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SIDELINES TV WATCH THIS MONTH’S SCREEN REVIEW The makers of Pep Guardiola: Chasing Perfection (BBC1, January 24) couldn’t have known their documentary would be shown in the week of Jürgen Klopp’s announcement, but it was outdated on transmission already. Glowingly citing “Vincent Kompany’s Burnley” among the clubs Guardiola has influenced is just unlucky. Less so that the programme couldn’t be updated to reflect on a season when City are currently chasing second, playing like they’re rattled by those 115 charges. In fairness, Chasing Perfection does mention his flaws, chiefly a tendency to overthink, highlighted by dropping Rodri for the 2021 Champions League final and asking his Bayern team how they should play against Real Madrid ahead of the 4-0 semifinal defeat in 2014, because he could no longer decide. As a biography, it was a breezily efficient hour. Generally curt and dismissive in broadcast interviews, Guardiola has never offered a pithy Fergie-style “Football, bloody hell” quote to humanise him, so the childhood and family footage was welcome. Understandably, a programme whose premise is showcasing Guardiola’s greatness is likely to overlook some questions. Insight into his relative failure at Bayern Munich was lacking, with Robert Lewandowski given less screen time than Noel Gallagher. Repeatedly emphasising Guardiola has revolutionised how football is played, there was no questioning of whether his philosophy is always a good idea if you don’t have limitless resources. It’s laudable to play out from the back if you’re Ederson, but everyone knows who’ll get the blame if a National League keeper is dispossessed. Without wishing to sound like a Charles Hughes coaching manual, is it even wise to insist goalkeepers need to function as an additional centre-half ? The ability to keep the ball out of the net B R A D F O R D T I M is surely the overriding priority. Some footballers belong on pitch, some in nets. You’re messing with nature, Pep. No good can come of it. That issue of resources is the real concern over Guardiola’s greatness. Henry Winter pointed out a Champions League win is the least City could expect from their billions. Chasing Perfection adeptly detailed Guardiola’s ability to change tactics in games, his relentless focus and the percentage game behind his philosophy. But he’s been blessed with incredible funds and (at least financially) benevolent boards at all three clubs he’s managed. If the idea of Guardiola trying to get promotion with Gillingham is facile, then it’ll be fascinating to see if he sticks around once the FFP panel eventually delivers a verdict. Gallagher claimed Guardiola has built an empire at Manchester City. How long it lasts might not be down to its manager, however close to perfection he came with last season’s treble. Chasing Perfection needed at least another episode to give a full overview of Guardiola’s management. FIFA’s new official documentary of the 2022 World Cup, Captains of the World, could easily have lost one of its six 45-minute episodes. Naturally, it’s on Netflix, home of more luxurious padding than a Premier League bench. It’s surprising FIFA still bother with official World Cup films. Made by Fulwell 73, the generally excellent documentary team behind Sunderland Til I Die and Bros: When The Screaming Stops, Captains of the World is certainly a contrast to FIFA’s woozy 1966 film Goal!, scripted by Brian Glanville. Unsuspecting Gen X children who watched Goal! during its frequent school holiday showings were likely to develop an interest in freeform jazz and David Lynch. Youngsters viewing the glossily businesslike Captains of the World might grow up to be on the board of a Forbes 500 company and write books with titles like Feasting On Plankton: Become A CEO By Finding Your Inner Shark. NUMBERS GAME The figures behind the facts 0-4 £709m 1978 The score in Côte d’Ivoire’s match with Equatorial Guinea, the worst ever defeat for a host team in the Africa Cup of Nations Real Madrid’s revenues during the 2022-23 season, putting them top of the Deloitte Football Money League The last time a club from outside the top five tiers reached the FA Cup fifth round, until Maidstone this year A L A M Y I M A G E S ( 2 ) , G E T T Y 6 WSC
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In focusing on captains, there’s far too much footage of pre-match huddles, from which viewers only learned that even the best teams in the world yell nothing more inspirational than “Do it for Croatia!” Thiago Silva appears the most likeable leader, scoffing at the idea of emotional intelligence making him weak, while Cristiano Ronaldo managed to be even harder to like off the pitch than expected. That’s from an already low bar, as queasily reminded by excerpts from his interview with Piers Morgan. The preening smirk with which Ronaldo announces “Winning a World Cup would be fun” is replaced by a glower and muttered inanities after being dropped. It’s worth a Netflix subscription just for that. Captains of the World features many other enjoyable small moments and insight into players’ personal lives, but in four-and-a-half hours, there’s strangely no room for “Why Qatar?”. John Earls Edinburgh City’s redeveloped Meadowbank Stadium Players and supporters celebrate promotion in 2022 Citizen pain EDINBURGH CITY Since their debut in the senior Scottish league at the start of the 2016-17 season, Edinburgh City’s position as the city’s third club – a more intimate matchday experience to either of the Scottish Premiership giants Hearts or Hibs – has seemed secure. As recently as 2022, in fact, they were making progress, when manager (and former Hearts and Hibs player) Alan Maybury steered the team to the dizzy heights of Scottish football’s third tier, via a play-off victory against Annan Athletic. Yet those successful times already seem far away. A turbulent 2023 brought a change of ownership and name, and a not entirely successful return to City’s home ground after the redevelopment of the publicly run Meadowbank sports centre. Then an existential financial crisis engulfed the club at the end of the year. On November 30 City failed to pay players on time, and the following month a winding-up order was issued by HMRC over unpaid taxes. While agreement to dismiss the order was reached in early January, the non-payment issue allowed several first-team players to exercise their right to walk away, including captain Former captain Danny Handlingwas forced to walk away over unpaid wages Danny Handling. “Absolutely gutted that my time at Edinburgh City has come to an end due to the unfortunate circumstances, six memorable years and I have loved every minute of it, from captaining the club to that special night in Annan!” he tweeted. If there was an end-of-an-era feel to the men’s team, though, the effective disbandment (intended to be temporary) of Edinburgh City Women’s FC and the club’s development teams was A L A M Y I M A G E S ( 2 ) , G E T T Y an even greater blow. Local MSP Sarah Boyack expressed her disappointment: “I acknowledge the financial difficulties of the team but at a time when women’s football is finally getting the audience it deserves, to scrap the women’s team sends entirely the wrong message.” More disappointment arrived in late January, when the SPFL docked the club six points for the failure to pay wages and not reporting this breach or the HMRC order to them. A precarious league position is now even worse; City prop up League One with just four points and only two league wins all season. They’re 12 points off old play-off foes Annan, and 20 from League One safety. How precisely this came about isn’t exactly clear, but there’s been a sense of instability around City for some months now. The original Edinburgh City were founded in 1928 and folded in 1955, but its associated social club has continued trading under the same name ever since. The current, unconnected football club – founded as Postal United FC in 1966 and renamed Edinburgh City in 1986 – essentially has the name on loan, with an unpopular rebrand as FC Edinburgh at the end of the 2021-22 season reversed SCENES FROM FOOTBALL HISTORY No 385 D AV E RO B I N S O N WSC 7

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SIDELINES

TV WATCH THIS MONTH’S SCREEN REVIEW

The makers of Pep Guardiola: Chasing Perfection (BBC1, January 24) couldn’t have known their documentary would be shown in the week of Jürgen Klopp’s announcement, but it was outdated on transmission already.

Glowingly citing “Vincent Kompany’s Burnley” among the clubs Guardiola has influenced is just unlucky. Less so that the programme couldn’t be updated to reflect on a season when City are currently chasing second, playing like they’re rattled by those 115 charges. In fairness, Chasing Perfection does mention his flaws, chiefly a tendency to overthink, highlighted by dropping Rodri for the 2021 Champions League final and asking his Bayern team how they should play against Real Madrid ahead of the 4-0 semifinal defeat in 2014, because he could no longer decide.

As a biography, it was a breezily efficient hour. Generally curt and dismissive in broadcast interviews, Guardiola has never offered a pithy Fergie-style “Football, bloody hell” quote to humanise him, so the childhood and family footage was welcome.

Understandably, a programme whose premise is showcasing Guardiola’s greatness is likely to overlook some questions. Insight into his relative failure at Bayern Munich was lacking, with Robert Lewandowski given less screen time than

Noel Gallagher. Repeatedly emphasising Guardiola has revolutionised how football is played, there was no questioning of whether his philosophy is always a good idea if you don’t have limitless resources. It’s laudable to play out from the back if you’re Ederson, but everyone knows who’ll get the blame if a National League keeper is dispossessed.

Without wishing to sound like a Charles Hughes coaching manual, is it even wise to insist goalkeepers need to function as an additional centre-half ? The ability to keep the ball out of the net

B R A D F O R D

T I M

is surely the overriding priority. Some footballers belong on pitch, some in nets. You’re messing with nature, Pep. No good can come of it.

That issue of resources is the real concern over Guardiola’s greatness. Henry Winter pointed out a Champions League win is the least City could expect from their billions. Chasing Perfection adeptly detailed Guardiola’s ability to change tactics in games, his relentless focus and the percentage game behind his philosophy. But he’s been blessed with incredible funds and (at least financially) benevolent boards at all three clubs he’s managed. If the idea of Guardiola trying to get promotion with Gillingham is facile, then it’ll be fascinating to see if he sticks around once the FFP panel eventually delivers a verdict. Gallagher claimed Guardiola has built an empire at Manchester City. How long it lasts might not be down to its manager, however close to perfection he came with last season’s treble.

Chasing Perfection needed at least another episode to give a full overview of Guardiola’s management. FIFA’s new official documentary of the 2022 World Cup, Captains of the World, could easily have lost one of its six 45-minute episodes. Naturally, it’s on Netflix, home of more luxurious padding than a Premier League bench.

It’s surprising FIFA still bother with official World Cup films. Made by Fulwell 73, the generally excellent documentary team behind Sunderland Til I Die and Bros: When The Screaming Stops, Captains of the World is certainly a contrast to FIFA’s woozy 1966 film Goal!, scripted by Brian Glanville. Unsuspecting Gen X children who watched Goal! during its frequent school holiday showings were likely to develop an interest in freeform jazz and David Lynch. Youngsters viewing the glossily businesslike Captains of the World might grow up to be on the board of a Forbes 500 company and write books with titles like Feasting On Plankton: Become A CEO By Finding Your Inner Shark.

NUMBERS GAME The figures behind the facts

0-4

£709m

1978

The score in Côte d’Ivoire’s match with Equatorial Guinea, the worst ever defeat for a host team in the Africa Cup of Nations Real Madrid’s revenues during the 2022-23 season, putting them top of the Deloitte Football Money League

The last time a club from outside the top five tiers reached the FA Cup fifth round, until Maidstone this year

A L A M Y

I M A G E S ( 2 ) ,

G E T T Y

6 WSC

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