“This situation, we are not going to live it again” says Pep Guardiola to his players at the City Football Academy a few days out from the Champions League final.
By this point, City have already won the Premier League and FA Cup and are just 90 minutes from the immortality of a Treble, as well as our first ever Champions League triumph.
While it won’t be a surprise to many that we go on to lift the famous old trophy later in this episode, there won’t be a single City fan without shivers down their spine as this 48-minute masterpiece plays out.
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The beauty here is that everyone has their own story of that day. Whether you were in the stands at the Ataturk Stadium or watching on from around the world, memories of a night we’ve all long dreamed of will live on forever.
The final episode of Together: Treble Winners is the story of that weekend from the perspective of the players and coaches.
It begins with captain Ilkay Gundogan discussing what winning the tournament would mean to him, especially in Istanbul, a city he has such a personal connection with.
In training in Manchester, we see Pep telling his players to expect a battle – as is often the way when coming up against Italian teams in a major final.
We also see Goalkeeping Coach Xabi Mancisidor working with Ederson on saving close range headers, foreshadowing a stop the Brazilian was to make late on in the final.
That’s it. The work in Manchester is done and it’s off to Turkey’s largest metropolis for our players and fans.
While the supporters fill the narrow streets and beautiful squares of Istanbul, Erling Haaland whiles away the hours with a game of FIFA 22 against kit man Brandon Ashton. To no one’s surprise, Haaland wins the game with a goal by his own character.
In the final meeting before the game, Guardiola names his side and pays tribute to the support staff who have carried the footballers through all the challenges of the last 11 months.
On the team bus across town, we start to see the enormity of the occasion sink in. The players are quiet as fans cheer and Mike, the driver, makes an impossibly tight turn to get under the stadium itself.
All the while, Guardiola’s voice echoes over the top of the images. The manager is a natural born winner and has a profound outlook on these occasions that make or break careers.
Waiting for City at the Ataturk are two Club legends in Sergio Aguero and Fernandinho. The pair were both crucial in elevating City to this level and it’s a huge comfort for Guardiola and his staff to see familiar faces at this most unfamiliar of grounds.
When the starting XI was named, Kyle Walker was perhaps the most unfortunate of all the players to miss out. The England full-back has been integral to everything City have ever achieved under Pep but wouldn’t play in what could be the most significant game of his tenure so far.
Despite that, he was more than ready to deliver the final pre-match team talk in the dressing room, striking a chord that all fans will recognise in the lead up to monumental fixtures.
And so, the game begins. We aren’t at our best and Inter are comfortable in defence but providing little threat going forward.
When half-time arrives, the players return to the dressing room anxious to put things right. Rodrigo is buzzing around the dressing room while Haaland sits in the corner barking encouraging words.
During a chat between the pair, Haaland tells his team-mate to calm down and trust in Pep’s guidance. All the while, Guardiola has been deep in discussion with assistants Rodolfo Borrell and Enzo Maresca.
Eventually, the boss is ready. His interview, filmed several weeks later, tells us that his plan to be much gentler on the players than he was during the break in the 2021 equivalent.
Instead, he will focus on tactics. That’s when he ensures that wingers Jack Grealish and Bernardo Silva continue to push behind their full-backs, in order to open space for Rodrigo in the centre.
Lo and behold, that’s how the goal arrives. No City fan will ever forget that goal, but they haven’t seen it like this before.
Having watched the highlights thousands of times since last June, I am struck by how emotional I am when I see that net ripple.
One half of the stadium erupts, the players sprint to the corner and the relief is palpable.
Of course, Ederson’s saves follow and the anguish that was the final 20 or so minutes is captured magnificently, with the outpouring of joy again arriving as the final whistle is blown.
From this point on, not a single beat is missed for this fan watching and desperately hoping the cinematography could match up to the swell of emotions felt that night.
Many of the key figures have their moment in the spotlight, with Guardiola in tears when hugging his players.
The boss also has words of gratitude for Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, who was a source of strength after the painful defeat in the 2021 Champions League final.
We see the start of a dressing room party that goes on into the night before the players set off home.
A rain-soaked parade and Oasis’ Wonderwall ensure a truly Mancunian ending to the definitive account of the best season in Manchester City’s history.
You can watch all six episodes of Together: Treble Winners on Netflix now.
And you check out all of our episode recaps here.
