This is the sequel to ‘Pep Confidential’, the author’s portrait of Guardiola’s first season at Bayern Munich. The follow-up offers a comprehensive analysis of the Catalan’s three seasons in Bavaria.

This being said, I got the impression that the author wrote a selection of essays only to connect them all at the end. This means that at times the book is disjointed and you question its specific arguments and themes.

There were certain sections that appealed to me more than others, such as the analysis of young Joshua Kimmich’s conversion to centre-back, one of Europe’s most talented players today. The best section of the book was the analysis and story behind Bayern’s tie in the Champions League semi-final with Atlético Madrid in 2016. This is where the author best used his special access and told a really revealing story with top insight.

I felt that the author’s unparalleled access made for revealing reading, however some passages were repetitive and dense, not wholly well-written. This may be a note on the translation but I felt that the author lacked the artistry of the likes of Jonathan Wilson, Sid Lowe and Graham Hunter in regards to telling a captivating story.

I believe that the book had true potential due to the privileged access afforded to the author. However, I have not read ‘Pep Confidential’ (which I understand is much better than this follow-up). Perhaps after reading that, I will have a different outlook on Perarnau’s pedigree as an author. I would thus recommend reading the two books in order to offer a fair appraisal.