Quotidiano · 25 August 2018
The Salento twins on Pep’s trail (amid Mou’s anger)
Guardiola’s Manchester City stars in Amazon’s documentary series, with the Stifani brothers on the crew.
English translation of Francesco Buja’s 2018 Italian newspaper article.
English football’s Big Brother was also made by two promising young men from Salento. Twins Gabriele and Luca Stifani, aged 38 and from Neviano, spent the previous season documenting life behind the scenes at Manchester City. Produced by Mediapro for Amazon, All or Nothing takes its cameras where supporters’ eyes cannot reach: training, dressing rooms, words heard only from the touchline, and the tactical secrets of tiki-taka coach Pep Guardiola. Each instalment lasts around 50 minutes, narrated by actor Ben Kingsley. The episodes have been available since 17 August on Amazon’s Prime Video streaming service.
Gabriele closely marked Guardiola with his camera: the Spanish coach’s expressions, celebrations and instructions could not escape him. Luca worked as sound recordist at training, league matches, Champions League fixtures and FA Cup games. The Stifani twins thus witnessed success from within, as Manchester City won the league.
The brothers describe Guardiola as “friendly, but always maintaining a professional distance”. They recall: “He asked how the documentary was progressing, never became annoyed at our constant presence and gave us space to work. He seemed like someone from Salento, like us, because you could talk to him easily; he isn’t conceited. After matches, while we worked, he patted us on the shoulder and joked about us always being around him.”
The programme nevertheless offended another illustrious figure in the beautiful game. As with any self-respecting reality television production, controversy followed. Guardiola and José Mourinho’s friction goes back a long way. To the Special One, All or Nothing’s presentation of December’s Manchester derby evidently seemed a studs-up challenge. The documentary contrasts City’s possession with United’s defensiveness: Mourinho’s team, in short, “parks the bus” in front of its goal. Hardly a compliment to any coach, let alone one with considerable self-esteem. The Red Devils’ manager, who often applies the old theory that attack is the best form of defence when facing a microphone, pointed out that one can make a fantastic documentary while respecting others. Nor did he spare the sting: “Even if you are a rich club and buy the best players in the world, you cannot buy class.” And: “A film without me doesn’t sell much.” That sarcastic remark resembles a consolation goal for the Portuguese coach, already besieged by mockery of United’s style.
Before April’s return derby, City fans sent a bus bearing the Special One’s face around central Manchester. On 16 December, after beating Tottenham, the Sky Blues sang “Park the bus” in the dressing room, a chant filmed and shared on social media. The previous Sunday, after City beat United, their Old Trafford dressing-room celebrations received an unexpected visit from Mourinho, irritated by what he considered disrespect towards his players. Guardiola, naturally, disagreed. The clash culminated in a brawl in pure British style.
The animosity between the Spanish and Portuguese coaches dates back at least ten years. Riding high after success with Porto and then Chelsea, Mourinho seemed close to returning to Barcelona, where he had assisted Bobby Robson while Guardiola was a player. But Pep got the job: like being tripped as you shoot for goal. Evidence that Mourinho had never swallowed it came some years later, when they contested a place in the 2010 Champions League final. Mourinho coached Inter, who advanced despite losing the match. Afterwards he raced across the Camp Nou pitch, finger pointing skyward, with the look of a man taking revenge. “This rivalry, however,” the Stifani twins stress, “is mainly in the media. The English media love gossip, but the coaches’ rivalry exists only on the pitch. In fact, Guardiola praised Mourinho when he lost the derby.”
Fate placed the rivals in the same city: enemies at home. They had met again when one coached Real Madrid and the other Barcelona. Mourinho’s Italian-style pragmatism attracted accusations of defensiveness; Guardiola inspired those rapid passing moves that leave opponents turning like bulls in an arena. “Guardiola,” Luca and Gabriele confirm, “focuses on the players and coaching staff. He sees them as pieces of a puzzle that must fit together to win, a philosophy learned from Johan Cruijff. He keeps a statuette of the legendary Dutch player in his office. He always urges the team, even before easier matches, to play as they know how, without relaxing, giving 100 per cent. Always attacking.” Above all, always keeping possession. “As the footage shows,” the twins say, “City’s players don’t do that much running; their training seeks intensity. They mainly train their passing technique.”
Top-level football that will be available with Italian subtitles from 14 September. Satisfied with their All or Nothing work, the Stifani twins will be involved in The Devil on Wheels, a documentary about Spielberg’s Duel, and the feature The Butcher’s Revenge, filmed between Salento and Japan. Also in development is the short Passaggio, involving their family to explore traditional values that are being lost.
HISTORIC RIVALRY — Pep Guardiola with José Mourinho, managers of Manchester City and Manchester United. Their almost “ideological” rivalry has become historic.