep Guardiola, but a pinch of salt is recommended for fans of rival clubs!
Profile Image for Jake Wharmby.
80 reviews5 followers
November 20, 2024
The pros: amazing insight for any City fan. Way more detail and context around formations, player roles, injuries, etc.

Negatives: it’s a long old read. Potentially a translation thing but it’s at least 25% the size it needs to be with lots of repeated anecdotes or saying the same thing 2 different ways. The footnotes are great for detail but also slow down the reading too. It’s more an anthology, a recap of most key games. There’s also plenty of interesting things that are gestured too but never really followed through, so you’re left guessing. Finally - the book has quite a self indulgent writing style. Lots of personal anecdotes and opinions / advice from a writer who is writing about the greatest football coach ever. Sometimes it’s good for context but other times it reads like personal memoir.
5 reviews
November 12, 2025
A great book covering Pep's time at City and seeing how things were on the inside. Seeing the different personalities among the coaching staff and how they related to Pep was really interesting. Also it is helpful to see how Pep deals with players who are doing great, doing poorly, and those who have a bad attitude. A lot to learn from especially how he dealt with great success and agonizing failure. The tactics he used to solve different problems and how he evolved over the years was different from how most on the perceive Pep as completely wedded to a certain style of play. Not as detailed as some of the earlier books from this author, but still good and it covers many more seasons.
32 reviews
January 19, 2025
Gillade inte lika mycket som den andra. Väldigt lång och lite onödigt många detaljer. Inte lika mycket insikter. Lite av ett idolporträtt är känslan.

Mycket fokus på vilken uppställning i uppbyggnaden och mindre på Pep som person eller vilka principer han har. Men fanns vissa bra detaljer. Kapitlet baserat på deras middagar ihop. Förklaring till varför de bytte presspel mot Bayern i CL. Utveckling från falsk nia till Stones upp på mitten. Det var bara olika sätt att uppnå principen +1 på mitten (med Håland på topp vill man ej ha falsk nia).
Profile Image for Asier.
1 review
April 2, 2024
Para mi gusto, se repite demasiado, me parece estupendo que idolatre a Guardiola, pero repite muchas veces lo mismo durante el libro. Cuando cuenta el día a día del equipo y se centra en explicar el fútbol y táctica de Guardiola y el City, está muy bien.
Profile Image for Iker G López .
8 reviews
January 26, 2025
Para mí el peor de los tres. Muy largo, muy repetitivo, parándose demasiado en partidos “sin importancia”… no engancha. Una pena porque Herr Pep y La metamorfosis son dos maravillas. Una mala forma de cerrar un trabajo fantástico.
62 reviews
February 27, 2024
Cuando habla de fútbol, es muy interesante. Como hagiógrafo de Pepe,estomagante.
14 reviews
Read
May 17, 2025
i acc started this in September so it did take a while but i did love it. love city hate United
1 review
June 28, 2025
probably the worst out of 3 despite covering the longest and more exciting period. Multiple wrong statistics and misprints. Despite all this I still found it quite insightful
Profile Image for Ahmed  Abd Elmonsef .
119 reviews25 followers
October 28, 2025
تحس الكتاب سرد لنتائج المباريات مع شوية تفاصيل فنية أكتر من كونه تركيز على شخصية بيب نفسه
Profile Image for Rafa Comendador.
33 reviews
June 27, 2024
Tengo todos los libros de M. Perarnau. Me encanta como escribe. Si hablamos concretamente de está trilogia, "La metamorfosis" es un libro muy muy bueno y "Herr Pep" me parece extraordinario. Lamentablemente la tercera parte es bastante peor.
El análisis tactico de los planteamientos de Guardiola es sublime (como en toda la trilogía) y explica muy bien los cambios de posición, roles de jugadores, adaptacion táctica... de un modo magistral. Es sin duda lo mejor del libro... y lamentablemente lo unico bueno. Ojo, es muy valioso y he dudado si ponerle 2 o 3 estrellas, pero después de dos grandes obras como las anteriores... aqui se me queda corto. Porque en el debe tenemos muchas cosas. Poquisima información desde dentro relevamente, analisis parcial de los resultados, el 90% de los goles que recibe el City son errores individuales, los arbitros siempre perjudican al City, Guardiola es un ser de luz y clarividente ... Es un horror el sesgo que padece el libro. Y más aún cuando habla de Guardiola, quien, en mi modesta opinión, no es uno de los mejores entrenadores del mundo, no. Es uno de los mejores de la historia. No necesitas algo tan subjetivo para darle valor, de hecho lo que consigue es lo contrario y es una pena.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.